AFC:
Denver Broncos 23,
Pittsburgh Steelers 16
n a tough defensive struggle in which both teams could only get the ball into the end zone once,
Denver pulled ahead by scoring 11 points in the final three minutes of the game.
At the end of the game's opening possession, Broncos safety
Omar Bolden returned a punt 42 yards to the
Pittsburgh 30-yard line, setting up
Brandon McManus' 28-yard field goal.
Later in
the first quarter, Britton Colquitt's 57-yard punt pinned the
Steelers back at their own 3-yard line. Pittsburgh was unable to get a first down with their ensuing drive, and
Jordan Berry's 27-yard punt gave Denver a first down on the Steelers 31.
Despite their excellent starting position, Denver could not get into the end zone and ended up with another McManus field goal to take a 6–0 lead. Pittsburgh took the ball back and stormed 80 yards in just five plays.
First,
Ben Roethlisberger completed a 23-yard pass to receiver
Martavis Bryant. Then
Bryant took a handoff on a reverse and raced 40 yards to the Broncos 16-yard line.
Fitzgerald Toussaint finished the drive with two carries; the first for 15 yards and the second a 1-yard score that gave Pittsburgh a 7–6 lead with less than two minutes left in the first quarter.[29]
On Pittsburgh's next possession,
Roethlisberger's 58-yard completion to
Darrius Heyward-Bey set up a 43-yard
Chris Boswell field goal that increased their lead to 10–6. Denver had a chance to respond with a drive to the Steelers 37-yard line, but they turned the ball over with an incomplete pass on 4th-and-3.
Late in the second quarter,
Berry booted a 50-yard punt that gave the Broncos the ball at their own 5-yard line. But a 34-yard burst by running back
C. J. Anderson sparked a 62-yard drive then ended with McManus' 51-yard field goal, cutting the score to 10–9 on the last play of the first half.
After forcing Denver to punt of the first drive of the second half, Pittburgh put together a 69-yard scoring drive featuring a 58-yard reception by Bryant.
Boswell finished it with a 28-yard field goal, increasing the Steelers lead to 13–9. Denver had to punt again on their next drive, but Colquitt once again gave the team a big assist, this time with a 51-yard punt that put the ball on the Steelers 6-yard line. Pittsburgh could not get a first down, and Berry's 43-yard punt gave the ball back to Denver on their own 47-yard line.
The Broncos were only able to move the ball 30 yards with their ensuing drive, but it was enough for McManus to make a 41-yard field goal, trimming their deficit to 13–12.
Pittsburgh took the ball back and drove to the Broncos 34-yard line, but were halted there and decided to punt instead of trying a long field goal. The Broncos also ended up punting, and Pittsburgh drove back to the Denver 34-yard line with three consecutive Roethlisberger completions for 39 total yards. But on the next play, the first turnover of the game occurred when safety
Bradley Roby forced a fumble from
Toussaint that was recovered by linebacker
DeMarcus Ware.[30]
Now with 9:52 left in the game, 39-year old Broncos quarterback
Peyton Manning took to the field and led the team 65 yards in 13 plays for the go-ahead score. The key play of the drive was a 31-yard completion from
Manning to rookie receiver
Bennie Fowler on 3rd-and-12 from the Broncos 33-yard line.
Running back Ronnie Hillman also made a big impact, with five carries for 18 yards. After Fowler's catch, the Broncos would not face another third down on the drive until the last play of the drive, when
Anderson converted a 3rd-and-goal with a 1-yard touchdown run. Then Manning completed a pass to
Demaryius Thomas for a
2-point conversion, giving the Broncos a 20–13 lead with three minutes left on the clock.[31]
Pittsburgh started off their next drive with an 18-yard catch by Bryant, but ended up facing 4th-and-5 on their own 43-yard line with less than two minutes left. They tried to pick up a first down, but
Ware sacked Roethlisberger for a 13-yard loss.
Taking over at the Steelers 30-yard line, Denver forced Pittsburgh to use up all their timeouts with three consecutive running plays. Then McManus kicked a 45-yard field goal that gave the Broncos a 23–13 lead with 53 seconds to go. A 20-yard pass interference penalty on safety
T. J. Ward and a 22-yard reception by Bryant enabled Boswell to bring the deficit back to one score with a 47-yard field goal. But Anderson eliminated any chance of a comeback by recovering Boswell's ensuing onside kick
- published: 07 Apr 2016
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