We wrap up the divisional week with a game that’s lost quite a bit of its luster thanks to injuries. The Pittsburgh Steelers (11-6) will try to take on the Denver Broncos (12-4) with a half-armed Ben Roethlisberger and no Antonio Brown.
Scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for preview information.
First here’s my prediction from The FAQ.
Pittsburgh at Denver (-7.5)
Regardless of PacMan Jones’ belief that Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown was faking his concussion, the NFL’s concussion protocol felt differently and Brown will miss Sunday’s game against the No. 1 seeded Denver Broncos (12-4). The Steelers (11-6) will also be without running back DeAngelo Williams again, but will have Ben Roethlisberger back under center even though he has maybe one arm.
The Broncos come into the game as America’s Team, with all eyes on Peyton Manning expecting him to make a final run. Unfortunately for the rest of the teams in the playoffs, 52 of those eyes belong to his teammates who are true believers that Peyton will take them to the promised land before heading off into the sunset.
The story is too good to end here, and maybe it won’t end at all. The sheriff is here to clean up this town. Broncos 33, Steelers 20
And here’s our GMS Preview.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos play at Sports Authority Field at Mile High with the winner advancing to the AFC Championship Game. This game will feature the NFL’s top receiver, Antonio Brown (1,953 yards, 10 TDs). It will begin Sunday, Jan 17 at 4:40 p.m. ET and can be seen on CBS.
Denver picked up a win over the Chargers 27-20 in its last game. Ronnie Hillman had a big game on the ground in the win, gaining 117 yards and one TD on 15 carries. Demaryius Thomas also had a big day, contributing 117 yards and a TD on five receptions. Pittsburgh snuck by the Bengals 18-16. Antonio Brown had an outstanding performance for the Steelers, totaling seven catches for 119 yards.
Denver is a small two-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable.
Heading into Week 19 of league action, the Broncos are 12-4 Straight Up (SU) and 7-7-2 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last five games, the Broncos have records of 3-2 SU and 1-3-1 ATS. The Broncos passing game will face below-average pass coverage. The Steelers currently rank 30th in the NFL with 271.9 passing yards allowed per game. As for the Denver defense, there are important areas to keep an eye on. The Steelers may have a difficult time running against the Broncos’ second-ranked run defense who have given up 83.4 rushing yards per game. A vital part of the game will be if the Steelers can protect their quarterback from Denver’s vicious defense. It averages the most sacks in the league with 3.2 per game. Pittsburgh will want to build a solid lead, because the Broncos are one of the top-scoring teams during the fourth quarter. They’ve averaged eight points in the final quarter this season.
Moving to the road team, the Steelers have 10-6 SU and 8-5-3 ATS records this season. The Steelers went 4-1 SU and 2-1-2 ATS over the last five games. The Pittsburgh defense has allowed 91.2 rush yards per game this season, fifth in the league. The Broncos will have to avoid mistakes against the turnover-minded Steelers. The Pittsburgh defense generates 1.9 turnovers per game, third in the league. The Steelers close out games well. They average 9.1 points in the final quarter, more than any other team in the league. Penalties don’t happen often when the Steelers play. They average the third-fewest penalties in the NFL with 5.9 per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pit, ATS Winner – Pit
The game is on CBS at 4:30 p.m. Watch it with me, won’t you?
