Broncos vs. Steelers: 3 Halftime Adjustments for Denver

No one could have predicted this.

After 30 minutes of Wild Card Round action, the Broncos are leading the Steelers 20-6 heading into halftime. Pittsburgh dominated play early on, but the Broncos grabbed hold of the game’s momentum in the second quarter with a couple big passes from Tim Tebow. 

Denver did well in the first half, but there are a few halftime adjustments that could help its chances at an upset. 

1. Use Tebow on early downs

Willis McGahee is definitely the backbone of the Denver offense, but the Steeler defense will continue stuffing him if the play-calling stays predictable on early downs.

Whether it’s with screens or short outs, Tim Tebow needs to be utilized more before third down comes knocking.  

2. Limit the long ball

Ben Roethlisberger’s targets have found themselves wide open over the middle on multiple occasions, and the Steeler offense has capitalized. Deep balls have helped push Pittsburgh into Denver territory, paving the way for red-zone opportunities.

3. Push the run to the edges

Isaac Redman is tearing up Denver’s run defense, doing most of his damage up the middle. Redman is a bruising back that excels breaking tackles, but his speed is below average.

The Broncos should try pushing him to the edges where they have a better chance at stuffing him.