DENVER — The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Denver Broncos 13-6 on Sunday. There were many ups and downs for the team, with many more highlights on the defensive side of the football and many negatives on offense.

Who were the winners and losers after this victory?

Winner: George Pickens

George Pickens continues to pass the WR1 test. Despite his stat line showing two receptions for 29 yards, Pickens routinely toasted the best cornerback in football in Pat Surtain II. If penalties hadn’t wiped out Pickens’ production throughout the game, Pickens would have made four catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.

He separated from Surtain on multiple occasions and was assessed two defensive pass interference penalties during the course of the game. All that to say, it was an impressive night for Pickens, who continued his ascent to genuine WR1 status with a strong performance against Surtain.

Loser: Broderick Jones

The Steelers made an odd rotation at right tackle, and Broderick Jones was the loser. He came in for just one drive, and on that drive he picked up three penalties, all for 25 yards. His penalties wiped out a huge completion to Pickens that would have put the Steelers in the red zone, a false start that set them back to a 3rd-and-11, and another holding penalty that took away a positive run.

It’s been a tough few weeks for Jones. Today was the low point for him. Even though the Steelers aren’t doing a great job with his development, he’s easily the third-best tackle on the team, and there’s not much doubt about that.

Winner: Ben Skowronek

Ben Skowronek is an underrated winner, but a clear one. He came off the practice squad, but a special teams team forced two penalties and made two tackles. This was the best punt coverage this team has seen all season. Skowronek is a huge blessing. He deserves a mention for what he has brought to the table.

Loser: Whatever the second half attack was

There are a lot of losers to throw in this bucket. The offensive line, wide receivers, Arthur Smith and others deserve blame. Still, the Steelers had just 62 yards of total offense and averaged 2.3 yards per play. They had six punts in the second half, with the only successful drive coming on a field goal off the toe of Chris Boswell.

The Broncos came out with a blitz-heavy approach in the second half, and the Steelers had no answers in terms of execution or play calling. That’s up to anyone. Zach Frazier and Justin Fields also had another bad snap, this time from the shotgun when Frazier misheard the snap count.

So it was a mess on all fronts and the Steelers lost after an encouraging first half.

Winner: Cory Trice

Trice deserves to be a winner because he did his best under difficult circumstances. The Steelers lost Donte Jackson a few times while he was cramping up in the Denver altitude. He said he also lost his breath more than once. As someone who is not used to the air, I know that breathing can be very difficult.

Trice, however, made the plays he needed to make throughout the game. He was the starting dimebacker the entire game and blocked everyone in front of him. Then, in place of Jackson, he made a great read in zone coverage on quarterback Bo Nix for the interception. Overall, it was a solid day for the Purdue product, which should be credited without allowing a reception.

Loser: Penalties

This might be the biggest loser of them all, and it was a team-wide problem, though the Steelers offense felt it more. On defense, Joey Porter Jr. picked up three penalties in six plays, which is not something that can happen for a defensive back. They got a holding on one of their punt returns, which has become a problem.

The offense was killed by these penalties, however. Overall, the team finished with 78 penalty yards on ten calls, but they were penalized 17 times. The Steelers and Mike Tomlin need to change that if they want to win more games against better opponents, it won’t work.

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