Banged up Steelers look to steal another win, Broncos hope Manning can be at his best

Article by Gordon Dedman

 

From the euphoria of winning a game they looked as though they had lost, Steeler fans have endured a week of injury concerns that finally saw Antonio Brown and DeAngelo Williams confirmed out and Ben Roethlisberger listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

The Steelers chance of winning this playoff game revolves around Roethlisberger’s participation. He practiced for the first time Friday, after which Coach Tomlin observed, “I thought it was a productive day." If he plays and can throw the ball effectively in Denver, they will have a great chance to progress to the Conference Final.

 

If the Steelers are forced to turn to backup Landry Jones, the chances of the team advancing to the Championship game diminish. After his competent start when he replaced the injured Roethlisberger earlier in the regular season, Jones has found out just how difficult it is to be a quarterback in the NFL. He has thrown an interception once every 12 pass attempts and if he replicates that Sunday, the Steelers season will end.

With Brown out and doubts surrounding Roethlisberger, the Steelers ground game needs to be at its best. The dual threat of Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman will spearhead the Steelers ground game while their other receivers will need to step up.

The Steelers defense can keep them in the game and provide the opportunity for whoever leads the offense, but they must contain Denver’s running game. The Steelers defense was ranked fifth against the run during the regular season while the Broncos ground game was ranked 17^th.

Running back Ronnie Hillman gained 117 in the Broncos last game when Peyton Manning came on midway through the third quarter to close out the 27-20 win. That was Manning’s first appearance since week 10 when he was benched suffering from a sore foot and rib injuries.

Despite doubts over his agility this season, Manning has the experience to lead his team to a win providing his offensive line protect him from the Steelers defense. The focus for Pittsburgh will be to disrupt his timing. Manning has thrown 17 interceptions with seven touchdowns this season before missing seven games.

The Broncos win the battle of stats. They finished the regular season number one in total defense, number one in sacks, number one in run defense, number one in pass defense and the team is the number one seed in the AFC.

Having a bye week to rest while their opponents were getting banged around ensures the Broncos will be fresh and ready to play with their own dynamic duo receiving corps of Demaryius Thomas and former Steeler Emmanuel Sanders.

The key for the Steelers is to stop the Broncos’ running game and force Denver into third and long, making Manning pass with the potential to pick him off.

As in every game, turnovers will have an impact as was displayed in that amazing final two minutes in Cincinnati last weekend. These teams are evenly balanced in forced fumbles, interceptions and sacks so once again it is likely to be a tense defensive struggle and while the Broncos are the probable winners, the Steelers can never be counted out.