Broncos vs. Steelers: Behind Enemy Lines with Still Curtian
By Tylor Walden
Looking ahead to the Denver Broncos vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers come into Denver to face the Broncos. Historically, these two teams had some exciting games. What do you believe Pittsburgh needs to do to secure the win?
NS: A lot of this game will be on Ben Roethlisberger. Ben doesn’t usually play well in Denver but this season, he’s putting more of the team on his shoulders than ever before. If Pittsburgh is going to keep their winning streak alive, it’s going to come from a strong performance from their quarterback.
DD: Protecting the quarterback is priority number one. That is much easier said than done, considering Denver has the luxury of a young Bradley Chubb and Von Miller, one of the best pass-rushers this league has ever seen.
Right Tackle Marcus Gilbert did not practice Wednesday, and his status is currently up in the air for Sunday. Back-up Matt Feiler would then take on those duties, and that frankly is not ideal for Pittsburgh with Von Miller lined up on the right side of the football. Success on the offensive side of the football starts with Big Ben staying upright, and without that happening, Denver may be in for a fun day.
Defensively, stopping the run on early downs will be crucial. Too many times last week did Leonard Fournette set the Jaguars up with consistent second and third downs with short yardage to go, opening up the playbook for Jacksonville offensively.
We’ve seen the damage Philip Lindsay and the rest of the Broncos backfield can do, but if the Steelers are able to force Denver to throw the football on third down, I’ll take their chances. This starts with clogging running lanes up-front, most importantly between the tackles.