01-07-2020, 09:36 PM
DENVER (AP) — For a man who tips the scales at close to 300 pounds Womens Von Miller Jersey , nose tackle Shelby Harris sure gets overlooked a lot.Ben Roethlisberger didn’t see him Sunday when Harris intercepted his pass to Antonio Brown from the Denver 2 with 1:03 remaining, sealing the Broncos‘ 24-17 win that snapped the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ six-game winning streak.“Of all the interceptions I’ve thrown it’s one of the most fluky I’ve been associated with,” Roethlisberger said. “I never thought in a million years a defensive lineman would get blocked off the ball that far, right into an interception.”The Broncos (5-6), who ended the Chargers’ six-game winning streak last week, weren’t surprised by Harris’ big play.After getting cut seven times by the Raiders, Jets and Cowboys, Harris has finally made a name for himself in the last year and a half in Denver.“I love Shelby. He’s worked his tail off,” teammate Chris Harris Jr. said. “He’s a guy that came out of nowhere and people kept cutting him and cutting him and he just kept fighting, man. I love Shelby and the effort that he has. He always makes plays for us.”Not like this.“I got to prove to everyone that I have the best hands on the team,” Harris said of his first career interception, which came 48 hours after he missed Friday’s practice for the birth of his daughter.Maybe Roethlisberger didn’t see him, Shelby Harris said, “but the ball saw me.”“All I saw,” Brown said, “was an interception.”Harris kept the football and said he would take it with him to the hospital to see his wife and newborn afterward.The Broncos used four takeaways to counter a 97-yard touchdown toss from Roethlisberger to JuJu Smith-Schuster and hand the Steelers (7-3-1) their first loss since September.“It’s going to be a quiet plane ride home,” said Smith-Schuster, whose 13 catches for 189 yards weren’t enough to keep Pittsburgh from losing for just the second time in its last 18 regular-season road games.Cornerback Bradley Roby and safety Darian Stewart were burned on Smith-Schuster’s long touchdown grab, but they made up for it when they teamed up on the final play of the third quarter for Denver’s third takeaway .“I knew I had to do something,” said Roby, who forced James Connor to cough up the football after a 23-yard gain. Stewart recovered it at the Denver 21.The Broncos then went 79 yards in 11 plays with Phillip Lindsay , who gained 110 yards on just 14 carries, taking it in from the 2 to break a 17-17 tie.BIG BENRoethlisberger was 41 of 56 for 462 yards, extending his NFL record with his sixth 450-yard passing game.His only TD came in a highly unlikely situation, with the Steelers backed up at their 3. Backpedaling, Roethlisberger uncorked his pass just as Shelby Harris knocked him on his back in the end zone.“They got pressure really quick https://www.broncoslockerroom.com/authen...ler-jersey ,” Roethlisberger said. “I saw JuJu went inside and I just let it go.”Smith-Schuster, who raced past Roby, hauled it in at the Pittsburgh 35, cut toward the Broncos’ sideline and stiff-armed Stewart on his way to breaking a 10-10 tie.His 97-yard TD matched the longest pass play in franchise history, and was one yard shy of the longest TD the Broncos had ever surrendered, a 98-yard run by Green Bay’s Ahman Green in 2003.“That’s a great quarterback making a great play to a great receiver,” Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe said. “You’ve just got to bounce back and figure out a way to get past it, and we did.”FAKE FIELD GOALRoethlisberger had 25 completions by halftime, the most in the first half in the regular season by a Steelers QB since 1960, but it took a fake field goal for Pittsburgh to reach the end zone.Kicker Chris Boswell threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to left tackle Alejandro Villanueva to tie it at 10.Boswell took the direct snap and threw a perfect pass to a wide-open Villanueva — who was a receiver and tight end at Army and became the first Steelers O-lineman to catch a touchdown pass since Ray Pinney against the Browns in 1983.“It was cool to see all the guys get excited like that for me, especially because I think I dropped it in practice last week,” Villanueva said.BLOWN CHANCESThe Steelers frittered away a shot at 10 more points in the first half.Justin Simmons blocked Boswell’s 48-yard field goal attempt and safety Will Parks punched away the football just as tight end Xavier Grimble was about to score on a 24-yard catch-and-run. The ball went out of bounds in the end zone for a touchback.INJURIESSteelers: T.J. Watt (wrist) and TE Vance McDonald (hip) left the game but both returned.Broncos: CB Tramaine Brock (ribs), TE Jeff Heuerman (torso) and OLB Shaq Barrett (hip) didn’t return to action after getting hurt.UP NEXTSteelers: Return home to host the Chargers in another must-see matchup.Broncos: Travel to Cincinnati to face the league’s worst defense. Chris Harris Jr. is once again having to argue his worth - this time to his own team."