Five Key Matchups: vs. Steelers
The Steelers may be without WR Antonio Brown, but they're still quite the formidable opponent, as evidenced in these five individual matchups.
One can argue that besides Von Miller, Malik Jackson has been the most disruptive defensive player for the Broncos defense. In the Week 15 matchup against the Steelers, Jackson fought through two holding penalties to sack QB Ben Roethlisberger, and earned another holding penalty. Each holding penalty came against a different Steelers lineman. How successful Jackson is this time around could help decide how effective Pittsburgh's offense is.
Few 3-4 defensive ends have been as effective as Cameron Heyward, who led the Steelers in sacks with seven in the regular season, and then opened his postseason play with one sack, four quarterback hits and one forced fumble against the Bengals. The Broncos have used a rotational pattern with their guards, utilizing Evan Mathis and Louis Vasquez as starters with rookie Max Garcia coming in when needed. With Manning's return from a foot injury that took about two months to recover from, Mathis and Vasquez's ability to keep Heyward away from the pocket is vital.
Manning's return to the field in Week 17 sparked the Broncos to beat the Chargers, and if he can keep that rolling in the playoffs, the Broncos are certainly one of the most terrifying teams in the postseason. Safety Michael Mitchell will be one of the bigger threats, particularly because of his ball-hawking skills. Mitchell had three interceptions this season, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
Emmanuel Sanders had a career day the last time he played his former team, recording 181 receiving yards, one touchdown and 24 rushing yards. But it was a bittersweet day for Sanders because the Broncos fell in that game, 34-27. Gay is the type of player who tends to match up with Sanders' speed, and he tends to put himself in position to make big plays. He had two interceptions, seven passes defensed and 58 tackles.
Roethlisberger's health has been the source of much concern for the Steelers coming into this playoff game, and on Wednesday he said he'd "rather have an injury anywhere else." His shoulder sprain is a bothersome problem for throwing and it could be an issue for the Steelers' passing attack. Meanwhile, DeMarcus Ware could disrupt his timing, and make his injury even tougher to deal with.
