Pittsburgh – About an hour before kickoff Sunday, all of the Broncos except one walked onto the Heinz Field turf quietly and intently.
The exception, Gerard Warren, couldn’t help but chant or sing or smack talk, even if it was in hushed tones. Once warm-ups were finished, they all filed back into the locker room for a final word from coach Mike Shanahan and prayer. Again, everybody’s game face featured pursed lips except for Warren. He just can’t plug up all that energy, not when his mouth is such a convenient release.
A few hours later, after the Broncos had secured an incredibly rough, painful but gallant 31-20 victory against the desperate if careless Pittsburgh Steelers, the victors came off satisfied, some of them whooping it up, many of them smiling.
One of the exceptions was Warren. He was too pooped. One of the few Broncos starting defensive players left standing at game’s end, Warren was limping badly from a toe injury that forced him to miss last week’s game and too exhausted to speak after tracking a Steelers offense that amassed 499 total yards.
“Tough win,” Warren said later in a quiet voice. “Real tough win.”
Had the game gone a little differently, Warren might have received a blow. But after defensive starters Ian Gold, Ebenezer Ekuban, Nick Ferguson, Al Wilson and John Lynch all suffered game-ending injuries, and backup safety Sam Brandon left with what could be a season-ending knee injury, what was Warren to do?
“I didn’t have a choice,” Warren said, still sweaty and too tired to move from his chair a good hour after the game. “The way guys were dropping, everybody had to step up.”
Battered and bruised, the Broncos easily could have been beaten.
But after all those key players went down, the Broncos’ two greatest players played up. Backpedaling went Champ Bailey, who had two interceptions. Around end and fading wide came Javon Walker, who scored three touchdowns.
“They’re some of the richest players, too,” said Broncos cornerback Domonique Foxworth, referring to the combined $105 million Bailey and Walker have under contract. “And they earned their money, too. That’s why the Broncos pay them like that.”
Bailey made two interceptions at his own 3-yard line. In what has to be the most incredible, esoteric stat of the year, all five of Bailey’s interceptions this season have come inside his own 3-yard line.
“I’m not getting a chance to return touchdowns this year,” Bailey said. “But I guess that stat shows I’m saving touchdowns.”
Without Bailey, and the licks put on by Brandon and Lynch, the Steelers might have had a victory to go with all those yards. Instead, the Steelers committed six turnovers and were left with their sixth loss.
The defending Super Bowl champs, with a 2-6 record, are all but dead.
As for the Broncos, where would they be without Walker? Perhaps, something less than 6-2 and sharing the AFC West lead with San Diego. The vaunted Steelers defense that terrorized the Broncos and all comers during the playoffs last season? It looked more like the Washington Generals when it came to stopping the end-to-end trotting Walker.
He scored twice on 10-yard fade-route passes from quarterback Jake Plummer, who took advantage of the Steelers’ mind-boggling single coverage against Walker. And just as it appeared all momentum had swung Pittsburgh’s way coming out of the halftime locker room, Walker turned a busted reverse into a 72-yard touchdown run.
Here’s another telling stat: The Broncos have been underdogs twice this season – at New England, and here against the Steelers. In those two games, Walker has combined for 336 yards in total offense and five touchdowns.
“I try to step up every game, not just today,” Walker said. “This game just happened to work out the way it did.”
This may not be an easy win for Broncos trainer Steve “Greek” Antonopulos to overcome.
Starting running back Tatum Bell never dressed because of bad toes. Gold barely played his linebacker position because of a strained hamstring. A thigh injury sidelined defensive end Ekuban. Ferguson, the strong safety, was knocked out by a Hines Ward block. Linebacker Wilson and safety Lynch later left dazed. Brandon, a backup safety who played the game of his life, suffered a knee injury that could cost him the year.
“Greek needs to have a big week,” Plummer said. “He might be on the bubble if he doesn’t.”
Considered the game’s underdog by oddsmakers, the Broncos stunned the hostile, sellout crowd by jumping out to a 14-0 lead before the game was 4 minutes old. A splendid catch by Rod Smith on a 16-yard pass from Plummer made it 7-0, and on the ensuing kickoff, Brandon forced Santonio Holmes to fumble, and the Broncos had first-and-goal at the 10.
This time, Plummer went the other way not once, but twice, to Walker. After the first fade route was batted away in the end zone, Plummer called for the same play again. This time Walker caught a touchdown with the ease of an outfielder grabbing a routine fly.
