Denver
Broncos
4-6
36
FINAL
20
Pittsburgh
Steelers
1-9
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Denver Broncos secured a convincing 36-20 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12 of the 2026 season, solidifying their playoff aspirations while dealing a blow to Pittsburgh's postseason hopes. Denver's offensive firepower proved too much for the Steelers, who struggled to keep pace throughout the game.
Fernando Mendoza led the Broncos' charge with two touchdown passes, demonstrating his ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Meanwhile, Matthew Stafford of the Steelers threw for 197 yards, but his efforts were not enough to shift momentum. Le'Veon Bell provided a strong ground game for Pittsburgh, rushing for 89 yards, while Deion Burks matched him with 89 receiving yards, but both players faced constant pressure from Denver's defense.
The Broncos' defense was a key factor in the outcome, with Myles Garrett recording an impressive three sacks, disrupting Pittsburgh's offensive rhythm. Tre'Davious White's eight tackles also played a significant role in limiting the Steelers' effectiveness. The turning point came in the second quarter when Denver's defense forced a crucial turnover, allowing the Broncos to extend their lead and ultimately maintain control of the game.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Stafford | QB | 39 | 19 | 49% | 197 | 0 | 4 | 24.1 |
| Fernando Mendoza | QB | 34 | 21 | 62% | 185 | 2 | 1 | 83.5 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| leveon BELL | HB | 14 | 89 | 6.4 | 38 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| TERRELL DAVIS | HB | 13 | 65 | 5.0 | 11 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Kyren Williams | HB | 6 | 34 | 5.7 | 22 | 2 | 22 | 0 |
| Justice Hill | HB | 4 | 13 | 3.3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Fernando Mendoza | QB | 5 | 11 | 2.2 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Deion Burks | WR | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Connor Heyward | TE | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Matthew Stafford | QB | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Zach Ertz | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dont'e Thornton Jr | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Darius Slayton | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kareem Hunt | HB | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deion Burks | WR | 7 | 89 | 12.7 | 27 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Dont'e Thornton Jr | WR | 4 | 53 | 13.3 | 14 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Rashid Shaheed | WR | 3 | 49 | 16.3 | 14 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Darius Slayton | WR | 5 | 45 | 9.0 | 24 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| TERRELL DAVIS | HB | 3 | 39 | 13.0 | 31 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Dawson Knox | TE | 4 | 33 | 8.3 | 12 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Omari Evans | WR | 1 | 24 | 24.0 | — | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| Connor Heyward | TE | 4 | 16 | 4.0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Zach Ertz | TE | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Durham Smythe | TE | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | — | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| KeAndre Lambert-Smith | WR | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| leveon BELL | HB | 3 | 5 | 1.7 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Denzel Boston | WR | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Tyler Higbee | RT | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tre'Davious White | SS | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles Garrett | REDG | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andre Cisco | FS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Colton Hood | CB | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Hart | FS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| CHAMP BAILEY | CB | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Trenton Simpson | WILL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tuli Tuipulotu | LEDG | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RYAN SHAZIER | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jer'Zhan Newton | DT | 2 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Martin | WILL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gervon Dexter Sr | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christen Miller | DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carrington Valentine | CB | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Korie Black | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pierre | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Donte Kent | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Bosa | REDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dadrion Taylor-Demerson | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Hill | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Poona Ford | DT | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zion Young | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Taaffe | FS | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Hughes | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ernest Jones IV | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerome Baker | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tyler Davis | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ja'Whaun Bentley | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carson Bruener | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Prater | K | 2 | 2 | 2 | 53 |
| Cam Little | K | 2 | 2 | 4 | 55 |

