How are the Broncos defending an injured Ben Roethlisberger?
Big Ben may be injured, but that doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous. Even without Antonio Brown, we’re talking about a two-time Super Bowl champion who has battled through nearly ever injury imaginable during his career. If he’s on the field, he’s lethal.
The question, though, is how will Wade Phillips attack whatever is left of the Pittsburgh’s passing game? Before the news about Brown broke, I believed he’d institute considerably more zone coverage into the game plan, limiting the amount of times Chris Harris Jr. would be left on an island all by himself with the game’s top wideout. Now, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Broncos went man-to-man all day.
And how much pressure will Phillips bring? Will he unleash blitz after blitz? Or will he sit back, let his front four go to work and leave everyone else to shut down Ben’s receivers?
If Big Ben does have one weakness, it’s succeeding against the blitz, but if his arm truly does limit his ability to push the ball down field, then blitzing him may play exactly into the Steelers’ game. With Brown out and Big Ben’s arm ailing, Pittsburgh will likely rein in their offense, relying on a much shorter passing attack then they’re used to. By blitzing extra defenders, Denver may leave themselves susceptible to those quick passes.
I’d expect the Broncos to do everything they can to force Big Ben to test his arm down the field; they can’t allow him to pick them apart in the short-to-intermediate range like the Bengals did on Pittsburgh’s final drive last weekend.
