The Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2015 season as two of the natural picks to win the Super Bowl. They’ll both put that chance on the line today when the teams meet at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado.
The Broncos came into the season with question marks around the quarterback position. Could Peyton Manning get his old self back? Could he lead the team to a Super Bowl? Those questions became louder as the season progressed.
Despite a quick start to the season, Manning looked bad. He nearly led the NFL in interceptions (17) despite only passing 331 times; compare that to Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles, who had 18 interceptions on 606 attempts and it paints a bad picture for Manning. He had his lowest career passer rating at 67.9, even less than his rookie campaign in which he led the NFL with 28 interceptions.
Despite how abysmal Manning played, he still maintained a 7-2 record before getting hurt. Brock Osweiler stepped into the starting role and finished the season 5-2. The 12-4 mark was good enough to get the top seed in the AFC, securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
With the bye week in the rear view mirror, they come into the game against the Steelers optimistic about the chance of a win. The biggest reason has to be the fact that the Steelers have lost the battle of attrition. Le’Veon Bell, the Steelers top running back, has been out since the middle of the season. DeAngelo Williams had a foot injury derail him at the end of the season and was unable to go last week; he will miss another playoff game.
However, those two may not even be the biggest losses. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict last week and came down hard on his shoulder. He has an absolute mess in his throwing shoulder now, however, will likely try to play through a great deal of pain in Denver. The Steelers said he made the trip and is listed as the starter.
His favorite target, Antonio Brown, suffered a concussion on the Steelers last offensive play of the game last week after a hit to the head delivered by, you guessed it, Burfict again. It led to a 15-yard penalty and is, in part, the reason they advanced to face the Broncos. However, the concussion that he suffered will keep him out of the game.
With Roethlisberger banged up and Brown out, hopes aren’t peaking in Pittsburgh. They are playing an already stout defense and needed all hands on deck; they’re operating with only one head of the three-headed offensive monster now, and don’t even have the second string running back playing. The Steelers still have a fighting shot with one of the best big-game quarterbacks in the last decade under center. Roethlisberger, with a little penalty help, found a way to win with a bum shoulder last week. The Broncos won’t be able to sleep on him this week.
The keys to victory for Pittsburgh are relatively straightforward.
1. Stop the Broncos run game and force Manning to throw a lot
Manning is playing through a lot of injuries, or at least, he had been. It showed. 17 interceptions in nine games were less than ideal. The Broncos will want to get the ground game going to take pressure off the passing game. The Steelers defense will need to rely on linebacker Ryan Shazier, last week’s star, to step up again. He’s assumed the defensive leadership role and stepped up with two forced fumbles last week, including the fumble in the last two minutes that enabled the Bengals comeback drive. Running back C.J. Anderson and company need to be on the lookout for Shazier.
2. Find creative ways to beat the Broncos pass defense
The no-fly zone is in full effect in Denver. The secondary was tough this season, and they are looking to show up in the playoffs in a big way. Knowingly coming into a game with Roethlisberger playing under 100 percent will get the likes of T.J. Ward, Bradley Roby, and Aqib Talib, among others, fired up. A few big plays could eliminate all hopes of an upset for Pittsburgh. The Steelers know this. So they have to beat it. That will mean mixing plays up and finding some trick plays to find holes in the defense. The running game will be essential to help Roethlisberger. But look for offensive coordinator Todd Haley to mix things up.
3. No mental errors
The Steelers had 10 penalties for 142 yards last week against the Bengals and could have had a few more. That cannot happen this week as they try to play spoiler. The Broncos defense already creates a mismatch in talent, don’t give them any help. We already know what Manning can do if you give him an inch. This could be huge with the Steelers entering another game with the potential for tempers to flair after some jawing on-and-off the field from players.
For the Broncos, this game should be a win. After Brown was announced as out it went from a one or two-point spread to a seven-point spread, some even as high as nine points. That’s a huge factor in this game. Here are the keys:
1. Play smart, don’t do anything drastic, don’t worry
This will all come down to how the players react if any extra antics start taking place. Just stay within yourself and don’t give the Steelers any reason to get fired up. Playing as the favorite, this means, don’t screw up. Denver is well coached, so this shouldn’t be a factor.
2. Run, run, run
The Broncos have had good weeks and terrible weeks out of the backfield unit. They don’t necessarily need a good week, but it would help. Just let Manning have an easy week as the Manning-Brady Bowl looms. Take the easy route this week and allow the running unit to find open space and chew up clock.
3. Don’t underestimate your opponent, don’t look ahead
This should be the biggest worry. I know, I know, NFL players play week-to-week. Yeah, right. They want to play Tom Brady and the Patriots next week. They want that game. But they still have to win. With everything going against Pittsburgh you’d think this game is set in stone. But I’ve learned that when you think that’s the case, you usually get proven wrong. (Just ask me, I’m the Bengals fan that was ecstatic after the Burfict interception that clinched a playoff victory) Looking ahead would give the Steelers the chance to steal a win.
The game should be a blowout. The Steelers are simply scraping the bottom of the talent bucket this week. With Brown playing, maybe they have enough to get it done. Without Brown, just the mental aspect may demoralize the Steelers enough to take them out of it. I simply don’t see the number one defense letting an offense that’s been beaten up, come into their house and win. The Steelers won’t have much of a chance unless Haley, Roethlisberger, and Mike Tomlin can pull a rabbit out of the hat this week.
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