Things couldn’t have gone more perfectly for the Denver Broncos. Not only did they get to sit out Wild Card weekend, but as far as I can tell, they now have the easiest path to the Super Bowl of any team left standing.
And I’m not the only person who feels that way. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranked the Denver Broncos as the most-likely franchise to reach the Super Bowl, with 36.2 percent odds (5 percent higher than the second-ranked Patriots):
“Comfortably, though, the easiest path to the Super Bowl belongs to Denver. As dangerous as the Steelers can be when their offense is clicking and their defense is creating takeaways, there’s a good chance this isn’t the same Steelers team everybody feared heading into January. Roethlisberger might not have suffered a season-ending injury on Saturday, but he was unable to fling the ball more than a few yards downfield once he returned to the game. Even if he plays this weekend, there’s little guarantee Roethlisberger will be his usual self. And while Brown torched the Broncos in Week 15, he’ll have to make it through the league’s concussion protocol to suit up. It’s hard to overstate the impact caused by the absence of both, much less one.”
And he’s completely right. The Pittsburgh Steelers are Big Ben and Antonio Brown; without them, they’re not beating anybody.
The big question, now, is: Are they going to play?
As far as Big Ben is concerned, you’d have to say yes. He’s one of the toughest quarterbacks I’ve ever seen; it’s going to take a lot more than an injured shoulder to hold him out of a playoff game. But still, I think it’s telling that, until the final drive, the Steelers were going to put their playoff hopes on Landry Jones‘ shoulders, even while Big Ben was standing on the sidelines with a helmet on his head; obviously, between he and Mike Tomlin, they weren’t sure he was capable of returning to the field.
If he does make the start next Sunday, I’d expect him to do so as a limited passer, which will become all the more important if Brown does not play, which should be a legitimate question mark.
Now, I’ve heard a lot of people say, “There’s no way Antonio Brown doesn’t play! He’s not missing this game!” but it’s not his call; this is (supposed to be) the doctors call. And if this hit, this concussion, doesn’t keep Brown out at least a week, then the system is broken. Either that, or he’s super human.
Burfict's Hit on Brown… https://t.co/O6YyO5p7oK
— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) January 10, 2016
And all this is without mentioning that DeAngelo Williams, a back who rushed for 11 touchdowns and averaged 4.5 yards per carry, is questionable for this weekend’s matchup, too.
The fact of the matter is that the Denver Broncos have caught a lucky break, and they absolutely should win. And when they take on the either the New England Patriots or Kansas City Chiefs, they’ll be facing a much more favorable matchup than whatever opponent they could have received from the NFC.
Things are lining up perfectly, and yet I’m terrified.
The Broncos have caught lucky breaks before. They caught a lucky break when they faced the Jaguars in 1996 and when they faced the Steelers in 2005; both times, they lost.
As long as Big Ben and Brown are in the building — and I do expect them to play; that’s just how things go — then they have the ability to tear Denver’s heart out. So all I can ask of these Broncos is that they don’t look past the Steelers and onto the AFC Championship game; they’ve done that before, especially last year versus the Colts, and I don’t know if I can stomach it again.