Steelers sink Broncos

Big Ben: Three TDs for Roethlisberger

We feel like being a good offensive unit is being able to run when you want to and pass when you want to and that's what we're able to do. As the season goes on, we want to get better and better.

Rashard Mendenhall
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The Pittsburgh Steelers made it five in a row as the Super Bowl champions emerged from Mile High Stadium with a 28-10 victory over the Denver Broncos.

The hosts had started the season with six wins on the bounce, but lost their unbeaten tag in Baltimore last week and suffered a second consecutive loss against another AFC North team on Monday night.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin held safety Ryan Clark out of the game after he nearly died following a game in Denver two years ago, as a rare blood disease he suffers from is aggravated when playing at high altitude.

Tyrone Carter had a rare start in place of Carter, and duly made a huge impact with two interceptions - one of which he returned 42 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to put the visitors 7-3 ahead.

Denver's defence answered in the third quarter as Kenny Peterson stripped Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger allowing rookie linebacker Robert Ayers to gather and bound 54 yards down the field for the score.

Big Ben

Roethlisberger responded though and threw three TDs and 233 yards when completing 21 of his 29 attempts despite being severely pressured early on by Denver's pass rush.

Hine Ward caught a pair of three-yard TD passes, one either side of Mike Wallace's 25-yard effort midway through the fourth quarter which signalled the end for the Broncos.

Kyle Orton and the home offence just could not get going against the fearsome Steelers defence, with the Denver QB picked off three times after previously throwing just one interception all season.

And while Rashard Mendenhall was running all over Denver with 155 yards rushing on 22 carries, the Broncos could manage just 27 yards on the ground - their fourth worst effort since the NFL merger.

"We feel like being a good offensive unit is being able to run when you want to and pass when you want to and that's what we're able to do," Mendenhall said. "As the season goes on, we want to get better and better."

Both sides now sit on 6-2 for the season but are heading in different directions, with the reigning champions gathering momentum and joining Cincinnati at the top of the AFC North ahead of their showdown with the Bengals next week, which is live on Sky Sports.

Rookie head coach Josh McDaniels meanwhile faces his first real test of the season as the Broncos see their lead cut at the top of the AFC West and now need to recover from back-to-back defeats.