DENVER (AP) — Bo Nix soon followed a long completion on a trick play with an interception in the back of the end zone.

All part of the growing pains for the Denver Broncos rookie quarterback who managed just two field goal drives in a 13-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Nix threw two interceptions, was sacked twice and struggled on third downs as the team converted just two of 12.

His confidence, though, remains far from rattled.

“You play (football) long enough, it’ll fail you over and over and over," said Nix, the 12th overall pick in April. “It will knock you down. It will beat you up. The value of playing the sport is it’s just like life. Sometimes you've just got to keep taking hits and keep taking hits, and then eventually you’ll figure it out and get back on your feet and move forward.”

The performance of Nix and the Broncos (0-2) played out with Russell Wilson watching on the other sideline — in uniform but relegated to emergency QB status because of a strained calf.

Wilson's two-year stint in Denver ended with him on the bench. The Broncos released him in March and he signed with Pittsburgh for the veteran’s minimum ($1.21 million).

With Wilson sidelined, Justin Fields guided the Steelers to a second straight win by being efficient — and not making any costly mistakes.

Nix is still searching for his first NFL TD pass after he had a rushing score last weekend at Seattle. He now has four interceptions through two games after his late throw at the end of the game was picked off by Pittsburgh's Damontae Kazee. The NFL record for most interceptions by a rookie quarterback in a season is 28 by Peyton Manning in 1998 while with Indianapolis.

Broncos coach Sean Payton believes Nix has the right makeup to weather the early bumps.

"Listen, this guy’s been through it," Payton said of the 24-year-old Nix. "It would be different if he hadn’t.”

One of the pivotal plays in the game came in the third quarter with Denver trailing 10-0. The Broncos dialed up a trick play as Javonte Williams took a direct snap, handed it off to Courtland Sutton who proceeded to pitch it to Nix. With the defense closing in, Nix lofted a pass to Josh Reynolds for a 49-yard gain to the Pittsburgh 7-yard line.

Two plays later, though, Nix looked for Sutton in the end zone and instead threw a pass straight to Steelers cornerback Cory Trice Jr.

“That falls on me,” Nix said. “Can’t have that.”

Asked later to delve into the play in more detail, Nix simply responded: “Dropped back and threw it to the other team.”

Last weekend in a loss to 26-20 loss in Seattle, Nix finished 26 of 42 for 138 yards and two interceptions. He was 20 of 35 for 246 yards against Pittsburgh.

Going forward, Nix doesn't want the offensive schemes scaled back.

“If you’re too simple, then they’ll just pick you apart,” Nix said. “So there’s just a fine line. I felt good with the plan going in. I think we've just got to execute the plays better.”

He believes he made strides in his second NFL game.

“Sometimes good steps don’t turn into wins, though," Nix said. "It’s a long process. It’s a tough league for a reason and we just have to continue as a crew, as a group, find ways to get better and build.”

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders gives props to his much-maligned offensive line after big game

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — The Colorado offensive linemen gathered behind Shedeur Sanders at the postgame podium as his invited guests.

This, after serving as faithful bodyguards.

As a way of saying thanks — maybe even a mea culpa? — the Buffaloes quarterback had his contingent of linemen join him at his news conference following a 28-9 win over rival Colorado State on Saturday night. They only allowed Sanders to be sacked once — and that was in the fourth quarter of a game that was all but sealed.

It’s one of the better blocking jobs a retooled and revamped line has done in front of him since he arrived in Boulder. Sanders had time — connecting with fellow Heisman hopeful Travis Hunter for two scores — and passing lanes. Sanders threw for 310 yards and four touchdowns while completing 73.5% of his passes.

All this a week after Sanders was sacked five times against Nebraska and in a friendly way called out his blockers.

Whatever the message, it was received.

“We all got together and understood, like, we’ve got to do it,” Sanders said Saturday. “Whenever everybody try to push each other against each other, flip words, do everything like that, and together, we all stayed as a family. We’re all as one. So that’s just a good example of knowing the media, regardless of what they try to paint or anything, you can’t put us against each other."

A line that included a combination of Phillip Houston, Kahlil Benson, Hank Zilinskas, Tyler Brown, Justin Mayers and freshman Jordan Seaton kept Sanders upright. They also created holes, with Colorado’s 109 yards rushing the third-most since coach Deion Sanders arrived in Boulder.

“Offensive line was phenomenal,” the coach said. "You guys buried them last week after the game. You didn’t say anything tremendously positive when I think they almost went for 500 yards total offense and we won (against North Dakota State), right? Where was the praise and the love? But it was a lot of hate and disdain and, ‘Here we go again. Here we go again.’

