Sep 17, 2020 5 min read

The first one is now out of the way, and now the Steelers will play their home opener Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

In front of no fans.

It’s certainly not what quarterback Ben Roethlisberger envisioned when he was rehabbing his way back from having three torn flexor tendons in his throwing elbow suffered last Sept. 15 in the 2019 home opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

“When I got hurt and knowing I was going to come back, one of those things I was most excited about was running out of the tunnel at Heinz Field in front of our fans,” Roethlisberger said. “To not have that this time is going to be – I’m going to be a little disappointed. I know they will be there when it’s time.”

Roethlisberger will have to settle for simply being back and playing football again at Heinz Field.

After a shaky start, he looked sharp in the second half in a 26-16 victory Monday night over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Yet he still missed seeing some open receivers. That will continue to be a work in progress as he adjusts to playing again in the NFL.

The scary thing for opponents has to be the fact the Steelers scored 26 points last week – it would have been 27 if not for a missed Chris Boswell PAT – with Roethlisberger looking shaky for the first 20 or so minutes of that game.

Remember, the Steelers scored 30 points combined in their final three games last season with Devlin Hodges at quarterback.

Seeing Roethlisberger put three touchdowns on the scoreboard in his first game back, even against a bad Giants team, was a good first step.

• The Steelers held Saquon Barkley, perhaps the most talented running back in the league, to six yards on 15 carries.

And they had three sacks and two interceptions, despite overplaying to stop Barkley.

As good as their defense was in 2019, it might even be better this season.

• Enjoy the last week or so of the NHL playoffs while you can. This is typically the time of year when teams would be starting their training camps.

But the NHL won’t come back once the Stanley Cup playoffs are done until the league can put fans in the arenas. And given the current state of the pandemic, that’s not happening anytime soon. We might not see hockey again after Cup finals are done until sometime in 2021.

• On the other side of the coin, the Big Ten finally joined the crowd this week and announced it will reverse its previous decision to not play football until the new year and will begin a season Oct. 24.

Way to be decisive.

What’s changed other than the public outcry for the games to be played?

This is why when people say they’re “following the science,” when making these decisions, they just can’t be believed.

This Week’s Picks

Steelers (minus 6½) over Broncos: The Broncos won’t have Von Miller, their best defensive player. They won’t have A.J. Bouye, their best cornerback. And they will have Drew Lock making his seventh career start at quarterback. That doesn’t bode well for the visiting team. Take the Steelers, 24-10

Texans (plus 7) over Ravens: Who made this schedule for Houston, which visited Kansas City in Week 1? Certainly not head coach Bill O’Brien. The Texans aren’t bad and they’re getting seven points at home, which is too much. The Ravens should win this game, but Houston will keep it close. Take the Texans to cover in a 27-23 loss

Colts (minus 3) over Vikings: The Colts are better than they showed last week. The Vikings just might not be. The loser of this game gets out of the gate 0-2. We’ll take the home team here to avoid that tough hole. Take the Colts, 26-20

Chiefs (minus 8) over Chargers: The Chargers lost center Mike Pouncey this week to a season-ending hip injury. The franchise just seems to be snake-bitten when it comes to injuries. The Chiefs will dominate the AFC West again this year. Take the Chiefs, 34-17

Rams (pick) over Eagles: The Eagles can’t protect quarterback Carson Wentz after losing two offensive linemen to injury before the season began and then Lane Johnson didn’t play in the opener last week. That added up to allowing eight sacks in a humiliating loss to Washington. How in the world are they going to block Aaron Donald and company? Take the Rams, 27-17

Last Week: 3-1-1 Overall: 3-1-1