Steelers vs. Broncos: 4 Reasons You Must Watch Sunday's Playoff Game

Throughout their history, the Pittsburgh Steelers have met the Denver Broncos quite a bit in the AFC's portion of the postseason.

And their matchup this Sunday afternoon in the Mile High City is an intriguing one considering the players, implications and how the 2011 season has progressed between the two.

That being said, here are four reasons to tune in on Jan. 8.

Tim Tebow

As if you need any other reason, Tim Tebow being under center and getting the Broncos back to the playoffs—despite beginning the season 1-4 and finishing 8-8—was was quite an accomplishment.

Somehow, at least for a stretch where Denver won seven of eight games, Tebow managed to pull off comeback after comeback, although his completion percentage was below 50 percent. Defying all the natural odds of how to win a football game and move the chains, Tebow caught everyone's attention.

Unfortunately, the final three weeks of the regular season were abysmal, and Denver went from 8-5 to 8-8 and barely snuck in thanks to a Raiders loss in Week 17. During that three-game losing streak, Tebow completed just 40.7 percent of his passes, compiled 439 passing yards and threw one TD to four picks.

Let's put it this way; that won't get the Broncos a win over the Steelers, especially with how much better Pittsburgh is defensively than the Patriots, Bills and Chiefs combined.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to watch Tim against one of the NFL's best defenses, as the Broncos have yet to face anyone who's as complete as the Steel Curtain in 2011.

Ben Roethlisberger

We know Ben Roethlisberger won't be 100 percent. However, with a weakened rushing attack and one that hasn't been consistent in 2011, Pittsburgh's offense relies on Big Ben to move the chains.

And he better be ready to throw quickly because with limited mobility and the strong Broncos pass rush coming from Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil, Denver can shut down the Steelers' offense.

The Orange Crush are also solid at stopping the run, which will force Pittsburgh into being one-dimensional. The problem there, however, is that the Broncos are weak against the pass, and Big Ben's targets of Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Heath Miller will get open.

What it comes down to when Pittsburgh has the rock is Ben's pass protection.

The Steelers have had issues in recent years, and 2011 is no exception. With an improved front seven in Denver, it comes down to who wins that battle in the trenches. If any of Roethlisberger's targets have that extra half-a-second to get open, the Steelers will control the game tempo.

To that end, the last thing Denver needs is for Big Ben to consistently beat them on third down.

Von Miller

If you're someone who's looked at the Denver Broncos' success this season from an all-encompassed perspective, you will see that rookie linebacker Von Miller deserves more credit and recognition than Tim Tebow.

Miller has done work all season by accumulating 64 tackles, 11.5 sacks, defending four passes and forcing two fumbles.

Had it not been for Miller and the Orange Crush defense, Tebow would have never been given the opportunity to make a comeback. And if Tebow would have actually put up more points on a consistent basis, the Denver defense would not have had to bail them out for the game's first 55 minutes.

In any event, Miller is their most imposing defensive threat, as his pass-rush ability forces offensive lines to gear their blocks in his direction.

As a result, lanes are opened up for Elvis Dumervil on the backside and any other blitzers up the middle. Miller draws attention, and if not, then he's the one producing multiple sacks and tackles for loss.

Make no mistake about it, he will be after Big Ben on virtually every snap, and the Steelers' offense better be well-prepared to get worked if they don't establish some sort of ground game.

Defense

Based on the Steelers' offensive health issues and the Broncos simply being an awful pass offense, the defenses will rule this game.

And if you are a football fan who loves defense, this is your kind of game.

For Pittsburgh to shut down the Broncos, all they have to do is blitz Tim Tebow and play press coverage on his receiving targets. Denver won't have any success in the passing game regardless, so blitzing just helps take care of Tebow's scrambling ability and the Broncos' rush offense.

That is the key for the Steel Curtain to shut down Denver's running game, as that is the Broncos' only hope at moving the ball consistently.

As for the Orange Crush, it's simply getting pressure on Ben Roethlisberger while double-teaming WR Mike Wallace. Denver's linebackers have to isolate Heath Miller in single coverage, and the secondary must also shut down Antonio Brown in single coverage.

Otherwise, one of the three will get open, and Denver isn't good enough yet to get numerous coverage sacks without blitzing.

Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil are key components as is the health of Brian Dawkins. Those three players will determine for Denver whether the Broncos are in position to win the game.

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