Chris Harris faces off against the Steelers’ potent passing attack on Sunday. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
Memorable moments follow in the wake of special seasons. The Broncos need the No Fly Zone to leave an indelible footprint Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers rank fifth in passing with 284.4 yards per game. That only tells part of the story. Ben Roethlisberger is averaging 363 yards over the past five games. Denver’s secondary hasn’t allowed a 300-yard passer this season. So you see where this is going.
The Broncos must win this matchup even without safeties T.J. Ward (ankle) and Darian Stewart (hamstring). Their aggressiveness gives the defense a snarl, and will be missed. Cornerback Chris Harris must minimize Antonio Brown’s impact. He might be the most slippery receiver in the league. Aqib Talib must prevent chunk plays from Martavis Bryant. And somehow with David Bruton hurting, the Broncos need to figure out how to slow reliable tight end Heath Miller. That means — gulp — Shiloh Keo could play significant snaps. He tried to do too much last Sunday and bit on a double move that led to the Raiders’ go-ahead touchdown.
If the Broncos pull this off, it will be their most impressive win of the season and historic. The Broncos are attempting to post their seventh road victory, a single-season record.
And now onto the keys. Almost. Funny scene before the game. Peyton Manning, who is inactive on Sunday, signed more than 100 autographs. He signed for Broncos and Steelers fans on tickets, jereys and caps. Just not on Terrible Towels. He dropped one and moved on everytime someone hung it over the ledge behind the Broncos’ bench. It was oddly fantastic in a Seinfeld “No Soup For You” kind of way.
Again, the keys:
Let it rip, Brock
Brock Osweiler hasn’t led the offense to a touchdown in 23 straight possessions. He has become too reliant on short passes. To beat the Steelers, Denver must score three touchdowns. That’s not going to happen with dinks and dunks. Pittsburgh’s secondary is vulnerable. Success hinges on taking chances deep, particularly in the seam to Vernon Davis. It could lead to picks. But the Broncos aren’t winning with checkdowns. If that’s who Osweiler is, the choice to return to Manning, if healthy, becomes easy.
Run for it
The only way the Steelers will bite on the deep pass is if the Broncos can run enough to keep them honest. C.J. Anderson’s return helps the red zone running game and overall pass protection. The Broncos established a season-low with 34 yards rushing last week. If they have less than 100 on Sunday, there’s little chance they win.
Unleash the fury
Back to the secondary. Of course, they have to play well. The chances of the secondary producing a big play, big pick or even a defensive score depends on a maniacal pass rush. Von Miller has a sack in five straight games. Can he make it six straight with a hit that leads to an early pick?
