The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos met, the Steelers secondary gave up a total of 296 yards in the passing game. The secondary was scorched by former Steelers receiver Emmanuel Sanders on a 61-yard pickup, which helped bring his grand total to 181 receiving yards. If the Steelers want to win on Sunday, they can’t let the Broncos receivers have big numbers like that again.
However, the Steelers won’t be facing Brock Osweiler, who linebacker Ryan Shazier had an interception on back on the Dec. 20 game. Peyton Manning has returned from injury and is expected to get the start over Osweiler. When it comes to passing yards from Manning, he owns 2,249 passing yards for the Broncos total of 4,216 (Osweiler has 1,967 yards).
The Steelers significantly slowed down the Broncos running game when they came to Heinz Field, but now the Steelers have to slow down their passing game. Wide receivers Sanders, Demaryius Thomas, Jordan Norwood, Andre Caldwell, Bennie Fowler and Cody Latimer all have a combined total of 15 touchdowns, with Sanders and Thomas leading with six each. Adding tight end Owen Daniels to the mix brings three more touchdowns, totaling 18.
The Broncos receivers also have a big size difference. Thomas, Daniels and Vernon Davis are all 6’3. Ross Cockrell is the only cornerback that is in the six-foot range, as he is 6’0 even. Coming close to the heights of the Broncos key weapons are safeties Will Allen and Mike Mitchell, who are both 6’1.
However, a positive for the secondary is their interception count. Including Antwon Blake’s interception against A.J. McCarron of the Cincinnati Bengals, the defense holds 13 interceptions to their name. In fact, all members of the secondary on the depth chart, except for Doran Grant and Shamarko Thomas, have at least one interception. Leading the secondary in interceptions is Mitchell with three. Out of the 13 interceptions, two have been returned for touchdowns from Blake and William Gay.
The Steelers defense might have a size disadvantage, but that didn’t stop them in the Steelers 34-27 win against the Broncos last month. The Steelers will take on Peyton Manning and company this Sunday, January 17, in the AFC Divisional Round for a chance to play against the winner of the Kansas City Chiefs versus New England Patriots game.
