Despite a shoulder injury, Ben Roethlisberger proved his mettle in the first half of Sunday's divisional playoff game against the top-seeded Broncos.
The Steelers' veteran signal-caller, who suffered a sprained AC joint and torn ligaments in last week’s wild-card win over the Bengals, struggled to connect with his wide receivers early but still managed to make it to halftime with a 10-9 lead.
MORE: Steelers-Broncos stats, charts | PHOTOS: Best of divisional playoffs
He didn't get any help from Martavis Bryant, who dropped two key passes in the first quarter, bringing his total to nine drops since Week 12 after dropping just seven passes in his first 16 career games. But Big Ben was eager to make up for lost time.
Following a pair of field goals by the Broncos, Fitzgerald Toussaint logged his first career touchdown with his 1-yard run to put the Steelers up 7-6 late in the first quarter. The Steelers closed the opening quarter with 133 yards, which is the most allowed by the Broncos in a first quarter this season.
Chris Boswell's 43-yard field goal gave the Steelers a 10-6 lead in the second quarter, though Denver answered back with its third field goal after going 0 for 6 on third down and dropping five passes.
In total, Pittsburgh has four plays over 15 yards so far, including a 58-yard reception from Darrius Heyward-Bey. Meanwhile, Denver has just one play over 15 yards, a 34-yard run from C.J. Anderson.