Ryan Clark stands on the sidelines against the Carolina Panthers. (Jason Bridge-US PRESSWIRE)

It was life and death for Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark in 2007 after he played a football game in Denver which sits at 5,280 feet above sea level.

Clark has a sickle cell trait that is exacerbated high altitude. In 2007, Clark felt sick after the Broncos won 31-28 and had to have his spleen and gall bladder removed. He missed the rest of the 2007 season.

Clark desperately wanted to play in last season’s playoff game, but head coach Mike Tomlin would not allow it. It should come as no surprise then that Clark will be held out of Sunday night’s contest. Clark will travel with the team, however.

Clark is also offering his support to increasing awareness and improving treatment for sickle cell. On Tuesday, he will introduce Ryan Clark’s Cure League in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh’s Vascular Medicine Institute and the Institute for Transfusion Medicine, where former Pitt and Chicago Bears alumnus Jim Covert is CEO. The initiative aims to raise awareness, donations and support that will lead to better care and, ultimately, find a cure for this inherited blood disorder. - Stephania Bell (ESPN)

Ryan Mundy is expected to take Clark’s place. Mundy replaced Clark last January and forced a couple of fumbles.

Clark led the team in 2011 with 100 tackles.

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The Broncos offense will have to get creative against the Steelers. (Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images)

As far as the playoffs go, no two other AFC teams have met as much as the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The teams are dead even in playoff victories 3-3. In fact the last two times that these teams met in the post season, the winner of the battle went on to win the Super Bowl (’97, ’05). The Broncos finished the regular season with an 8-8 record while the Steelers ended with a 12-4 record. The Steelers took second place in their division which is why the Broncos are hosting. Game time is set for 2:30 p.m. MST on CBS.

Offense

Broncos: The Broncos know the mountain ahead of them is of Everest proportions, and it all starts with facing the top-ranked defense in the league. The Broncos clearly need to change some things up in regards in their passing game. Perhaps opening up the game with some short pass plays on first and second down will help. That will also allow Willis McGahee to get going early. Receivers have got to be at the top of their game, running correct and good routes, and catching balls. This has been a problem for them of late. Having Tim Tebow throw some screen passes and slants at the start will get him into a nice rhythm and keep an aggressive defense somewhat at bay. It’s all about putting points up on the board and controlling the clock so the Broncos defense gets a break.

Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger has been hobbling around practice this week on a sprained ankle, but that certainly won’t keep him from scrambling, extending plays, and finding his tremendous receivers down field. The Steelers are 22nd in points, just three spots better than the Broncos, and they won’t have Rashard Mendenall (torn ACL). Issac Redman is his replacement and he’s a better pass blocker and receiver than Mendenhall so expect the Steelers to favor the pass heavily. They have a deadly combination of receivers with Hines Ward being a great blocker and running tremendous underneath routes. Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown, however, are their go-to receivers with each having over 1,000 yards on the season. The Steelers have the 10th best passing offense in the league. The Steelers have had trouble pulling away from mediocre teams on the road this season.
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Rashard Mendenhall gets examined after his knee injury in week 17. (Amy Sancetta/AP Photo)

Knock on wood, but the Denver Broncos are a relatively healthy bunch. The same can’t be said for the Pittsburgh Steelers who announced Tuesday that safety Ryan Clark and running back Rashard Mendenhall will not play on Sunday.

Clark has a sickle-cell trait that when combined with high-altitude presents serious complications. After a  2007 game in Denver, Clark became seriously ill and had to have his spleen and gall bladder removed due to a blood reaction. He has not played a game in Denver, or even traveled with the team since then.

Mike Tomlin said that he would not let his son play in such a game if the situation presented itself, so there was no way that he would allow Clark to play.

Also out for Sunday – and the rest of the season for that mater – Rashard Mendenhall was placed on the IR Tuesday with a torn ACL. Mendenhall was injured in week 17 against the Cleveland Browns after only 8 carries.

The loss of Clark and Mendenhall hits the Steelers hard. Clark is a hard-hitting safety that leads the team in tackles with 100 on the season. Mendenhall leads the team in rushing with 61.9 yards per game and 9 touchdowns on the season.

Clark and Mendenhall’s absence is something that the Broncos need to take advantage of on both sides of the ball.

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