Steelers vs. Broncos Preview
The Steelers begin their quest for Lombardi Trophy #7 this Sunday when they face the Denver Bronco’s (or as we like to call them, the “Denver Tebows”) at 4:30pm ET.
The Tebows are coming off a 3 game losing streak. And unless God himself comes to Tim Tebow’s aid, that streak is going to reach 4 games on Sunday.
Despite all the hype, Tim Tebow may be the worst passer in the NFL. He threw for a whopping 60 yards and a 20.6 passer rating in last week’s 7-3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. And now he has to face the #1 defense in the entire NFL.
Here’s what we’re likely to hear on Sunday when Tim Tebow meets Troy Polamalu, LaMarr Woodley, and James Harrison, respectively.
- “Holy %$#&^#!!!!!!”
- “Heeeeeelllllllpppppp!!!!!”
- “Owwww! I don’t want to play football anymore!”
I’m not trying to be disrespectful to Tim Tebow or the Denver Broncos. But they simply have no chance of beating the Steelers. The Broncos were the champions of the AFC West with an 8-8 record. That same record would have landed them in 4th place in the AFC North.
Of course the Steelers are going to have their challenges as well. Starting running back Rashard Mendenhall was lost for the rest of the season when he suffered an injury against the Cleveland Browns. Safety Ryan Clark, the Steelers’ leading tackler, will miss the game due to health concerns related to his sickle cell disease. And quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is still hobbled by an ankle injury.
But despite the Steelers’ injury problems, they should still be too much for the outclassed Broncos.
Unfortunately, the Steelers have an annoying habit of keeping most games close, even against teams that they should beat easily. So I don’t expect the Steelers to beat the Broncos 40-3. But I do think that 21-7 is a realistic expectation.
It’s been an interesting season for Tim Tebow. He surprised his critics, and became a media darling. But sadly, that all ends on Sunday.
Go Steelers!
This is so funny! I love reading these things! I bet they will run the other direction when all those guys come toward them hahahahahaha! Maybe I won’t have a heart attack for a change also! Thanks for posting these blogs!
1All true about the Denver offense. They put up a lot of points against SD, I think, but typically it looks like 11 well-place traffic pylons could stop these guys.
Denver’s defense isn’t bad, though, and they feature a strong pass rush, which is never good for the Steelers, especially with Ben being injured. And don’t forget that Champ Bailey is still more than capable of taking advantage of a floated or over-aggressive pass. This combines with the fact you astutely pointed out that the Steelers have an annoying tendency of playing down to their level of competition to make this a game the Broncos could end up winning with some last minute heroics.
To keep that from happening the Steelers need to do the following.
1. Run the ball well enough to set up play-action for the big play. A couple big plays can put this game out of reach of the Denver offense, but we don’t want Ben sitting back there waiting for plays to develop. Doing so is a risk to his health, and risks sack/fumbles which are Denver’s only hope of staying in this game. We need to protect Ben and the ball by choosing our spots to go deep rather than going full throttle. A couple big plays would be nice, but we don’t need to score a lot.
22. At some point go hurry-up and work the short passing game. The Steelers have the ability to nibble a defense to death. if we can catch them with run personnel on the field it will be that much easier. This will also allow our defense a breather.
I wouldn’t underestimate them. The Steelers always like to keep it much closer than it should be, and that could bite them in the playoffs. Also, the Steelers have tons of injuries. Our boys can still line up and beat the Broncos easily, but it depends on if they want to.
3Matthew,
4I’m forwarding a copy of your suggestions to the Steelers coaching staff (Just in case they don’t read the comments on this blog). Good points.
Dan,
5And that always the problem with the Steelers. They seem to only play well enough to let their opponent keep the game close. Sometimes I wish the Steelers would take on the Patriots’ mentality and start beating teams 45-3. I know that’s bad sportsmanship, but it’s better than what they’ve been doing, which is letting bad teams keep the score close and almost win the game.
So much for your predictions! Tell me, was it as hard on you to choke down these words as it was for your precious steelers to choke in the game? I take that back. The steelers didn’t choke. They played very well, I have to hand it to them. THEY JUST GOT BEAT BY A CLEARLY SUPERIOR TEAM!! Better luck next year! (Not really)
6Tebow Believer,
Actually, it wasn’t hard at all to choke down my words.
I admit it. I was wrong. The Broncos won fair and square. You’re moving on, and we’re going home.
Frankly, I hate the Patriots and I have only neutral feeling towards the Broncos. So I actually hope you guys win next week. Any team that beats the Cheatriots is a friend to Steeler Nation.
Good luck next week.
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