Steelers vs. Broncos: Pittsburgh Pass Rush Will Prove Too Much for Tim Tebow

Despite losing their last three games and ending the regular season on a sour note, the Denver Broncos are back in the playoffs as the AFC West Champions. They only went 8-8, but the Broncos were the story of the league for much of the season thanks to quarterback Tim Tebow.

Tebow led the Broncos to a 7-4 record after taking over for the ineffective Kyle Orton, and while he was far from orthodox, there is no question that he gave the team a spark.

That spark has worn off a bit in recent weeks though, and it seems unlikely it will be reignited against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It isn't often that a Wild Card team is as dangerous as the Steelers. If not for losing out on a tiebreaker to the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers would have won the AFC North with a record of 12-4.

Instead of a week of rest however, they must play against the Broncos at altitude.

Even so, Pittsburgh is a nine-point favorite and it's for good reason. While the Broncos defense was able to hold the Kansas City Chiefs to just seven points this past week, they have been exposed quite a bit over the past month after playing so well previously.

That is something the Steelers can take advantage of, as they boast an impressive passing game with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at the helm and wide receivers Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown running wild.

But the biggest difference in this game will be Pittsburgh's defense, and more specifically, its pass rush.

Because of his mobility, you would think that Tebow would be good at avoiding the rush. But he was sacked 33 times in just 11 starts, making him one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the league on average.

That figures to hold true on Sunday as the Steelers have a number of relentless pass rushers. That includes bookend outside linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley, each of whom had nine sacks on the season.

Both players missed quite a few games due to injuries (and in Harrison's case, suspensions), so those totals are more impressive when you take that into account.

Harrison and Woodley are healthy now though, and that spells trouble for Tebow and the Broncos.

That is especially true if the Steelers are able to build a multiple-score lead early in the game. Denver is at its best when Tebow and Willis McGahee can run the option, but scoring early could force the Broncos to throw more than they want to.

If that happens, there is a high probability that Tebow will be hit and that he will make mistakes.

Tebow was bitten by the turnover bug late in the year, particularly against the Buffalo Bills when he threw three interceptions. A repeat of that is a distinct possibility against the stout Steelers defense.