The Denver Broncos outscored the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth quarter 11-3, and pulled out the win 23-16 in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs Sunday. The Steelers were driving down the field with a one-point lead in the fourth quarter when Pittsburgh running back Fitzgerald Toussaint fumbled the ball and Broncos linebacker DeMarcus Ware recovered.
The Broncos capitalized on the turnover driving down the field, and punching in a huge one-yard touchdown. Manning threw a quick pass to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to complete the two-point conversion, and put Denver up 10 points. The Steelers consistently fought back and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger put up a strong effort throwing for 339 yards but was unable to get a touchdown.
The New England Patriots will now travel to Mile High to face the Broncos next Sunday, and it seems only fitting to have Manning face Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for the 17th time with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The Broncos beat the Patriots back in November, but both teams are clearly playing better football and Manning is back under center for Denver.
The Patriots will look to get back to the Super Bowl for the second consecutive season with a win in Denver next weekend, but the Broncos have earned the top seed in the conference for a reason this year and will look to prove on Sunday that they deserve to make Super Bowl 50.