“These are young men. They’re not old as I am ... and have wisdom and understand how to handle the foolishness.”

Sanders used the transfer portal to overhaul his offensive line once again after his son was sacked 52 times last season and missed the final game with a fracture in his back.

This time, the thing they may need more than anything is time to develop and bond.

“We’re going to keep the ball rolling,” said Brown, whose team opens Big 12 play by hosting Baylor on Saturday. “Because we’re not satisfied. We’re going to continue to get better."

On the field after the game, Shedeur Sanders rebuffed a handshake from Colorado State QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi. Sanders was perturbed by some comments coming out of Fort Collins from Fowler-Nicolosi and receiver Tory Horton leading into rivalry week.

The Rams felt the Buffaloes were fortunate to escape with a 43-35 double-overtime win at Folsom Field last season. Fowler-Nicolosi said in an earlier CBS Colorado interview, "We’ll see how far Instagram followers gets them.”

Sanders threw that back at Fowler-Nicolosi after the game in a video posted by “ Well Off Media," which chronicles Sanders and the Buffaloes.

“A couple of their players took shots at the whole program and a few of our players," Deion Sanders said after the contest. "We knew that coming into the game, it was going to be a bit personal and it was.

“We did what we needed to do to come out (of) here with a victory. We really wanted it to be decisive.”

The bond between Sanders and Hunter was on display with Hunter catching 13 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Hunter also had an interception as he played more than 100 snaps on offense and defense. The only time he got tired was chasing down Avery Morrow to make a tackle after a 62-yard run in the fourth quarter.

“That’s probably the first time I did that,” Hunter cracked of asking to be subbed out.

Busch homers twice and has 3 RBIs to lead Cubs over Rockies 6-2

DENVER (AP) — Michael Busch had his first big league multi-homer game, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the Colorado Rockies 6-2 Sunday to stop a three-game losing streak.

Chicago went 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position and stranded 16 runners, tying the major league high for a nine-inning game this season.

“We left a small farming village in central Illinois of runners on base, but we played good offense,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We were missing the next hit, but in the ninth, to get those extra runs, certainly was a big deal.”

Chicago (76-73), which had lost seven of 11, began the day six games behind Atlanta and the New York Mets for the final NL wild card. The Mets lost at Philadelphia.

Busch had a go-ahead RBI single in the third, then hit solo homers in the seventh inning off Jake Bird and the ninth against Justin Lawrence, increasing the rookie’s season total to 20. He was 6 for 10 with three homers and seven RBIs in the series.

Busch's first homer traveled 438 feet and the second a career-long 468 feet, both into the right field second deck,

“I’m just trying to be aggressive, trust my eyes and stick to my approach, no matter if I’m up or down in the count,” Busch said.

Kyle Hendricks (4-11) allowed one run and two hits in six innings with seven strikeouts. Hendricks became the first pitcher in Cubs history to throw at least six innings while allowing two or fewer hits and one or fewer runs in a start at Coors Field, which opened in 1995.

“Stuff moves differently (in Colorado), so you just really focus on execution and stay with it one pitch at a time, and with our lineup and defense, man, you just rely on all the guys around you,” Hendricks said.

Colorado pitchers walked 12 for the first time since a 12-11 win over Milwaukee on June 5, 1999.

Cal Quantrill (8-10) gave up two runs, four hits and six walks in 2 1/3 innings, throwing 69 pitches. He made his first appearance since recovering from right triceps inflammation, which had sidelined him since Aug. 27.

“He told me during the game and after the game that his arm felt great,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “It’s one of those games over a long season, six months, where he didn’t throw strikes.”

Nico Hoerner had an RBI single in the third as Chicago took a 2-0 lead.

Jacob Stallings hit his career-best ninth homer in the bottom half.

Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a two-run homer in the ninth, his 10th home run this season. He has 21 RBIs in his past 22 games.

Colorado loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth and got an RBI grounder from Nolan Jones. Tyson Miller then struck out Brendan Rodgers and Ezequiel Tovar for his first career save in four big league seasons.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: Quantrill was activated from the 15-day IL and RHP Bradley Blalock was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.

UP NEXT

Cubs: LHP Shota Imanaga (13-3, 3.03 ERA) starts Monday night at Wrigley Field against Oakland RHP Joey Estes (7-7, 4.36) and visiting Oakland.

Rockies: RHP Antonio Senzatela makes his first big league appearance since May 10 last year, facing Arizona on Monday night. His 2022 season was cut short when he tore his left ACL that Aug. 18 during a game at St. Louis, and his only 2023 outings were on May 5 and 10 before a torn UCL that led to Tommy John surgery on July 26. The visiting Diamondbacks start RHP Merrill Kelly (4-0, 4.26 ERA).