NFL game summary for 11/28/1971:
Denver inflicted the first home loss on the Steelers with Floyd Little scoring two TDs and Steve Ramsey winning his first start as the Bronco quarterback. Pittsburgh made up a 10-point half-time deficit behind substitute QB Terry Hanratty before the Broncos marched 74 yards on their only sustained drive for the winning TD. Little carried 5 times on the drive for 56 yards. When the Broncos RB fumbled at the Denver 25 on the first play of the second half, Hanratty hit Preston Pearson with a 8-yard scoring pass 5 plays later.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 147.5 (8) | 148.7 (13) | 296.2 (10) | 29 |
| DEFENSE | 130.0 (14) | 141.9 (7) | 271.9 (9) | 28 | |
 | OFFENSE | 121.4 (15) | 170.8 (7) | 292.2 (12) | 28 |
| DEFENSE | 99.4 (4) | 211.8 (26) | 311.2 (21) | 28 |
Line: Steelers by 7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos (3-7-1) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 22 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers (5-6-0) | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
( 7- 0) DEN Floyd Little 3 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
(10- 0) DEN Jim Turner 32 yard field goal
(10- 7) PIT Preston Pearson 8 yard pass from Terry Hanratty (Roy Gerela kick)
(10-10) PIT Roy Gerela 19 yard field goal
(17-10) DEN Floyd Little 16 yard rush (Jim Turner kick)
(19-10) DEN Safety, Bobby Walden tackled in end zone by Fran Lynch
(22-10) DEN Jim Turner 12 yard field goal
DEN PIT
First Downs: 14 12
Rushes-yards: 37-126 33-158
Yards/rush: 3.4 4.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 14-25-161-1 9-29-100-1
Sacked-yards: 2-11 4-33
Net pass yards: 150 67
Net yards/pass: 5.6 2.0
Total net yards: 276 225
Total plays: 64 (57% run) 66 (50% run)
Yards/play: 4.3 3.4
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 5-2
Turnovers: 2 3
Penalties-yards: 2-30 2-15
Attendance: 39,710
Passing:
DEN: Steve Ramsey, 14 of 25 for 161 yards (1 int) PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 6 of 17 for 68 yards; Terry Hanratty, 3 of 12 for 32 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
DEN: Floyd Little, 22 for 91 yards and 2 TDs; Bobby Anderson, 13 for 38 yards; Billy Masters, 1 for 0 yards; Clem Turner, 1 for -3 yards PIT: Preston Pearson, 18 for 93 yards; Warren Bankston, 11 for 35 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 3 for 16 yards; Bobby Walden, 1 for 14 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Jack Gehrke, 4 for 57 yards; Floyd Little, 4 for 38 yards; Billy Masters, 3 for 36 yards; Bobby Anderson, 3 for 30 yards PIT: Preston Pearson, 3 for 35 yards and 1 TD; Warren Bankston, 3 for 35 yards; Ron Shanklin, 1 for 18 yards; Jon Staggers, 1 for 7 yards; Bob Adams, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Bill Thompson, 2 for 50 yards; Fred Forsberg, 1 for 19 yards PIT: Jon Staggers, 4 for 102 yards; Preston Pearson, 1 for 19 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Charlie Greer, 2 for 5 yards; Bill Thompson, 1 for 14 yards PIT: Jon Staggers, 4 for 31 yards
Interceptions:
DEN: Bill Thompson, 1 for 42 yards PIT: Mel Blount, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DEN: Billy Van Heusen, 8 for 309 yards PIT: Bobby Walden, 6 for 233 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Jim Turner, 2/2 PIT: Roy Gerela, 1/2
DEN: Steve Ramsey, 14 of 25 for 161 yards (1 int) PIT: Terry Bradshaw, 6 of 17 for 68 yards; Terry Hanratty, 3 of 12 for 32 yards and 1 TD (1 int)
Rushing:
DEN: Floyd Little, 22 for 91 yards and 2 TDs; Bobby Anderson, 13 for 38 yards; Billy Masters, 1 for 0 yards; Clem Turner, 1 for -3 yards PIT: Preston Pearson, 18 for 93 yards; Warren Bankston, 11 for 35 yards; Terry Bradshaw, 3 for 16 yards; Bobby Walden, 1 for 14 yards
Receiving:
DEN: Jack Gehrke, 4 for 57 yards; Floyd Little, 4 for 38 yards; Billy Masters, 3 for 36 yards; Bobby Anderson, 3 for 30 yards PIT: Preston Pearson, 3 for 35 yards and 1 TD; Warren Bankston, 3 for 35 yards; Ron Shanklin, 1 for 18 yards; Jon Staggers, 1 for 7 yards; Bob Adams, 1 for 5 yards
Kick returns:
DEN: Bill Thompson, 2 for 50 yards; Fred Forsberg, 1 for 19 yards PIT: Jon Staggers, 4 for 102 yards; Preston Pearson, 1 for 19 yards
Punt returns:
DEN: Charlie Greer, 2 for 5 yards; Bill Thompson, 1 for 14 yards PIT: Jon Staggers, 4 for 31 yards
Interceptions:
DEN: Bill Thompson, 1 for 42 yards PIT: Mel Blount, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
DEN: Billy Van Heusen, 8 for 309 yards PIT: Bobby Walden, 6 for 233 yards
Field Goals:
DEN: Jim Turner, 2/2 PIT: Roy Gerela, 1/2