DENVER — The Denver Broncos took the city’s minds off the Colorado Rockiesfor a few hours Sunday night, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-28 on JasonElam’s 49-yard field goal as time expired.

Rookie Tim Crowder had a 50-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown and JayCutler threw three TD passes and the Broncos (3-3), coming off their worst homeloss in 41 years, looked nothing like the troubled team that had lost playmakerson both sides of the ball and whose season was threatening to unravel before theleaves had finished falling.

Suddenly able to get to the passer despite Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey(thigh) missing a game for just the third time in his career, the Broncos forcedthree turnovers and sacked Ben Roethlisberger four times.

The Steelers (4-2), who had allowed just five touchdowns all season ,surrendered four on this night, including Cutler’s throws of 15 yards to BrandonStokley and 1 yard each to Tony Scheffler and Cecil Sapp.

Elam, who has the game-winner in all three of the Broncos’ wins so far,nailed his kick to cap a seven-play, 49-yard drive that covered the final 1:10after Pittsburgh had rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to tie it.

The Broncos, who lost running back Travis Henry for the night with bruisedribs in the third quarter, snapped a three-game skid and handed the Steelerstheir second loss in three games.

Denver was surprisingly in control throughout and built a two-touchdown leadon Scheffler’s 1-yard TD catch midway through the third quarter.

Pittsburgh pulled to 28-21 with a 94-yard drive capped by rookie tight endMatt Spaeth’s 13-yard touchdown catch one play after Roethlisberger barely gotthe first down on a fourth-and-1 sneak.

Without Henry, the Broncos went three-and-out and Pittsburgh got the ball atits 22 with 7:47 left after a 61-yard punt by Todd Sauerbrun.

Roethlisberger completed all eight of his passes on the 80-yard drive, whichhe capped with a 12-yard TD pass to tight end Heath Miller, his second touchdowngrab of the night.

After a touchback, Scheffler caught a 16-yard pass before hopping off thefield with an apparent right foot injury. He broke that foot in the summer andonly recently returned to full strength.

Brandon Marshall caught a 9-yard pass and an offside call put the ball onthe 50. Glenn Martinez caught an 11-yard pass and tight end Daniel Graham caughtanother 9-yarder with 20 seconds on a play that was initially ruled anincompletion before a booth-ordered replay overturned the call.

AP - Oct 21, 11:41 pm EDT

Selvin Young lost a yard and, after a timeout, Elam split the uprights.

The Broncos seized the momentum with their first touchdown by a defensivelineman since Ellis Johnson’s interception return against Oakland on Nov. 28,2004.

Elvis Dumervil split blockers Marvel Smith and Alan Faneca and dumpedRoethlisberger for a 12-yard loss, while stripping the ball from thequarterback’s grasp. Crowder scooped it up and raced half the length of thefield for a 21-7 lead just 90 seconds after Sapp’s 1-yard touchdown grab hadgiven Denver its first lead.

Larry Foote’s interception at the Broncos’ 41 set up Santonio Holmes’13-yard TD catch that cut Denver’s lead to 21-14 in the third quarter.

Up to seven inches of snow blanketed Denver on Sunday, forcing the NLchampion Rockies to move their workout indoors, but the football game threemiles away was unaffected because the field was covered. By game time, the skieswere clear and the field dry, although light flurries returned in the fourthquarter.

Denver is last in the NFL in stopping the run and the Steelers have theleague’s second-best rushing offense. But Pittsburgh running back Willie Parkerhad only three carries for 10 yards in the first quarter and the Broncos beganto build confidence.

Parker got going and finished with 93 yards on 21 carries.

The Broncos became the first team this season to score on Pittsburgh’sdefense in the first half when Stokley, starting in place of Javon Walker, whohad knee surgery on Friday, caught a 15-yard pass from Cutler to tie the game at7 in the first quarter.

The night began with a ceremony to honor cornerback Darrent Williams andrunning back Damien Nash, two 24-year-old Broncos who died last winter. Williamswas killed in an unsolved drive-by shooting in downtown Denver on New Year’s Dayand Nash died two months later after a charity basketball game in St. Louis.

“Honor them with the way you play the game, it’s the best thing you cando,” John Lynch told his teammates as they gathered before kickoff.

Notes

Bailey hadn’t missed a game since 2005, when he missed two with apulled hamstring. Domonique Foxworth took his place in the starting lineup. …Steelers K Jeff Reed attempted a record 65-yard field goal just before halftime,but it was well short.