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Broncos NewsBroncos 2019 Draft ClassBroncos PodcastsBroncos 2019 ScheduleKey Offseason DatesCommunity RulesFull ArchiveBroncos StoriesScheduleRosterStatsOdds Shop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Strapped for Cash - the trouble with paying Chris Harris Jr.New,106commentsChris Harris Jr. is once again having to argue his worth - this time to his own team. Strapped for Cash - the trouble with paying Chris Harris Jr.Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY SportsChris Harris Jr. is in the final year of his five-year, $42.5 million deal with the Denver Broncos. He’s been an All-Pro, community contributor, and a Super Bowl champion. Most of all, he’s been underrated and underpaid. The NFL can be fickle, and although Harris Jr. may have been setting the world ablaze at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium (three interceptions, four sacks, forced fumble, 290 total tackles as a Jayhawk), scouts failed to notice him, and he went undrafted. Underrated, underpaid and undrafted. Harris Jr. has learned over the years he is going to have to fight for every bit of credit he is given in the NFL, similar to the battles he faces on the field against the likes of Antonio Brown or Tyreek Hill. The big problem in Denver right now is that nobody seems willing to fight for him. Harris Jr. typically lets his play on the field speak for itself https://www.broncoslockerroom.com/authen...say-jersey , but he’s in a pickle this year, after having to be placed on injured reserve following an injury to his fibula suffered in Week 13 against the Bengals last season. Denver can’t offer much, after spending in free agency to nab the likes of Ja’Wuan James (now the highest-paid right tackle in the league at four years and up to $52 million) and Kareem Jackson (three years and up to $33 million).But the Broncos have a little bit left and could seemingly make things work with Harris Jr. and the new rookie deals that will roll in. Broncos currently sit at $11,742,518 under the cap as of this post, and Harris Jr. knows they have little incentive to lock themselves in before the draft. Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY SportsThe Broncos’ aging elite corner has recently drawn comparisons to Champ Bailey and will likely be looking for a Josh Norman type of contract (five years and $75 million with $50 million guaranteed), although Norman was three years younger when he signed his deal. Elway’s offer will likely be heavy on the guaranteed money, and Harris Jr.’s market sits at around $12 to $15 million per year. Keep in mind, the top-10 earning corners in the league all signed their deals before they were 28, and Champ’s extension was in February 2011 at four years, $43 million at age 32. The closest deal to what “Strap” is looking for might be Darrelle Revis in 2015. At 29 years old, Revis signed with the NY Jets for $39 million fully guaranteed.Harris Jr.’s candle still burns bright in Denver, but the wick is not everlasting. as Champ is set to be inducted and Harris Jr. attempts to avoid the same wall Bailey hit. There are arguments that Champ Bailey’s decline was not due to age, but more to the plantar fasciitis that pestered Peyton Manning and Ryan Clady at the end of their careers. Harris Jr. seems to be set up well to have another monster season on the outside and prove he’s not just a slot corner or an over-the-hill 30-year-old corner. First-ballot will be hard to crack for Harris Jr. when projecting his Hall of Fame induction, but he deserves a gold jacket. A top five corner most of his career, if Chris Harris Jr. misses out on the Hall of Fame, it will be due to lack of recognition and empty stats, not lack of skill or worthiness. Talib gets a boost over Harris Jr. for the simple fact that he was a Patriot.Harris Jr. has skipped optional workouts and hasn’t talked to head coach Vic Fangio in weeks. He also recently added a highlight video Instagram post that included emojis in the caption of a zipped mouth shut and a bag of money, likely indicating he’s putting his money where his mouth is and is ready to get paid. Let us know if you think Chris Harris Jr. is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and if you would offer anything more than a two-year deal to him as we head into the 2019 NFL Draft. Jeffrey Essary, Taylor Kothe, Ian St. Clair, Joe Rowles, Scotty Payne and Joe Mahoney contributed discussion to help with this piece.