Broncos hope to pressure Steelers offense
The Denver Broncos (4-6) see a possible path — a narrow one to be sure — to climb back into playoff contention. But with six games left, they have to maintain a winning track, starting with Sunday’s imposing matchup against the Steelers (7-2-1).
The Broncos showed a glimpse of the winning formula that was a hallmark of their Super Bowl winning campaign back in 2015 — a formidable defense coupled with an offense scoring just enough to win. That was the case in their 23-22 win over the Los Angeles Chargers last week. Brandon McManus converted a last-second field goal and the defense also featured key turnovers and exerted tremendous pressure on the quarterback.
In Von Miller and rookie Bradley Chubb, the Broncos have the most prolific sacking tandem in the league. Miller has 10 sacks and Chubb leads all rookies with nine. The Steelers, however, are one of the best teams in the league at protecting the quarterback, allowing just 14 sacks, the third fewest in the league. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger also remains one of the best at shaking off pressure, standing in the pocket and delivering an accurate throw.
Getting pressure on the quarterback will be central to any upset hopes for the Broncos, who can’t afford to get ahead of themselves because they’re going to need a chain of success to keep their hopes alive. There has been a couple of times this season where either Miller or Chubb has been slowed but there has not been a game yet where both have been taken out of the game at the same time by a protection scheme. If one or both can replicate the kind of pressure they showed against the Chargers, Roethlisberger could be in for a long day.
SERIES HISTORY: 24th regular-season meeting. Broncos lead series, 14-8-1, including 8-3-1 when the teams play in Denver. Pittsburgh came out on top in the most recent meeting between the teams, 34-27, at Heinz Field on Dec. 20, 2015.
