Steelers vs. Broncos: Ugly Style Will Carry Pittsburgh to Playoff Victory

Football games never have to be pretty, especially in the playoffs. The only thing that matters in the postseason is advancing to the next round. It won't be a pretty game, but the Steelers will win it, advancing to the divisional round. 

They're not going to win with a dominant offense. Ben Roethlisberger is banged up, and Rashard Mendenhall is out. Fortunately, they have one of the NFL's best defenses and are going against an offense that has next to no punch. That's what the Steelers will ride to victory in Denver on Sunday. Actually, that's what the Steelers will use to win any playoff games that they win this year. 

Against the AFC's best teams (Patriots, Ravens), that style of play is going to be problematic. Against the Broncos, it's just fine. 

It starts with No. 43, Troy Polamalu. I can't tell you how many times I have watched a Steelers game where Polamalu made a play that no any other player in the league could make. He is a perfect shadow for Tim Tebow. The game won't necessarily start with Polamalu shadowing Tebow, but if Tebow is giving the Pittsburgh defense early trouble, Polamalu is a great shadow. That will force the Broncos into more of a passing offense. That's not going to work. 

What the Steelers will do is play an ugly game. That means forcing turnovers, not committing turnovers, winning the field position battle, kicking field goals, not scoring many points and winning the game.

When they're on offense, the Steelers must find a way to protect Ben Roethlisberger. The one thing that can get them in trouble is Denver's pass rush, forcing early throws from Roethlisberger. That leads to turnovers. That's the only way the Broncos win this game. 

If they have to bring extra blockers (like the 49ers), so be it. The same goes for short routes that don't necessarily show the skills of Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown off.

Despite all of that, the Steelers are still the much better team. It won't be a game for lovers of offense, but that works fine for Pittsburgh. They are going to grind a win out in Denver. 

Prediction: Steelers 16, Broncos 10

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