It’s a different look for Steelers against Broncos
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) looks on against the Denver Broncos during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012 in Denver. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)
The big question for Pittsburgh in its playoff game Sunday at Denver is how effective will quarterback Ben Roethlisberger be with an injured right shoulder?
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will look to lead the Steelers to a victory today over the Broncos in an AFC Divisional Playoff game at Invesco Field at Mile High.
DENVER – Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is accustomed to being the center of attention for the Steelers. He also might be the last offensive star standing for Pittsburgh.
Wide receiver Antonio Brown, center Maurkice Pouncey and running backs DeAngelo Williams and Le’Veon Bell each were considered key components for Pittsburgh’s offense. None of those players participate when the Steelers play the Denver Broncos in an AFC Divisional Playoff game Sunday at Invesco Field at Mile High with a berth in next weekend’s conference championship on the line.
And even Roethlisberger is barely upright.
Roethlisberger suffered a sprained right shoulder on the final play of the third quarter in Pittsburgh’s 18-16 playoff win last weekend at Cincinnati and is questionable to play today. Roethlisberger returned to lead the Steelers on a game-winning field goal drive against the Bengals but couldn’t throw the football more than 10 yards down the field.
Denver knows Roethlisberger could be limited in this game.
And the NFL’s top-rated defense will likely test Roethlisberger’s range early, though the Broncos are wary of the Steelers’ quarterback.
“He’s had a tremendous year,” said Denver head coach Gary Kubiak. “He’s a super player, as gutty as there is in our business. You know he’s going to be ready to go and be able to do all of the things tht he needs to do to win. I have a lot of respect for him.”
The Steelers feel the same way about Denver quarterback Peyton Manning.
Manning has thrown only nine passes since leaving Denver’s Nov. 15 loss to Kansas City because of a painful foot injury. But the 39-year-old, 18-year veteran remains a dangerous player.
Despite Manning throwing nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions in nine starts this season, the Broncos went 7-2 with the future Hall of Famer at quarterback.
“He’s Peyton Manning,” said Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt. “You have to respect him. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to beat him.”
The Steelers have beaten Manning in the postseason before. Their playoff road looks eerily similar to what they did in 2005, when they won at Cincinnati in the opening week, then travelled to Indianapolis to face Manning and the Colts. Pittsburgh won that game, 21-18, sacking Manning five times. The Steelers won the AFC Championship the following week at Denver, 34-17. Pittsburgh finished that season by beating Seattle in Super Bowl XL in Detroit.
“There’s some parallels,” said Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler. “Playing against Peyton Manning is really an hono, because the guy is a first-ballot Hall of Fame guy. A very smart guy, a guy who really represents what the NFL is all about.”
With Pittsburgh’s offense missing both its leading rusher (Williams) and leading receiver (Brown), it could lean more on its defense. The Steelers ranked 30th in the NFL in pass defense, but were fifth against the run. They also led the AFC with 33 takeways.
“They’re very stingy down in the red zone, creating turnovers, and those are things that jump out about this group of Pittsburgh Steelers,” Manning said.
Manning missed the previous meeting between the teams last month. Backup Brock Osweiller led the Broncos to a 27-10 halftime lead but the Steelers stormed back and won, 34-27. The Steelers were the only team to score more than 30 points against the Broncos and Roethlisberger was the only opposing quarterback to top 300 yards. But with Brown, who had 16 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns against Denver, out with a concussion, the Steelers could be forced to take a different tact.
Denver was missing starting safeties Darian Stewart and T.J. Ward in that game and Roethlisberger completed 40 of 55 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns.
A repeat of that performance in Denver will be difficult to accomplish.
“We got lucky the first time. We made plays, they had guys injured, we were at home and it’s not going to be that easy,” said Roethlisberger. “This is a very good defense that I’m sure is going to take a bit of pride from the last game and really get after us. We’re going to be at their place, so it’s going to be loud. This is the biggest challenge we’ve ever faced.”