The rout was hardly on. The Steelers marched back behind their back alley-improvising quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, but whenever the game got tight, Bailey and Walker would loosen the tension.
“Those two guys stepped up big time,” Shanahan said as he was walking to the team bus Sunday night. “Great players make great plays, right?”
As the final seconds ticked off, the Broncos had reserves Louis Green and Keith Burns at linebacker, Curome Cox and Foxworth at safety, Karl Paymah at cornerback, and John Engelberger playing extensively at defensive end.
The undermanned Broncos won this one. But half of their schedule is ahead.
“I was just in the training room,” Lynch said. “And it looked like a triage in there.”
Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
EXTRA POINTS
TURNING POINT: A Walk in the park
It was all Javon Walker. He scored three touchdowns, including two in the second half. His 10-yard scoring reception in the fourth quarter was a knockout blow, putting Denver up 28-17. Mix in six Pittsburgh turnovers and you have a big road win.
“Javon is really showing us something,” Broncos safety John Lynch said. “He’s a big-play guy.”
CRAZY PLAY OF THE DAY: Never, ever give up
Trailing 14-0, the Steelers went for it on fourth-and-2 from Denver’s 41-yard line with six minutes to go in the first quarter. Steelers quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger hit receiver Cedrick Wilson with a 6-yard pass, and Wilson got past Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams and ran to the Denver 5-yard line, where safety Sam Brandon came up and slapped the ball out of Wilson’s hands. Williams made up for his whiff by recovering the ball at the Broncos 6, ending the play and the Steelers’ touchdown dreams.
“You can never give up on the play,” Williams said. “That play showed it.”
HIT OF THE DAY: Busting loose
With the Broncos leading 7-0 less than four minutes into the game, Pittsburgh rookie Santonio Holmes took the kickoff and was hammered by Keith Burns and Sam Brandon, whose helmet knocked the ball out of Holmes’ hands. Darrent Williams, above, recovered the ball at the Steelers’ 22-yard line and ran to the 10. It set up a TD pass from Jake Plummer to Walker to make it 14-0.
BESTS: The Marshall plan
Play that didn’t count: Broncos rookie receiver Brandon Marshall showed his athleticism by jumping high in double coverage to come down with a 50-yard catch. A holding penalty by tight end Stephen Alexander wiped out the play.
New look: Broncos coach Mike Shanahan was sporting reading glasses at several points during the game.
Catch: It was vintage Rod Smith when he caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Jake Plummer in the end zone. Smith leapt, in double coverage, and made the juggling catch.
WORSTS: You’re outta here
Returner: Santonio Holmes, the No. 25 pick in the April draft, was pulled as Pittsburgh’s return man after he fumbled a second punt, although the Steelers recovered.
Penalty: Denver’s special teams continue to ruin big plays. Rookie returner Brian Clark brought a return past midfield, but a penalty by Sam Brandon nullified the play.
Self-control: Pittsburgh linebacker James Farrior kicked Denver center Tom Nalen at the end of a third-down play. The Broncos needed that 15-yard penalty to get a first down. Farrior probably will be fined.
– Bill Williamson
THE GRADES
Offense
B: The offense lives. For the second consecutive game, the Broncos’ offense was the team’s best unit. Denver has scored 62 points in the past two games. Receiver Javon Walker has been unbelievable. He scored three touchdowns Sunday, two receiving and on a 72-yard run. Quarterback Jake Plummer had a strong game, throwing three touchdown passes.
Defense
B: Bend but don’t break. The defense continued to give up big yardage as Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 433 yards. However, the defense got stout when it had to and came up with five of the Broncos’ six turnovers.
Special teams
B: The special teams came up big early when Sam Brandon forced a fumble and Darrent Williams picked it up. It set up the Broncos’ second touchdown. However, there was a key penalty on a return, and punter Paul Ernster’s punts were lacking. The unit contributed to the victory – a nice change for the team.
Coaching
A: The Broncos coaching staff told the players how physical the game would be and challenged the team to step up. The Broncos made the big plays in this game and outworked a struggling but still talented Steelers team.
Overall
A: The Broncos’ goal is to go 3-1 in every quarter of the season. The Broncos are on pace, with a 6-2 record at the halfway mark, and have gone 3-1 for the second consecutive quarter in 2006. The Broncos bounced back big from their tight loss to the Colts last week and are on pace for a 12-4 season.
– Bill Williamson
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