Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

The Broncos have been one of the darlings of the NFL this season after surprising everyone with a 6-0 start.  Meanwhile, the Super Bowl champions have been all but ignored.  After last night’s game, that will probably change.

The entire nation got to see the Pittsburgh Steelers dominate the AFC West leading Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.

The game was truly a tale of two halves.  In the first half, the Broncos completely dominated the Steelers.  The Steelers seemed to be struggling on both offense and defense.  The Steelers went into the locker room at halftime with a 7-3 lead.  But the score was not indicative of what was happening on the field.

The Broncos kept the ball for 19:16 of the first half, and only allowed the Steelers to have the ball for 10:44.  That’s almost twice the time of possession. 

The Broncos were leading the Steelers in almost every statistical category at the half.  Kyle Orton had thrown for 163 yards, while Ben Roethlisberger had only accumulated 49 passing yards while being sacked twice.  The Broncos’ defense had held the Steelers running attack to a mere 23 yards on the ground.  It was only an interception by Tyrone Carter that was returned for a touchdown that kept the Steelers from being shut out in the 1st half.

I don’t know what the coaches said at halftime, but when the Steelers came out in the second half, they looked like a completely different team.

In the second half, the Steelers dominated the time of possession even worse than the Broncos had done in the first half.  The Steelers kept the ball for 22:19 in the second half, while only allowing the Broncos to have the ball for 7:41.

After doing almost nothing in the 1st half, the Steelers offense came alive in the 2nd half.  Running back Rashard Mendenhall broke several very nice runs, and ended the game with 155 total rushing yards.  He averaged a whopping 7 yards per carry.

But the biggest offensive hero of the game was quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.  After being ice cold in the 1st half, Big Ben caught fire in the 2nd half.  He completed passes to 5 different receivers, and ended the game with 233 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and a 116 passer rating. 

Big Ben threw two touchdown passes to Hines Ward, and one to rookie receiver Mike Wallace.

The Steelers defense also got in on the fun.  Brett Keisel got two sacks, Tyrone Carter got two interceptions, and Troy Polamalu added an interception of his own as the Steelers defense kept the Broncos from scoring a touchdown. 

The Broncos were only able to generate a single field goal against the Steelers defense.  Their other 7 points were actually scored by their defense.

Coming into the game, the Broncos’ defense was rated #1 in the NFL.  But after seeing the two defenses side-by-side, it is clear that the Broncos’ defense is not in the same league as the Steelers’.  The Steelers held the Broncos to 27 rushing yards.  For the entire game.  How is that for a statement?

Having beaten the undefeated Vikings in their last game, and the media darling Broncos this game, the Steelers have announced to the rest of the NFL that they cannot be counted out this season. 

Next week, they have another important statement to make.  The Steelers are tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for 1st place in the AFC North.  The Bengals have swept their season series with the Baltimore Ravens, and have also beaten the Steelers in their first meeting of the season.  But that was then, and this is now.  The Bengals are going to find that this is a very different Steelers team from the one that they faced earlier in the year.  And next Monday, I believe the Steelers will stand alone at the top of the AFC North.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment below. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Facebook or Twitter by clicking the doohickies at the bottom of the right column of this page.  Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

On Monday, the Steelers travel to Invesco Field in Denver to take on the 6-1 Denver Broncos.  This is a highly anticipated game with lots of interesting storylines.

We all know that the Steelers tend to do very well when they play on Monday Night Football.  Linebacker James Harrison, in particular, tends to put on seemingly super-human performances anytime he is on the big stage of MNF.

Here is a look at some of the key match-ups that may determine the outcome of the game.

LB James Harrison vs. LT Ryan Clady
The match-up against James Harrison is always of interest.  I like Ryan Clady, and I advocated him as a potential draft pick for the Steelers when he came out of college.  He is a very good left tackle.  Unfortunately for him, James Harrison is an extraordinarily good LB.

Clady is going to learn what every other left tackle that the Steelers have faced already knows.  The only way to stop James Harrison is to hold him.  Advantage – Steelers.

LB LaMarr Woodley vs. RT Tyler Polumbus
Woodley hasn’t been able to amass sacks this year like he did last year.  However, this may be just the game that Woodley needs to get on track.  Broncos’ starting RT Ryan Harris is injured and won’t be playing on Monday night.  So Woodley will be lining up against backup Tyler Polumbus.

Woodley is a tough match-up for most starters.  He should have an advantage against a backup.  Woodley may have a multi-sack performance against the Broncos.  Advantage – Steelers.

LT Max Starks vs. LB Elvis Dumervil
Dumervil is second in the NFL with 10 sacks.  He is short for his position, very strong, and plays with a non-stop motor.  Sound familiar?

Dumervil is like a clone of the Steelers’ own James Harrison…only shorter.  Max Starks knows what to expect when he faces Dumervil.  After all, he has to practice against James Harrison each week.  That experience should help Starks.  Unfortunately, it probably won’t help him enough.  Advantage – Broncos.

