I had two worries coming into this game: First, the Steelers’ four-game losing streak in Denver. Pittsburgh was favored in three of four, including a loss in which they were favored by 7.5 points. The Steelers’ last win in Denver was way back in November 2009. This week was a terrific opportunity to break the streak. Second, the Steelers had an absurdly bad record when Clete Blakeman is the referee.
Since 2010, when the NFL promoted Blakeman to referee, the Steelers had only won six of 19 games (31.6 percent) he officiated. During that same period, the Steelers were 142-83-2, winning 62.