Broncos–Steelers rivalry
In Denver's NFL playoff debut, they defeated the Steelers 34–21 as quarterback Craig Morton scored two touchdowns against Pittsburgh's fabled Steel Curtain defense.Mel Bratton's one-yard score sealed the Broncos' 24–23 win, and Denver eventually made it to Super Bowl XXIV in a losing effort.Even though the Broncos had a better record (12–4) than the Steelers (11–5), Pittsburgh hosted the title game by virtue of winning the AFC Central, whereas Denver qualified as a Wild Card.In the 2005 AFC Championship Game, the sixth-seeded Steelers (11–5) were underdogs against the 13–3 Broncos, who had defeated the rival and two-time defending champion New England Patriots in the Divisional Round.[8] However, in the Divisional Round, Denver eliminated Pittsburgh from the playoffs with a 23–16 victory behind their "No Fly Zone" defensive unit led by Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware.However, in one of the more notable meetings of the rivalry, Broncos QB Case Keenum threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns, with no turnovers, to guide Denver to a 24–17 upset victory.After the Steelers knocked out Broncos starting QB Drew Lock early in the first quarter with a shoulder injury, the game was expected to be a runaway Pittsburgh victory, but it was anything but.After falling behind 17–3 at halftime, the Broncos, behind backup QB Jeff Driskel, rallied back to pull within five points heading into the final minutes of the game.Despite Steelers kicker Chris Boswell kicking a late field goal to make the score 27–19, Bridgewater and the Broncos had a chance to send the game to overtime.