Pittsburgh Steelers (11-6) vs. Denver Broncos (12-4)
Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016
Sports Authority Field at Mile High
4:40 p.m.
CBS**
Photos from the last matchup vs the Broncos at Heinz Field on December 20th, 2015.
SERIES HISTORY: Broncos lead, 14-8-1 (Broncos lead, 4-3, postseason) **LAST MEETING: Steelers 34, Broncos 27, Dec. 20, 2015, Heinz Field: The Broncos took a 27-10 lead in the first half but the Steelers responded by kicking a field goal with four seconds left in the second quarter and with 21 more unanswered points in the third and fourth quarters. WR Antonio Brown had 16 catches for 189 yards and two TDs and WR Martavis Bryant had 10 catches for 87 yards. They were the main targets for QB Ben Roethlisberger, who completed 40 of 55 attempts for 380 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Denver QB Brock Osweiler was 21-for-44 for 296 yards with three TDs and an INT.
LAST TIME OUT:The Steelers surrendered 16 fourth-quarter points and a 15-0 lead but rallied to beat the Bengals, 18-16, on a 35-yard field goal with 14 seconds left in regulation on Jan. 9 in Cincinnati. The Broncos had a first-round bye. Denver beat San Diego, 27-20, in its regular-season finale on Jan. 3 in Denver.
WHEN THE BRONCOS HAVE THE BALL:They'll most likely run the same offense they did on Dec. 20; the difference is Peyton Manning will be at QB this time. At 39 and coming off an injury that sidelined him for six of the last seven games, Manning's overall effectiveness remains to be seen. Manning threw for nine touchdowns and was intercepted 17 times in nine starts this season, his 18th in the NFL, before being removed (foot) on Nov. 15 against Kansas City. He completed five of nine passes for 69 yards upon replacing Osweiler in the regular-season finale against San Diego.
Manning was under center for 11 of his 29 snaps against the Chargers, an indication he's regained just enough mobility to make the drops and get back to hand the ball off. He's relying much more on anticipation, timing and accuracy than he is arm strength but his ability to dissect a defense and get the Broncos into the right play at the right time is as seemingly as sharp as ever. He'll impact the game pre-snap in that fashion. Two of his throws against the Chargers went at least 30 yards down the field, so shots down the field aren't out of the question. But chances are the ball is going to come out of the pocket quickly and won't sizzle toward its intended target. And if he has to he'll accept a sack.
Like last time, both starting OTs are on the reserve/injured list (Ryan Clady, Ty Sambrailo). And like last time, the Broncos can be expected to attempt to establish outside-zone runs, off which they can look for cutback lanes or run play-action bootlegs (not entirely out of Manning's wheelhouse). The idea is to cut-block the backside pursuit and open up options for RBs Ronnie Hillman (the speed back) and C.J. Anderson (the power back).
WR Emmanuel Sanders had 10 catches and 181 receiving yards in the first meeting with the Steelers, including eight receptions, 139 yards and a 61-yard TD in a first half that saw him repeatedly exploit coverage breakdowns. WR Demaryius Thomas had a 72-yard catch-and-run TD against the Chargers (a 5-yard catch and a 67-yard run) and beat the Steelers with a similar 80-yard score in overtime in the 2011 postseason. TE Owen Daniels has been a problem for the Steelers in Houston and Baltimore previously. Denver had the No. 16 offense in the NFL in the regular season (17th rushing, 14th passing) and was No. 28 in the red zone (TDs 47.7 percent of the time).
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Here is a look at the statistical leaders for the both the Steelers and Broncos heading into the AFC Divisional round.
QB Ben Roethlisberger completed 319 of 469 passes (68.0%) during the regular season for 3,938 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 94.5. In the AFC Wild Card Game at Cincinnati, Roethlisberger was 18 for 31 (58.1%) for 229 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. A quarterback rating of 92.0.
During the regular season QB Landry Jones completed 32 of 55 passes (58.2%) for 513 yards, 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 77.3.
Broncos QB Peyton Manning completed 198 of 331 passes (59.8%) in the regular season for 2,249 yards, 9 touchdowns and 17 interception for a quarterback rating of 67.9.
Broncos QB Brock Osweiler completed 170 of 275 passes (61.8%) in the regular season for 1,967 yards, 10 touchdowns and 6 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 86.4.
RB DeAngelo Williams led the Steelers rushing attack during the regular season with 907 yards on 200 carries (4.5 avg.) and had a team high 11 touchdowns. Williams was inactive for the AFC Wild Card Game at Cincinnati.
Heading into the playoffs, RB Fitzgerald Toussaint has only carried the ball 18 times for 42 yards this season. In the AFC Wild Card Game at Cincinnati Toussaint rushed for 58 yards on 17 carries and had an additional 60 yards receiving on 4 catches.
RB Ronnie Hillman led the Broncos rushing game int he regular season with 863 yards on 207 carried (4.2 avg.) and 7 touchdowns.
Broncos RB C.J. Anderson carried the ball 152 times int he regular season for 720 yards (4.7 avg.) and 5 touchdowns.
WR Antonio Brown ended the regular season with a team-high 136 receptions for a team-high 1,834 yards. Brown also hauled in 10 receiving touchdowns this season. In the AFC Wild Card Game at Cincinnati Brown had 7 receptions for 119 yards.
