Best plays

The game had been a sloppy one, especially for the Broncos for nearly all four quarters. As the Steelers were driving into Denver territory, trying to increase their meager one-point lead, a big play needed to be made. The defense has incredibly been able to come up with turnovers all season when the team most desperately needs them. It happened again when Roethlisberger handed the ball off to Toussaint on a run over the left side.

“It was just something that we were stressing. We all needed to get a turnover, we hadn’t had one and the offense needed something. I saw [Toussaint] running the ball and I punched it out. Simple as that,” Bradley Roby said after the win.

The ball tumbled backwards and DeMarcus Ware was trailing the play and jumped on the ball for the game-changing turnover.

“On that play, I read pass, but it was a run play. I got off the ball pretty fast and I saw that it was a draw play and Roby came around, and he actually saves the day. He knocked the fumble out. It was a hustle play for me saying, ‘I know I messed up,’ and I needed to do a spin move to get the ball and save the day,” Ware said with a smile after the game.

The Broncos took the game’s only turnover and capitalized. They drove down the field, shifting the time of possession in their favor and scored on the 13-play drive. The took only their second lead of the game, their first since 3:40 remained in the opening quarter, and didn’t relinquish it.

Honorable mention: Bennie Fowler was the man of the hour on the team’s impressive touchdown drive. They ran the ball 10 times but on third-and-12 they needed a big time pass play to continue the drive. Fowler, who had dropped a pass earlier, sprung loose over the middle.

“Really they went to two-deep is what they did. They cut the cover-two. Peyton [Manning] read the covers well. Bennie bent to the post and he made a great throw. Bennie has made some big plays for us this year as a player,” Kubiak said of the vital first down.

It took nine more plays to punch it in for the game-winning score but Fowler’s play kept the drive alive.