DE Nick Eason vs. RG Chris Kuper
The Broncos are not fools.  They know that Aaron Smith is out for the season.  They also know that his backup, Travis Kirschke, is injured.  NFL teams are adept at exploiting opponent’s weaknesses, and the Broncos are sure to try to take advantage of this match-up.  However, the Broncos are going to be surprised to find that Nick Eason is a very experienced veteran backup.  He’s big for a defensive end, and he’s a good run stopper.  Eason won’t win this battle, but he won’t lose it either.   Advantage – None.

CB Ike Taylor vs. WR Brandon Marshall

Marshall is a big (6’4″, 230 lbs.) target, and he is adept at winning jump balls against most cornerbacks.  However, Ike Taylor isn’t most cornerbacks.  Taylor takes on the best receivers on the opposing team each week, and he seldom comes out on the losing end of those battles.   Advantage – Steelers.

Rashard Mendenhall & Willie Parker vs. Broncos defense
The Broncos have the #1 ranked defenses in the NFL.  They’re #3 against the run, and only allow 86.1 yards per game on the ground.

It’s going to take both Rashard Mendenhall and Willie Parker to beat the Broncos’ defense.  If the Steelers can get their running game going, it will be a tremendous advantage for Big Ben in the passing game.  Unfortunately, the Steelers’ running game has been up and down this season.  The offensive line is greatly improved, but they’re still prone to occasional lapses.  It’s hard to know which version will show up from week to week.   Advantage – Broncos.

Ryan Clark vs. Thin Colorado air
Ryan Clark suffers from sickle cell.  The last time he played in Denver, it almost killed him.  Both Clark and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin have been wrestling all week with the question of whether Clark should play.  Personally, I don’t see what there is to wrestle with.  This one is pretty black and white.  Nobody foresaw the reaction that Clark’s body had last time, and no doctor can say with 100% certainty what will happen this time.

I appreciate Clark’s attitude, and his desire to be there for his teammates.  But playing in this game would be foolish.  Sit this one out, Ryan.  In fact, don’t even take the flight to Colorado.  Stay home and watch the game on TV.  Advantage – Thin Colorado air.

Also, if you haven’t already done so, be sure to read our Steelers vs. Broncos Preview.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment below. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Facebook or Twitter by clicking the doohickies at the bottom of the right column of this page.  Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

As if I needed another reason to hate the Baltimore Ravens, they had to go and beat the Denver Broncos last week and ruin the Steelers’ opportunity to end the Broncos’ unbeaten streak.  Curse you, Ravens!!!!

So the Steelers will face a Denver Broncos team that has one loss, but is still highly regarded in most NFL Power Rankings.

The Ravens didn’t just beat the Broncos, they destroyed them 30-7.  The formula that they used was a combination of tough, pounding defense and hurry-up offense.  So I ask you, what team is even better at playing tough, pounding defense than the Baltimore Ravens?  The Pittsburgh Steelers.  Similarly, what team is better at executing a hurry-up offense than the Ravens?  Big Ben and the Steelers’ no-huddle offense.  I’d say both of those things bode poorly for the Broncos.

One of the concerns for Steelers fans has been the fact that starting safety Ryan Clark may not play on Monday.  Personally, I don’t think this is a great concern.  The Broncos are led by quarterback Kyle Orton (stop laughing).  Orton doesn’t have a big arm, and he is not going to beat you by throwing long passes.  Thus, Clark’s presence is not going to be as important as if the Steelers were playing against a stronger armed quarterback.

Orton’s tendency is to throw short or mid-range passes.  He has only thrown 17 passes of 20 yards or more (as opposed to 29 by Ben Roethlisberger).  But even that statistic is deceiving.  Many of those passes were actually short passes with a long run after the catch by Brandon Marshall.   So the majority of the pressure will be on the cornerbacks and linebackers, not the free safety.

Denver’s other offensive threat is running back Knowshon Moreno.  Moreno averages a mere 60 yards per game, and is far from the greatest rushing threat that the Steelers will face this season.  With Orton posing minimal downfield threat, Moreno should be easily contained.

Perhaps the greatest threat posed by the Broncos is their defense.  The Broncos defense is currently ranked #1 in the NFL.  That’s territory that is very familiar to the Steelers.

The Broncos are led by outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil.  Dumervil is second in the NFL in sacks with 10.  Dumervil is essentially a James Harrison clone.  He is short (5’11″) and very strong, with a non-stop motor.  He even wears the same number as James Harrison.

The task of stopping Dumervil falls to Steelers left tackle Max Starks.  Fortunately, Starks has the advantage of practicing against James Harrison everyday.  That should give him adequate preparation for what he is going to face.

As we mentioned earlier, the key to this game should be the Steelers defense and their ability to pressure Kyle Orton, and Big Ben’s ability to keep the Broncos’ defense from making situational substitutions by running the no-huddle.  I don’t anticipate that the Steelers will have a problem with either of these.

I project a Steelers victory by a score of 27-14.

Other Articles of interest:
If you haven’t already read it, please check our our Steelers vs. Broncos key match-ups.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment below. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Facebook or Twitter by clicking the doohickies at the bottom of the right column of this page.  Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader