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The Broncos’ home opener became an episode of “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” Coach Sean Payton staring down at his Waffle House menu-sized playsheet in disappointment remains the lasting image of a forgettable Sunday afternoon. Payton crunched the numbers, relied on his instincts, and made a series of baffling if not indefensible decisions. He is a potential Hall of Fame coach, and it was hard to leave the stadium not believing this rebuild is bringing out his worst. Let’s start at the end.

Bo Nix liked the Broncos’ plan for Pittsburgh before kickoff. Sean Payton soured on it before the Steelers’ suffocation of Denver’s offense was complete Sunday afternoon at Empower Field. Patience with the run game? The ability to go deep into the playbook? A grind-it-out, field-position battle there for the taking? All of that deteriorated faster than an afternoon that started with 80 degrees and sun and finished with clouds swirling and wind howling through uprights that only saw two measly Broncos field goals in a 13-6 dud. Take Our Poll (function(d,c,j){if(!d.getElementById(j)){var pd=d.createElement(c),s;pd.id=j;pd.src='https://www.denverpost.com/wp-content/plugins/polldaddy/js/polldaddy-shortcode.js';s=d.getElementsByTagName(c)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(pd,s);} else if(typeof jQuery !=='undefined')jQuery(d.body).trigger('pd-script-load');}(document,'script','pd-polldaddy-loader')); The Broncos are 0-2 with back-to-back road games ahead and a work week in West Virginia nestled in between.

Russell Wilson got a game ball for doing nothing Sunday. Nice to know that some things never change. “Obviously, it’s huge to get a second win and everything else,” Wilson told me as we shook hands at his stall inside the visiting locker room at Empower Field early Sunday night. “That was big.

The Denver Broncos took on the Pittsburgh Steelers in their season home opener at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, September 15, 2024. Pittsburgh won 13-6. Related Articles Sports | In loss to Pittsburgh, Broncos’ rushing attack continues to struggle: “We’ve got to fix this” Sports | Renck: Only thing worse than Broncos offense?

It’s going to take more than another 0-2 start for Courtland Sutton to throw in the towel on the 2024 season. The wide receiver expressed frustration after the Broncos’ 13-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday. But he remains optimistic even if Denver is 0-2 for the second year in a row. “I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum,” Sutton said.

Hours before kickoff Sunday, former Denver quarterback Russell Wilson chatted with former teammates and Broncos staffers on the Empower Field turf. After the Steelers polished off a 13-6 victory, the man who started in place of Wilson at quarterback was less diplomatic. Quarterback Justin Fields, who has guided Pittsburgh to 2-0 while Wilson deals with a calf injury, nodded to a long-time tradition of Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin in noting that Wilson and a pair of former Broncos — punter Corliss Waitman and receiver Brandon Johnson — got “petty game balls” after the game. “I think we all know Russ got did dirty last year,” Fields said.