Steelers @ Broncos Preview

This game would be much more exciting if Big Ben and Antonio Brown were at full health, this is not the case and as a Broncos fan, I cant really find it in me to care that much. Their offense is severely limited if they cant go deep to Marckus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant. TJ Ward and Darian Stewart missed the first matchup between these teams and their presence will certainly help the passing defense. Harris, Talib and Roby will do their thing and I wouldn't expect the Steelers to score more than 13.

Peyton Manning looked pretty good when he made his surprise emergence back into the starting lineup during the second half against the Chargers. He was able to make better calls at the line of scrimmage, which is the main reason the offense was able to move the ball better in the second half. Well, that and not turning the ball over. Benching Matt Schofield was a move that should have been made after he was abused for four sacks by Kahlil Mack. Tyler Polumbus came in for him in the second half and although he was pretty mediocre, he was a big step up from Schofield. 

Ronnie Hillman and CJ Anderson make a fairly intimidating duo in the backfield. If they can both play like they have shown that they are capable of, this offense will be really tough for the Steelers to stop. Neither of them were able to get it going in the first matchup, but the line has been blocking better since then and their play improved over the last two weeks. Kubiak needs to feed Anderson the ball more consistently, he always runs better with ten or more carries than he does with five. For some reason, Kubiak shies away from him at times and it tends to hurt the team. 

Demaryius Thomas's Mom will be able to watch him play live football for the first time in her life since she was released from prison in October of 2015. I expect Thomas to want to have a big game in front of his Mom and the Steelers' secondary lends themselves to those types of big games.

Emmanuel Sanders had a huge game in the first meeting and had 10 catches for 181 yards to go along with a long touchdown. He should be able to cook that secondary for a second time. Sanders probably should have had a bigger game, but Osweiler had a poor showing in the second half, which limited his opportunities.

Virgil Green caught his only pass last week when Manning came back in the second half. He and Owen Daniels will get most of the snaps at tight end since they cant risk putting Vernon Davis out there in important moments. 

Derek Wolfe tallied half of a sack in the first meeting. He could be in line for another big game and ready to prove that he is worth the big contract he just signed. Ben will be punished by him and the rest of the defensive front as well. He is already suffering from a separated shoulder and a relentless pass rush could cause him to come out of the game. Malik Jackson was ruthless in the first game as he tallied 1.5 sacks. His pass rushing ability will continue to cause many problems for the Steelers. Von Miller, who was voted first team all-pro, is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Expect Ben to try and get rid of the ball extremely quick because of the pass rush coupled with his injury.

The only way that the Steelers can move the ball effectively is if they are able to run it on first and second down. They were effective running the football against Cincinnati so I would not discount them even though the Broncos defense is spectacular. Big Ben will have a tough time throwing deep because of his shoulder injury, but he will likely still be a very effective passer within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.  

The hobbled Steeler should not be able put up many points against this very good defense. All the Broncos' need to do is sustain a couple of drives in order to put this one away. 27-10.

Update: Trevor Siemian is inactive, which means Brock must be healthy since there was talk of dressing a third QB earlier in the week. Shiloh Keo is inactive for the second time since they acquired him. He has not played very well and with the other safeties healthy, there isn't much reason to have him out there. Omar Bolden is active, which means he will provide safety depth because of his ability to cover. He will also be available to return kicks. Bolden is a not a big name as a returner, but he does have the ability to take it to the house.