It’s currently mid-afternoon on Tuesday, and the Denver Broncos really have no idea whom they’re playing on Sunday.
With the health of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and DeAngelo Williams up in the air, any number of Pittsburgh Steelers teams could be coming into Denver this weekend. If they get ahold of some of Russell Wilson‘s “Magic Water,” miraculously healing themselves overnight, then Denver could be facing one of the most explosive offenses in recent NFL history. But if one, two or all three of them miss the game, or are significantly hobbled, then the Broncos could be looking at a team falling apart at the seams.
Word coming out of Pittsburgh is that it may closer to the latter than the former, but I’d take that with a grain of salt; it’s not like Mike Tomlin isn’t known to play mind games.
Right now, the best thing the Broncos can do is prepare for a locked-and-loaded Steelers offense; if they catch a break, great.
Here are three things the Denver Broncos should keep in mind as they prepare for the Pittsburgh Steelers:
Bring the heat!
Ben Roethlisberger is great. He is really, really great. And when healthy, he may just be the best quarterback in the NFL.
But he’s not perfect.
There is a way to get to Ben Roethlisberger, and that’s by blitzing the crap out of him. According to Pro Football Focus, while Big Ben has accrued an outstanding 34.8 grade when not blitzed, he’s been a very pedestrian -2.7 when blitzed. Likewise, when under pressure, Roethlisberger finished the season with just the 20th best accuracy percentage.
Big Ben may be known for his playmaking ability when the things fall apart, but when faced with direct pressure, he’s an average quarterback. And I can’t imagine things will improve much when he’s dealing with an injured shoulder and a concussed wideout.
At times this season, Wade Phillips has been relentless with his pressures, but at other times, he’s relied on his front four to get to the quarterback; this can’t be one of those days.
If Denver brings the house all game, they’ll walk away with a win on Sunday.
