Steelers vs. Broncos: TV Schedule, Predictions for 2016 AFC Divisional Game

Injuries make the upcoming Divisional Round clash between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos nearly impossible to predict.

Both sides fall into this notion. The hosting Broncos will trot out Peyton Manning as starter for the first time in weeks after deferring to Brock Osweiler while the legendary signal-caller got healthy. 

Pittsburgh's even more guilty, though, with the team's official injury report listing lead back DeAngelo Williams and top wideout Antonio Brown as out. Ben Roethlisberger sounds like a go, but how well his injured shoulder can sling it remains to be seen. 

None of the above makes this a skip-worthy game, especially not after the Steelers upset the Broncos back in Week 15, 34-27. Below, let's outline some notable predictions about the contest and crown a projected winner.

Game Details

When: Sunday, January 17, at 4:40 p.m. ET

Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver

Television: CBS

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Spread: Denver (-7)

Notable Predictions

Big Ben Struggles

For a moment, Big Ben looked like the most unstoppable quarterback in the league, even roasting the elite Denver defense to the tune of 380 yards and three touchdowns, making him the only quarterback to post more than 300 passing yards on the unit while the Steelers were the only team to go for more than 30.

Things have changed since then, mostly thanks to a brutal AFC North encounter with the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card Round. Brown suffered a concussion and Big Ben a shoulder issue, while Williams watched from the sidelines in a boot.

In other words, Big Ben's going to hit Sunday without arguably the league's best wideout, Brown, who posted 136 catches for 1,834 yards and 10 touchdowns this year. He'll be without a guy in Williams who made the loss of Le'Veon Bell mostly a non-factor by rushing for 907 yards and 11 scores.

Worst of all, Roethlisberger has to survive the absences on a bum shoulder, though wideout Martavis Bryant says his quarterback looks fine, according to Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

It certainly didn't look the same against the Bengals when he returned for the game's final drive, though, and one has to wonder how quickly a sprained AC joint and torn ligaments can heal.

Even if Pittsburgh's quarterback is fully healthy, he's going to have to compensate for his porous pass defense against a healthy Manning without the top two weapons around him. Keep in mind, too, that Denver finished fourth in scoring defense, first against the pass and third against the rush.

Big Ben and Co. were underdogs in the first game. Brown found paydirt twice. Williams, once. The Steelers are underdogs again, but unless reserves fill the void on a big stage in historic fashion, Roethlisberger's not going to be able to move the ball against the Denver defense.

Peyton Returns to Form

Folks won't be blown away by the numbers—those being a 5-of-9 mark for 69 yards—but the Broncos liked what they saw from Manning in a 27-20 victory against the San Diego Chargers at the end of the season.

Manning seemed to have more spring in his step, literally, planting his foot and driving through throws he hadn't been able to make earlier in the season, suggesting the time off did his body some good.

Now Manning gets to go against a Steelers defense that not only ranked 30th against the pass, but let Osweiler toss three scores in the Week 15 result.

This isn't just about quarterbacks, of course. The team's top running backs, Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson, had outstanding years, too, providing the necessary balance for a backup to carry the torch while Manning healed:

NAME	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
Ronnie Hillman	207	863	4.2	7
C.J. Anderson	152	720	4.7	5

This will come into play Sunday. Pittsburgh finished fifth against the rush, but in large part because opponents were too busy passing on a 30th-ranked pass defense.

These numbers open the door for Manning and the offense to trot out a balanced attack at home capable of keeping Big Ben off the field. His not being 100 percent and lacking the top two weapons is merely a bonus padding the fact Manning should be able to get his offense out to a lead and sit on it.

Manning's going to post respectable numbers. Maybe not numbers from say, a decade ago, but winning numbers that merely needed a quarterback to elevate his play to properly complement a championship-caliber defense.

Prediction

As most can tell, this one would have a different outlook if the Steelers could field a healthy team.

They can't, though, at just the time where the Broncos might be rounding into postseason form with a starter under center, an elite defense and a pair of capable running backs.

As such, look for the Broncos to take control in the second half at home after using the first to diagnose what the Steelers and Roethlisberger are capable of, then shut it down.

Prediction: Broncos 28, Steelers 20 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of January 15. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. All betting information courtesy of Odds Shark.