Denver Broncos Turn to Their Defensive Stars in Tough Matchup vs. Steelers

The Denver Broncos have to move on from a tough loss against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. With the 15-12 loss on Sunday, the Broncos let the No. 1 seed in the AFC slip through their fingers. The top seed entering the week, the Cincinnati Bengals lost to the Broncos' next opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Had the Broncos won, they would have moved up to the top spot in the conference.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak is naturally upset with the loss.

“That’s a part of football. Frustration is a part of football. If you play long enough or coach long enough in this business, you’ll be on the side that everybody says is doing something really good, and you might be on the side at some point in your career where people say it’s not too good. That’s part of being a team.”

Kubiak continued, “I don’t mind frustrations at all as a coach because we work hard at what we do, but you get over those really quick, and you go to the next week, and that’s what we’ll do.”

Now the Broncos go on the road for the final time in the regular season as they travel to play the Steelers. They no longer have a “Steel Curtain” defense; it more like a “Beaded Curtain” unit in 2015. However, the Steelers do have one of the best passing games, which should present quite the challenge for the Broncos' elite defense.

The team has to turn to its defensive stars in this tough matchup against one of the NFL’s best offenses.

Chris Harris Jr. versus Antonio Brown

Fred Vuich/Associated Press

Covering Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is no easy task, but Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. will be up to the challenge. Brown is second in the NFL with 100 catches this year (first: Julio Jones, 109). He’s also behind Jones (1,426) in receiving yardage so far this year with 1,397.

Brown has the quickness to get open against tight coverage. He runs great routes and can create separation with ease against most corners. After the catch, Brown has the speed to flip the field and score long touchdowns.

Not only Brown, but the Steelers have two other receivers that Harris knows will be challenging to slow down.

“They have three great receivers that have been making plays all over the field and are deep threats. Having [Steelers QB] Big Ben [Roethlisberger], he gives those guys extra time to really run their route. We have to definitely practice that covering extra three seconds of the scramble drill for Big Ben.”

Harris is quick to point out Roethlisberger’s ability to extend plays for a good reason. The Broncos pass rush is among the best in the NFL, but it will be tough to get Roethlisberger down quickly. This puts more pressure on the corners, as they’ll have to cover the Steelers' elite-level wide receivers even longer.

Aqib Talib versus Martavis Bryant

Don Wright/Associated Press

The Steelers have a fine receiving weapon in second-year pro Martavis Bryant. While Brown is smaller and quicker, Bryant is big and incredibly fast. Measuring in at 6’4” 211 pounds, Bryant has the speed to blow by defenders in the blink of an eye.

In addition to incredible speed, Bryant has the uncanny ability to make difficult catches seem routine. He has a large wingspan, and this catch radius helps him snare passes that seem to be too high. Bryant also has no problem going low to snag a pass, and he’s fearless when running routes over the middle. This season, Bryant is third in the league with an average of 17.7 yards per catch.

Talib is the larger corner, so logic would dictate that he’ll be matched up against Bryant for most of the night. He’s excited for the challenge the Steelers present.

“I am excited. It will be great weather, hopefully. Three receivers, three corners, good quarterback, good rush—we're going to get it in.”

Returning Starters

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

The Broncos may be getting some help on defense in the form of injured starters returning for this game against the Steelers. One of the starters who could return in Week 15 is starting strong safety T.J. Ward. The intimidating veteran has missed the last two games with a high-ankle sprain he suffered in the Week 12 game against the New England Patriots.

Kubiak feels good about Ward’s health status.

“I think T.J. will be close this week. I had a good conversation with him here a few minutes ago. I think he’s made a lot of progress. I think it will be close, so I would say he’s day-to-day going into the week.”

Another player who could return to a larger role is linebacker DeMarcus Ware. He’s been bothered by a back injury more than once this year, and Ware returned to the field against the Raiders for the first time since the team’s Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Kubiak believes Ware’s practice participation could increase this week.

“Yeah, he played I think 15, 16 plays in the game. The plan was for 20. We feel good about the progress. He came out clean. I think he came out with some confidence after what he’s been through here over the course of the last eight weeks. We’ll progress that this week. We’ll progress it in practice, and obviously he’ll play more in Pittsburgh.”

In the game against the Raiders, starting free safety Darian Stewart came away with a minor hamstring injury. Kubiak believes Stewart should be okay, but the team will monitor him during the week of practice leading up to the Steelers game. “We think he’s going to be OK. He will probably be day-to-day through the course of this week.”

Summary

Traveling to play at Heinz Field is going to be tough for the Broncos. The Steelers have won four of their last five games. During that time, the Steelers offense has scored 30 or more points in each contest.

Kubiak knows what a great challenge the Broncos secondary faces going up against a star-studded group of receivers like the Steelers have.

“They’re playing really well—probably one of the hotter teams in football, a lot of big-play players that have been as good as there is in this business, sitting back there throwing it, hard to get to, hard to get down, and having to go there and play—they’re playing really well right now as a team. It’s another big challenge for our team. We’ll have to play as good as we can play, we know that.”

The Broncos need to get back on the winning track if they want to secure a first-round bye for the playoffs. They’ll also need to be mindful of a surging Kansas City Chiefs as the AFC West division title has not yet been secured.

The fans in the Mile High City have hopes their team can make a deep postseason run. This game against the Steelers will have a playoff-like atmosphere, and it will certainly help determine the playoff seeding in the AFC.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.