The Pittsburgh Steelers turned the No Fly Zone into just another flight of fancy.
Ben Roethlisberger passed for 380 yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers rallied for a 34-27 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Antonio Brown caught 16 passes for 189 yards and two scores as Pittsburgh (9-5) moved into the AFC's second wild-card spot by dominating the NFL's best defense after spotting the Broncos a 27-10 lead.
The Steelers controlled the second half, finally taking the lead when Ryan Shazier intercepted Brock Osweiler to set up a 23-yard dart from Roethlisberger to Brown with 3:34 to go. Pittsburgh's defense made it stand up, twice stopping the Broncos over the final minutes
Brown, Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant found plenty of room to maneuver against Denver's secondary, dubbed the No Fly Zone by stars Aqib Talib and Chris Harris.
Osweiler threw for 296 yards with three touchdowns passing and another on the ground but struggled in the second half as the Broncos (10-4) lost their second straight and failed to lock up the AFC West title.
Emmanuel Sanders caught 10 passes for 181 yards and a score in his first game against his former team. Demaryius Thomas hauled in a pair of touchdowns but Osweiler completed just 7 of 26 passes over the final two quarters.
Osweiler's grasp on the starting job appeared tenuous coming in after the offense failed to find the end zone in a home loss to Oakland last Sunday. Peyton Manning returned to practice last week for the first time in a month as he continues to recover from torn plantar fascia in his left foot. The NFL's all-time passing leader traveled with the team and signed dozens of autographs in the pregame, save for any of Pittsburgh's yellow Terrible Towels, which Manning shunned when thrust his way.
Perhaps it provided inspiration for Osweiler, who spent a half forcing the Steelers to keep their favorite linens tucked safely in their pockets as Denver raced up and down Heinz Field with ease.
The Broncos had gone 24 straight possessions without an offensive touchdown before reaching the end zone four straight times. Osweiler hit Thomas for an 18-yard score then found Sanders for an easy 61-yard catch and run. Osweiler stumbled his 6-foot-7 frame across the goal line to make it 20-7 and when Thomas stiff-armed Pittsburgh's Antwon Blake to finish off a 6-yard touchdown, the Broncos were up 27-10.
Yet just as quickly a Denver's momentum appeared, it vanished. The group that converted its first eight third-downs then missed its next five, giving Roethlisberger more than enough time to have his way with the NFL's best secondary.
A pretty lob to the back corner of the end zone from Roethlisberger to Brown pulled Pittsburgh with 27-20. The Steelers then caught the break they needed thanks to some overanxious Broncos. Pittsburgh punted late in the third quarter and two Steelers attempted to down it only to whiff. A couple of Denver linemen - all the way on the other side of the field - thought the play was dead. It wasn't. Jordan Norwood had scooped up the ball and zig-zagged 71 yards for a score that should have restored a two-touchdown lead. The flag for illegal substitution wiped out the score, the Broncos went three-and-out.
Pittsburgh tied it at 27 on its next possession, with Wheaton scooting in from 9 yards out and dancing a little jig with Brown.
