ENGLEWOOD — The Broncos are 3-1 after dropping their first loss of the season last week against the Ravens. 

But Denver has a good opportunity to get back on track this week, facing the 1-3 Steelers in Pittsburgh. Here are three keys to a Broncos victory Sunday:

Pass protection

The Broncos had their worst game of the season last week against the Ravens, especially in pass protection. They gave up a season-high five sacks, making them the fifth-most sacked team in the NFL with 12 allowed sacks on the season. 

Part of the issue was the Broncos being without starting guards Dalton Risner and Graham Glasgow, who might both be back this week. But there was also the uniqueness of the Ravens defense, which blitzes more than any other team in the league. 

“We have to do everything better than we did last week,” offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. “There are no disturbing trends in there. We just had a guy here, a guy there. We were playing against some pretty exotic pressures up front. We actually—most of the time—got hats on the right people. They just did a good job.”

While the Steelers’ defense is more simple, Pittsburgh does have one of the top pass rushers in the NFL in T.J. Watt, who has five sacks this season. Containing Watt and protecting whoever is at quarterback for the Broncos will be necessary for a win. 

“I respect his relentless pursuit to the ball,” outside linebacker Von Miller said. “I remember seeing a couple of plays I think two years ago where it wasn’t even about pass rush or getting tackles for loss or in the run. He would chase the ball down 20 yards down the field and cause a fumble. That was something that I wanted to put in my game — relentless pursuit to the ball.”

Pass rush

On the flip side, the Broncos have to create some pressure of their own on defense. The Steelers’ offensive line have been equally bad in pass protection, giving up 10 sacks. They’ve also been poor in the run game, as Pittsburgh ranks last in the league in rushing offense, averaging only 55.3 yards per game on the ground. 

“We’re just developing cohesion,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of the offensive line. “We’re gaining experience individually and collectively, and it’s reasonable to expect that to occur and to continue to occur.”

With the running game essentially being a non-factor for the Steelers, the Broncos need to get after quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as he attempts to get the ball to his playmakers on the outside. And while Roethlisberger has been less than impressive this season, the 39-year-old is still a future Hall of Famer who can make big plays. 

“I see the same old ‘Big Ben’ — a guy who can still throw the ball down the field,” Miller said. “He still throws the ball pretty quick. He still can break a couple of tackles and get the ball away. I see the same old Big Ben, for sure.”

Special teams 

In a game that may be all about the defenses, special teams is where the game might be won. And that’s probably not a good thing for the Broncos, who have had statistically one of the worst special teams units in the NFL through four games. 

The Broncos ranks 31st in punt return average at 13.6 yards allowed per return and 32nd in kickoff return average at 41.3 yards allowed per return. Pittsburgh’s Ray Ray McCloud is considered one of the best returners in the NFL, which could be bad news for the Broncos. 

“He’s a really good punt returner and kickoff returner,” coach Vic Fangio said. “We have to do a good job covering, but part of the coverage is the kicks too—both the punt and the kickoff. We have to get good kicks to start the coverage and then we have to do a good job covering.”