Steelers overcome late blunder, beat Broncos 34-27

Favored by 6½ points for most of the week, the Steelers were laying 7 at MGM Resorts and 7½ at most other books at kickoff of their game against Denver. Roethlisberger could have taken the sack or thrown the ball away, but his ultimate decision looked like one that could cost the Steelers a needed victory.

Denver had yet another chance with 2:01 left.

OSWEILER HURTING: Osweiler completed 14 of 18 passes in the first half but was just 7 of 26 after the break.

Patriots 33, Titans 16: Tom Brady threw for two touchdowns to help New England hold onto the top spot in the AFC in a game that saw Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota sidelined with a knee injury in the first half.

The Denver Broncos defense has played their way into being one of the best in the league this year.

At halftime, Brock Osweiler had three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, the makings of a near-perfect 155.8 passer rating. Denver falls to 10-4. And not just once, but twice, with the second the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Brock Osweiler spent two glorious quarters confounding the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (10) runs past Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Mike Mitchell (23) for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015. But then two factors occurred to me that tilted the Broncos’ way. Williams finished the job with a two-yard touchdown plunge to make the score 7-0 after the Chris Boswell extra point. It will be interesting to see if the Broncos defense has what it takes to slow down the Steelers offense.

The Broncos found themselves in a similar situation against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14 as they were driving and in need of a big play, only to be let down by Davis again. The TD was nullified and the ball placed at Denver’s 28. Cam Newton passed for five touchdowns, Eli Manning threw one of his typical head-scratching interceptions in the end zone, and Odell Beckham Jr. made the tying touchdown catch after spending most of the day making a fool of himself.

The Broncos had gone 24 straight possessions without an offensive touchdown before reaching the end zone four straight times.

Brown had nine catches for 110 yards and scored both of his touchdowns in the second half. That changed in a hurry.

The Steelers can move into the sixth position in the AFC playoff race with a win, but Denver’s defense will provide it with the stiffest test this season.

The running game is banged up right now and Ronnie Hillman is averaging 3.9 yards per rush attempt this season, which is highly ineffective [31st in the NFL]. Sanders had eight catches and 139 yards at halftime, and Thomas had two first-half touchdowns.

Manning will miss his fifth consecutive game Sunday when the Broncos face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Heinz Field as he recovers from a tear in the plantar fascia near his left heel.

The Steelers started their comeback on kicker Josh Boswell’s 41-yard field goal with four seconds to go in the first half.

Denver’s run defense has sured up some as the season has worn on. The unnecessary roughness fine stems from the penalty he incurred with 4:34 left in the game.