Steelers vs. Broncos: 3 Halftime Adjustments for Pittsburgh

No one could have predicted this. After 30 minutes of wildcard-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.

The Steelers have their work cut out for them in the second half, and it starts with making halftime adjustments. 

1. Capitalize on scoring opportunities

The Steelers were controlling the play clock and overall flow of the game early on, but did not finish off their drives. Simply put, Pittsburgh needs to get into the red zone and make something happen.

Dominating a game does not mean nearly as much when you cannot build separation on the scoreboard.

2. Limit the long ball

Pittsburgh’s corners are getting abused downfield. The secondary needs to get better jumps on deep reads, and should also consider double coverage on Demaryius Thomas.  

The last thing Pittsburgh needs is for Tim Tebow to heat up going into the second half, and that’s exactly what’s happening. The Steelers are the better team in this game, but a couple more blips in the secondary and the Broncos could steal this one at home.  

3. Protect Big Ben

The offensive line was doing a decent job protecting Ben Roethlisberger before Robert Ayers broke through for a sack. Normally, this would not be a major concern. But with Ben playing on a bum ankle, any pressure around his feet could spell disaster for the black and yellow.

It was no coincidence that Big Ben threw a pick right after he hit the deck.