Steelers-Broncos: 3 Keys to Victory

Photo creds to www.pittsburghsportingnews.com

Hello, all. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a relativity important football game this afternoon that will be played in relativity high altitude, and Pittsburgh has a some relativity large hurdles to overcome. DeAngelo Williams is out once again, and so is the best wide receiver in the world. To add to it, God only knows how much of the real Ben Roethlisberger we will see. Needless to say, it will be a tall task at hand. Here are three things the Steelers can do to overcome it.

Key #1: Stifle Peyton Manning 

Photo creds to www.espn.com

The Steelers offense is nowhere near at full strength, and Denver has the best defense in the NFL. So you could say that having the usual 30+ point eruption is probably not a realistic idea. If the Steelers want to book themselves a flight to Foxborough, the defense needs to step up. The way I see it, here are Keith Butler's two best options:
A. Take advantage of Denver's banged up offensive line and blitz a crap ton.
B. Disguise the blitz and try to confuse Peyton Manning the way AJ McCarron was baffled last week

The problem I see with option b is Manning's ability to read a defense. When Emmanuel Sanders said shortly before the regular season meeting between these two teams that Manning was the best at preparing for a game, many Steelers fans took it as a shot at Big Ben. While that might be true, Sanders had a point. Manning is one of the greatest ever for a reason, and his brain is his strongest asset. I'm sure Manning spent countless hours this week studying film of the Steelers defense and looking for any habits to exploit. Since option b worked so well in Cincinnati, Manning will probably be expecting it more so than option a. Butler knows what he is doing, and I trust he will call a good game. But if it were me, I would take advantage of the b-rate line and order a blitzkrieg.

Likelihood of Execution: It's Manning in the playoffs, so decent

Key #2: Quantity over Quality 

Photo creds to boston.cbslocal.com

With DeAngelo Williams out for the second week in a row, the Steelers running game will be the property of Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman. While individually, neither of these men are as good as Williams, collectively, they might make up for the loss. The Steelers currently average 107.8 rushing yards per game on the year. If the Steelers are smart, they will make Toussaint running back 1A and Todman 1B, giving them both similar amounts of carries. Last week, the two men accounted for a combined 123 yards, and I don't see why they can't do as well this week. Yes, the Broncos have one of the best run defenses in the league, but so does Cincinnati. Toussaint should also have a vital role in pass catching as he caught four balls for 60 yards last week. If the Steelers had blown it at Paul Brown Stadium 8 days ago, it would not have been because DeAngelo Williams was missing. If the Steelers lose at Mile High this week, it won't be because of DeAngelo Williams either.

Likelihood of Execution: Solid

Key #3: Bryant becomes a man

Alright, Martavis. It's your time to shine. Antonio Brown is out, which makes you #1. You are now seen as the Steelers biggest receiving threat in the eyes of the NFL's best secondary. You might recall that a few weeks ago, your QB called you out publicly, saying that you needed to ''grow up''. Your sick TD catch in Cincy was a start, but now you need to take it one step further. You need to be the shining star of the Steelers offense. You have the chance to silence those who criticize your football IQ. You have the opportunity to free yourself a little from AB's large shadow. You have the chance to lead the Steelers to victory. 

Unfortunately, I don't see your QB having the strength to be able to strongly throw you the ball. #7 will put his heart on the table this afternoon, but that damn AC joint won't allow him to be himself. I'd love to be wrong, but I think that the pain that Roethlisberger is in; assuming he plays, will be too much even for somebody as tough as Big Ben. 

Likelihood of Execution: Not good

Final Prediction 
The 1976 Steelers might have been the greatest team in franchise history. I see a lot of similarities between that team and this years edition. The 1976 Steelers had a historically good defense while this team has a great offense. The 1976 team lost their quarterback early in the season, just like this years team, and the 1976 Steelers were on fire towards the end of the season but ran out of gas in the AFC Championship Game, due in large part to running backs Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier being out with injuries. While this year's team is not quite as good as the '76 squad that fielded 8 Hall of Famers, the similarities are striking, and I think this years team will run out of gas one round earlier than the 1976 squad.

I'd love to be wrong, but beating the Broncos away would be a challenge no matter what personnel the Steelers had at their disposal. Now that some key pieces are missing/not 100%, I just don't think that they can do it. But this has been the craziest Steelers season I have ever experienced, and no matter what the result is, something weird will happen. Believe that. 

Broncos 27, Steelers 14.