PITTSBURGH — If anything has become evident about the Steelers offense after two games — beyond the inability to score points — it's that replacing Diontae Johnson's production will be more difficult than imagined.

In other words, it has become apparent why the Steelers were in pursuit of receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Mike Williams before the season: They don't have a No. 2 receiver to pair with George Pickens.

Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin were targeted five times and combined to have just three catches for 20 yards in Sunday's 13-6 victory in Denver.

That comes after both receivers were targeted a total of four times in the season opener in Atlanta and managed a combined two catches for 8 yards.

Justin Fields, who is 2-0 for the first time in his four-year career, has targeted top receiver George Pickens 11 times in two games. And Pickens has eight catches for 114 yards, though he had a 51-yard reception and 6-yard touchdown wiped out by penalties against the Broncos.

But he also drew a pass interference call against cornerback Patrick Surtain that gained 37 yards and set up a Chris Boswell field goal.

Fields said it was no coincidence he tried several deep throws against the Broncos.

"We knew coming into this game that this (officiating) crew threw the most defensive pass interferences last year," Fields said. "That was kind of a big reason on taking those shots downfield. When you have a deep threat like George and you have defensive backs scared to get beat deep, really it is just us or nobody.

"That is the thing that we preach 1-on-1; it is either going to be a catch and a completion or a defensive pass interference."

Pickens, though, can't do it alone. And trying to replace the 83 catches and over 900 receiving yards Johnson averaged in four years will present a monumental obstacle for an offense wanting to score more points in 2024.

That is already apparent.

Heyward settling in

Defensive end Cam Heyward, who played 35 snaps (62 percent) in the season opener in Atlanta, played slightly more (41 snaps, 67 percent) against the Broncos.

More significantly, he played more in third-down situations in sub-package defenses. That's when he made his biggest play of the game: pressuring quarterback Bo Nix and forcing a throw that was intercepted in the end zone by cornerback Cory Trice Jr. late in the fourth quarter.

It has been a gentle ascension in time for Heyward, 35, who did not play in the preseason and is coming off an injury-plagued season.

"I got pressure on him, but I thought Cory just stepped up in the moment," Heyward said. "What a heck of a way for a guy who was hurt all last year to be ready for that moment and make a big play for us and keep seven [points] off the board."

The Steelers held the Broncos to 64 yards rushing on 19 attempts. In two games, they haven't allowed a run longer than 16 yards.

Also, they have allowed just one touchdown and only 16 points, second-fewest in the NFL.

"The first game we didn't get off the field quick," Heyward said, referring to the opener in Atlanta when the Falcons scored on the opening possession. "This game we started a lot faster. I think as a defense, we got to be ready to go on the road and really test up-and-coming offenses while working through it."

Unlike the first two games, when the Steelers faced quarterbacks with new teams, that will not be the case in Sunday's home opener against the Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert.

"We've got a veteran group," coach Mike Tomlin said. "We've got a lot of talent over the years, to be quite honest with you. I expected it, it's appreciated, but definitely expected. They've got to be a catalyst for us. They know it. They own that. They don't run from that. They run to that."

Asked if he asks more from his defense, particularly on the road, Tomlin said, "I'm always asking more from them, because they've got a lot to give."

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