Missing a game with a concussion enabled Pittsburgh Steelers right tackle Chuks Okorafor a chance to, um, clear his head and get his game back on track.
Okorafor, who underperformed in the first three weeks of the season, was tasked with facing Denver Broncos edge rusher Von Miller on Sunday as the Steelers looked to snap a three-game losing streak.
Despite being called for a pair of false starts, Okorafor held Miller in check. The eight-time Pro Bowl pass rusher and owner of 110.5 career sacks was limited to a pair of assisted tackles and wasn’t a factor in the Broncos’ 27-19 loss at Heinz Field.
Miller entered with 4.5 sacks, collecting at least a half sack in each of Denver’s first four games. He didn’t get a hand on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was hit a season-low two times.
“We weren’t going to sacrifice our whole offense by putting extra tight ends and extra guys over there,” Roethlisberger said. “We asked Chuks to do a job against one of the best pass rushers in the game and one of the better ones of all time, and I think he did a great job.”
Okorafor was concussed in the fourth quarter of the Steelers’ 24-10 loss to Cincinnati. He did not play in the defeat at Green Bay that extended the team’s losing streak to three games.
Okorafor was inserted back into the line at the expense of Joe Haeg, who played against the Packers.
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t say Chuks had a phenomenal week of practice, a phenomenal game,” veteran guard Trai Turner said. “He was strapped up and ready to go the whole game.”
As a rookie in 2018, Okorafor started against Denver because of injuries to Marcus Gilbert and Matt Feiler. Miller had one sack but just one other tackle in that matchup.
“We talked about him having some experience with (Miller),” Turner said. “Any given Sunday, and it’s a new Sunday. After last week, he knew he had to come out and be ready to go, and he was. He took care of business.”
