When in Pittsburgh, Elway Always Thinks Big : Denver Quarterback Delivers Three Touchdown Passes to Beat Steelers, 21-10

The Denver Broncos have discovered the secret to winning in Pittsburgh, usually among the most hostile of environments for visiting NFL clubs.

According to Bronco quarterback John Elway, you’ve got to think big when playing the Steelers at home.

“We went looking for the big play and we got a few,” Elway said after throwing three touchdown passes in the Broncos’ 21-10 victory over the Steelers Monday night.

It was the third victory in four seasons in Pittsburgh for the Broncos, the only National Football League team that holds an edge (5-3-1) over the Steelers in Three Rivers Stadium.

“They like to blitz a lot . . . you know they are going to bring the house down on you,” Elway said. “So you’ve got to look for the big play.”

Elway, who is 3-0 as a starting quarterback in Three Rivers Stadium, threw touchdown passes of 21 yards to Steve Watson, 34 yards to Steve Sewell and 13 to Sammy Winder as Denver improved to 2-0.

“John came up with the big plays,” Bronco Coach Dan Reeves said. “With their constant blitzing, it’s hard to pound away at them and get touchdowns.”

The Denver defense checked a Pittsburgh offense that has generated only one touchdown in two losses this season.

The Broncos didn’t get the support of the officials when running back Gerald Willhite, after taking a lateral from Elway, threw an apparent 79-yard, fourth-period touchdown pass to Watson. The officials ruled that Elway’s toss was a forward lateral, and the rules bar two forward passes on the same play.

“It was a terrible call,” Reeves said. “It wasn’t even close.”

“My only job on that play is to make sure it was a lateral, and it was,” Elway said. “The guy (official Boyce Smith) was seven yards ahead of the play . . . I talked to the ref and asked if we could have a replay, and he said we couldn’t check it unless the instant replay official asked for it.”

Pittsburgh’s offense, held without a touchdown for eight consecutive quarters dating back to last season, broke through on Rich Erenberg’s seven-yard scoring run with 9:54 remaining as the Steelers closed to within four points.

Denver then drove 31 yards for the clinching touchdown on a 13-yard pass from Elway to running back Sammy Winder with 1:53 to play.

Watson got behind Steeler cornerback Harvey Clayton to catch a 21-yard scoring pass from Elway with 8:01 remaining in the second period, giving the Broncos a 7-0 halftime lead.

After Gary Anderson’s 42-yard, third-period field goal gave the Steelers their first points of the season, Elway quickly went back to work.

Picking on Clayton and rookie cornerback Chris Sheffield, Elway threw 17 yards to Mark Jackson and 18 yards to Watson before faking a handoff to Winder on a third-and-1 play from the Steelers’ 34.

As Winder dived over the line of scrimmage, distracting the Steelers’ defense, Sewell--a running back converted to wide receiver last week--easily beat Clayton on a 34-yard pass play that gave Denver a 14-3 lead.

Elway completed 21 of 39 passes for 243 yards.

Malone, frequently booed, threw 8 consecutive incompletions at one point in the first half and finished 22 of 48 for 216 yards.