Pittsburgh Steelers Vikings

Pittsburgh Steelers Vikings

Monday Night Mile High Special: Steelers at Broncos

This week, 2 AFC heavyweights square off for a great Monday night of football. The Steelers are fresh off their bye week and riding high off their Week 7 win to Minnesota, while the Broncos are out to prove they’re still legit after getting smacked by Baltimore.

Steelers on Offense

After a slow start, the defending champs looked like they were back in contending form against the Vikings. And unlike the Broncos, who came out flat after their bye last week, the Steelers will come out loose and determined in Denver. Led by Big Ben, Pittsburgh needs to control the pace from the start. Having Willie Parker back and healthy adds depth to the ground game, making the Steelers more complete and tougher to defend. Roethlisberger will get Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, and Mike Wallace in the mix, who can all run after the catch. But Ben’s ability to draw out plays and find the open man downfield will be tough against a disciplined secondary that consists of Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins. And you can’t forget Denver’s suffocating pass rush, led by The King (of Sacks) himself, Elvis Dumervil. Big Ben could spend a lot of time on the turf if he holds onto the ball too long. The key for him is to trust his teammates- that includes his receivers and the linemen blocking for him.

Broncos on Offense

Last week, the Broncos got wrecked offensively, scoring just 7 points off a Knowshon Moreno run. Denver’s top playmakers didn’t show up at all and what’s worse is that the Broncos only reached the redzone once. But let’s not get carried away- the Broncos’ offensive backbone is still intact. The Moreno/Buckhalter backfield tandem needs to show up and make noise against an awesome Pittsburgh run-stop. Kyle Orton should continue to spread the ball and be effective in managing the game. Josh McDaniels needs to help Orton get his swagger back by calling plenty of high-percentage passes for him and issuing the Marshall Plan (aka getting Brandon Marshall involved and back to game-breaking form). Denver’s O-line has to try to offset pressure from the Steeler pass rush and keep Orton’s mistakes to a minimum. Keep in mind that Orton has just 1 pick this year and only 2 home losses in his career. But the Steelers will do everything to get to his head (without actually hitting his head). With Troy Polamalu healthy and well-rested, his presence on the field is incredible. He can single-handedly alter Orton’s decision-making and will probably set up a couple of turnovers. Note- FS Ryan Clark may not play in Mile High due to medical complication related to sickle cell trait.

Ball-control is key. The Steelers will look to shut down Denver’s running game and force Orton to throw a lot, making the Broncos susceptible to pressure and turnovers. The longer Pittsburgh has the ball, the more Denver’s defense will wear out like they did against the Ravens. I have faith in the Broncos, just not this week.

Prediction

Pittsburgh 27

Denver 20

About the Author

I am currently a senior at Fordham University and studying Economics. I am helping to work on a new sports prediction website called superpredictors.com. I write articles and provide analysis for the site. I live in New York City.