WR Martavis Bryant caught 50 passes for 765 yards and 6 receiving touchdowns in the regular season. In the AFC Wild Card Game at Cincinnati Bryant had 5 receptions for 29 yards and 1 touchdown. Bryant also had 1 rush for 44 yards vs. the Bengals.
WR Markus Wheaton ended the regular season averaging 17.0 yards per receptions (44 rec. for 749 yards) and recorded 5 receiving touchdowns. In the AFC Wild Card Game at Cincinnati Wheaton recorded 2 catches for 23 yards.
WR Demaryius Thomas led all Broncos pass catchers in receptions (105), receiving yards (1,304) and is tied in touchdown receptions (6) with WR Emmanuel Sanders during the regular season.
Broncos WR Emmanuel Sanders recorded 76 receptions in the regular season for 1,135 yards and tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions (6) with WR Demaryius Thomas.
LB Lawrence Timmons lead the Steelers defense with 119 total tackles (77 solo and 42 assists) during regular season. Timmons also had 5 sack and one interception in 2015.
The Steelers defense was led by LB Ryan Shazier in the AFC Wild Card Game at Cincinnati. Shazier recorded 13 tackles (9 solo and 4 assists) to go along with 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Shazier recorded 87 tackles (55 solo and 32 assists) during the regular season.
The Broncos defense was led in the regular season by ILB Danny Trevathan who has recorded 110 total tackles (74 solo and 36 assists). Trevathan also recorded 2 interceptions and defended 6 passes in 2015.
OLB Von Miller led all Broncos defenders in the regular season with 11 quarterback sacks. Miller also recorded 32 quarterback hurries and 4 forced fumble in 2015.
DE Cam Hayward's 7 quarterback sacks in the regular season led the 2015 Steelers defense. Heyward also accounted for 54 tackles and 13 quarterback hurries this season. Heyward recorded 1 sack and 2 quarterback hurries in the AFC Wild Card Game at Cincinnati.
Broncos OLB DeMarcus Ware recorded 35 tackles, 11 sacks and 32 quarterback hurries during the 2015 regular season.
S Mike Mitchell led the Steelers secondary during the regular season with 3 interceptions. Mitchell has also accounted for 80 tackles and 9 passes defended.
CB Antwon Blake recorded the only Steelers interception in the AFC Wild Card Game at Cincinnati. Blake recorded 2 interceptions during the regular season including one is San Diego which he returned 70 yards for a touchdown.
Broncos CB Aqib Talib led the team in interceptions during the regular season with 3. Talib also defended 13 passes and recorded 45 tackles this season.
WHEN THE STEELERS HAVE THE BALL: ** Chances are they'll see the same Denver defense they did in the first meeting; the difference this time is SS T.J. Ward and FS Darian Stewart are both in line to start. That would bolster a defense that finished No. 1 in total defense (283.1 yards per game), No. 1 in pass defense (199.6), No. 1 in sacks (52), No. 3 (tied) in defensive touchdowns (five) and No. 4 in scoring defense (18.5 points per game).
DE Derek Wolfe, NT Sylvester Wolfe and DE Malik Jackson comprise an aggressive, penetrating front. And ILBs Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall became Denver's first 100-tackles tandem (110/101) since 2009. All that activity helps the Broncos win first down (No. 2 in yards per first down play at 4.25). So does Denver's affinity for an eight-man box. Winning first down allows the Broncos to turn their pass rush loose. The Broncos got their league-leading 52 sacks from 14 different players, including 11 that had multiple sacks. OLB Von Miller led the way with 11, followed by OLB DeMarcus Ware (7.5). Denver likes to blitz and finished No. 2 in the NFL in opponent passer rating against the blitz (69.4).
CBs Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. have both been selected for the Pro Bowl. Harris Jr. usually moves into the slot in the sub-package nickel and CB/S Bradley Roby normally plays outside in such situations. But the last time the Broncos played the Steelers, they had Harris Jr. follow Brown. Talib has the most interceptions by a CB (30) and the most interception returns for a touchdown (eight) since he entered the NFL in 2008. Ward is second among NFL DBs with 19 tackles for a loss since 2013. The secondary likes press-man coverage and expects to win one-on-one matchups for as long as it takes the pass rush to get home, which often isn't very long.SPECIAL-TEAMS HEADLINERS: S Omar Bolden has an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown this season but has been inactive the last four games. WR Jordan Norwood had a 71-yard touchdown return on a punt that was downed but wasn't covered by the Steelers (it was called back on an illegal substitution penalty). K Brandon McManus had touchbacks on 70.4 percent of his kickoffs (fourth in the NFL) and had five field goals of 50-plus yards (5-for-7), including 56- and 57-yard efforts on Sept. 13 against Baltimore.THE X-FACTOR:Mike Tomlin is more concerned with execution than elevation. "I don't care about altitude," he said. But the Broncos like to push the tempo at home when applicable, especially in the second half, in an effort to maximize the perceived altitude factor. Can the Steelers hold up for 60 minutes or longer if they have to at Mile High? Denver's up-tempo approach hurt the Steelers in the teams' first meeting.THEY SAID IT:"I'm more confident in them. They have a good idea that this doesn't come along very often. Each step you take in advancing toward the Super Bowl, you have to raise your level of intensity a little more. I think they're enjoying that part of it.
"Those guys are competitors and I'm proud of them for that, being the competitors that they are. We're not always a great defense but they do a lot of good things a lot of times." - defensive coordinator Keith Butler on the defense.
