The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Sports Authority Field at Mile High to face the top-seeded Denver Broncos in the final divisional playoff game of the weekend. The Steelers are coming off a tight win over the Bengals last week but come to Denver without both their lead running back and star wide receiver. The Broncos finished the season with two straight wins, but their last loss was against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak will start quarterback Peyton Manning for the first time since November, and the future Hall of Famer will look to move the ball against the Steelers defense. Manning clearly struggled this season throwing for 2,249 yards with nine touchdowns to 17 interceptions. The Broncos quarterback is reportedly healthier than he has been all year, and he will look to target top wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas.
Thomas led the Broncos offense with 105 receptions for 1,304 yards and scored six touchdowns. The 6-foot-3 229-pound wide out is a big target for Manning and will fight for contested passes. While Thomas is a strong redzone target for the Broncos offense, Sanders has speed to break away from defensive backs and can easily cut open on short routes. Sanders has also scored six touchdowns for the Broncos this season and has 1,135 receiving yards on the year.
The Broncos offense carried this team to the Super Bowl two seasons ago, but it's their defense that is leading the way this year. The Broncos finished the regular season with the best defense in football in terms of yards allowed, and linebacker Von Miller can disrupt an entire offensive game plan. The Broncos star linebacker has recorded 11 sacks and four forced fumbles this season. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's arm is reportedly still not at full strength, and expect Denver's defense to bring pressure after the veteran quarterback.
While Roethlisberger's arm won't be at full strength, he is expected to have use of the full playbook and will need to take advantage of any holes against the Broncos' stingy defense. With both DeAngelo Williams and Antonio Brown both ruled out, the Steelers will look for running back Fitzgerald Toussaint to step up. The second-year running back had 118 all-purpose yards against the Bengals last week and proved to be a threat both in the ground game and as a receiver.
Steelers wide receivers Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton will also look to step up with Brown out Sunday afternoon, and they have combined for 11 touchdowns on the season. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley will try to keep the Broncos defense guessing, as he will look to spread the ball between both Bryant and Wheaton and their talented veteran tight end Heath Miller.
The final playoff game of the divisional round features two historic franchises, as they battle to make it back to the conference title game.
Where To Watch: CBS at 4:40 p.m. Eastern time.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Radio Broadcast: click here.
Denver Broncos Radio Broadcast: click here.
