Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos are set to face each other in wildcard round of AFC Playoffs.

The weekend is here, and the wildcard playoff games are right around the corner.  Each game this weekend will probably take around 3-1/2 hours to complete, and I am pretty sure that the amount of time “analyzing” those games, whether by professionals or die-hard fans, greatly exceeds the actual time spent playing the game.

For the Denver Broncos, that analysis finds them on the short side of the stick when it comes to their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.  I don’t have any specific data, but from what I have seen and read this week, it definitely appears that most people feel the Broncos have no shot at all to win and advance to the next round.  I tend to agree with that analysis based on the way the Broncos have played the last three weeks, but I bleed orange and blue, so there is a part of my heart that has a small glimmer of hope.
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Champ Bailey can lead the Denver Broncos to a victory. (Jack Dempsey/AP Photo)

It’s hard to believe that Broncos Country is gearing up for a home playoff game when you consider the state of the franchise at the beginning of the season. It has been an absolutely wild ride. There have been a lot of ups and a lot of downs, a ton of intriguing storylines, and at the end of the day the Denver Broncos won the AFC West. What a great season to write and talk about the Broncos! And if this playoff game unfolds a certain way, I don’t see why this wild ride can’t continue for at least another week.

Here is the recipe for a Wild Card Playoff win over the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers:

• The Broncos need to win the turnover battle by +2 or more. It’s no secret that Denver has struggled taking the ball away from their opponents this season, and the stats back that up. They are ranked 14th in the AFC with 18 total takeaways. The only solace here is that Pittsburgh is actually ranked 16th in the AFC which puts them at dead last. There are not many teams that take the ball away less than the Broncos, but Pittsburgh is one of them. I’ve been harping on it for weeks; Denver has to win the turnover battle in this game to have any chance. Turnovers are the great equalizer in the NFL. It all starts and ends for the Broncos on this front.
• The vaunted Broncos pass rush needs to make a comeback. Was there anything more fun to watch than the Broncos defensive front punishing the quarterback during their 6 game winning streak? Lately their production has slowed. You can blame that on Von Miller’s hand injury, the fact the front 7 are wearing down, or simply that they are not executing anymore. Whatever the reason, Denver needs to figure it out and turn it around. They need multiple sacks in this game to slow down the Pittsburgh attack and keep them playing from behind the chains. And since Ben Roethlisberger is hobbled with a leg injury, it definitely won’t hurt to hit him early and often to make him think twice about breaking a run or stepping into his throws. We need Von Doom to dominate!

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