The Pittsburgh Steelers are twisting the knife after delivering a fatal blow to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. With Russell Wilson watching from the sideline, Steelers quarterback Justin Fields led his team to a 13-6 victory over Sean Payton, Bo Nix, and the Broncos.
After Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reportedly delivered a "petty" game ball to Wilson and two other former Broncos players, Fields stood at the podium and sent Payton and company a message on behalf of Russ, and in no uncertain terms.
“I think we all know Russ got did dirty last year, so I know he couldn’t play today in this game, but it was awesome getting that win for him. He got a petty game ball,” Fields said via Sports Illustrated.
The Broncos released Wilson earlier this year, incurring an $85 million dead-money charge to the salary cap, which crippled Payton's ability to build the roster. Wilson took a one-year deal with the Steelers for basically the veteran minimum; the Broncos are paying him tens of millions of dollars to play somewhere else.
Payton promptly turned to the NFL draft, identifying Nix as his ideal quarterback of the future and immediate replacement for Wilson. The Broncos drafted Nix at No. 12 overall and after vanquishing Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson in an open competition this summer, was named the day-one starting quarterback, becoming the first rookie to start the season-opener since John Elway in 1983.
Meanwhile, Wilson beat Fields in Pittsburgh's QB competition, but a lingering calf injury has sidelined him since the season began. The air was promptly let out of the Broncos-Steelers 'revenge' tropes when Wilson didn't get the start on Sunday.
Fields delivered a pedestrian 117 yards passing and a touchdown in Denver, which was enough to fend off the Broncos thanks to Payton's sputtering offense. Denver managed just six points, as Nix was picked off twice — including a brutal red-zone interception for which Payton seemingly co-blamed Courtland Sutton.
The Steelers got the better of the Broncos, and Payton has now failed to deliver results in all of the 'revenge' games he's been pitted in since becoming head coach. He's got two more such tilts this year, so if the best predictor of the future is the past, it's not looking good.
The Steelers are now 2-0 and can enjoy the "petty" trappings of a 13-6 win over a team with $80M in dead money that is weaning a rookie quarterback. For Payton and his coaching staff, it's back to the drawing board with a Week 3 road trip to Tampa Bay next up on the docket once the dust settles on Sunday's ignominious display .
