What the Denver Broncos Can Do Differently Against the Steelers in the Playoffs

The Denver Broncos are preparing for a familiar opponent as they’ll face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round of the playoffs Sunday. Entering the postseason, the Broncos had faced five of the six teams on the AFC side of the bracket.

They played the Steelers earlier this year and lost. After going up 27-3 in Week 15, the Broncos allowed 31 unanswered points and lost 34-27 in Pittsburgh at Heinz Field.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak believes it helps to have played the Steelers recently.

“I’m sure it’s that way for both of us because we prepared for each other—what, four weeks ago, three or four weeks ago? Anytime you prepare for somebody in this league, you’re very thorough in all phases," Kubiak said. "We’ve each played two or three games since then, so you take that information, you get some new information over the course of the last few weeks and get ready to play.”

It’s win or go home in the playoffs, and the Broncos want to have a different outcome this time. They earned the first overall seed in the AFC, so they will play every game at home in the postseason (unless they make or until they play in the Super Bowl).

What can the Broncos do differently this time around against the Steelers? Let’s take a look.

Run the Ball More Effectively

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The Broncos offense seems to work better when it can run the ball. Earlier this year, Peyton Manning looked more comfortable operating out of the shotgun formation, and the ground game struggled. Then, the Broncos operated a traditional-looking Kubiak offense when Brock Osweiler took over as the starter.

When Manning returned to the lineup against the San Diego Chargers, he worked from under center on nearly half of his snaps, and the rushing game thrived.

Ronnie Hillman is the starter, and against the Chargers he sped his way to 117 yards on the ground and one rushing touchdown. C.J. Anderson is the powerful change-of-pace back, and he had 95 yards rushing and one rushing touchdown in Week 17.

Anderson understands what makes the team better when it runs effectively.

“We can tire the defenses down, especially in this altitude and in this air," he said. "They’re trying to figure out which back they want to tackle at one time. They have to deal with [RB] Ronnie [Hillman] with the speed and quickness and then they come deal with me with power and quickness. When we can get going, we can be a tough team to beat.”

The Steelers have given up the fifth-fewest rushing yards per game this season. They’ve only allowed an average of 91.19 yards per game on the ground. In the previous matchup between these two teams, Anderson and Hillman combined for 62 rushing yards on 18 carries.

If the Broncos want things to go differently this time around, a more effective rushing attack would help.

Make Sure the Pressure Doesn't Get to Peyton Manning

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Now that Peyton Manning is back in the starting lineup, the Broncos need to do everything they can to make sure he stays upright and healthy. Against Denver earlier this season, the Steelers were able to sack Brock Osweiler twice. They blitzed him on 26.4 percent of his dropbacks and put him under pressure on the exact same number of dropbacks.

The Steelers finished the season with the third-most sacks in the NFL (47). Osweiler didn’t help his offensive line by holding onto the ball an average of 2.64 seconds before pass in that game. The average for that week in the NFL was only 2.48 seconds. That extra amount of time helped the Steelers get a bit more pressure on the young quarterback.

Now, the Steelers will have to face a quarterback who is bound for the Hall of Fame.

Manning is famous for getting rid of the ball quickly, and that should help keep the Steelers away. He might be the best quarterback in pre-snap reads in the history of the NFL. Manning’s quick trigger also benefits an offensive line that has been through multiple variations this season.

Kubiak likes the experience of his quarterback as the team prepares for its first playoff game.

“I think experience is good from just a team standpoint. The games are a little bit different this time of year. To me, they really speed up,” Kubiak said. “Obviously the emphasis on any given play is just so big. A lot of great defensive football teams in the tournament right now, so to speak. You’ve got to play well, you’ve got to protect the ball and you’ve got to do all the little things if you expect to win this time of year.”

In the Week 17 game against the Chargers, Tyler Polumbus took over for an ineffective Michael Schofield at right tackle. There’s no word yet on whether or not Polumbus will start over Schofield against the Steelers. The Broncos need to carefully consider all decisions when it comes to protecting Manning.

Blitz Ben Roethlisberger with Better Results

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The Broncos blitzed Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at an incredible rate in their Week 15 matchup. The Broncos sent extra pass-rushers on a whopping 61.4 percent of his dropbacks. The league average for that week was only 30.3 percent. However, the team only put him under pressure on 14 percent of his dropbacks.

On one hand, Denver was sending the blitz, but the blitz wasn’t getting to him. On other hand, the Cincinnati Bengals were able to get to Roethlisberger last Saturday.

In the Wild Card Round, Roethlisberger exited the game with a shoulder injury he suffered on a rough sack from linebacker Vontaze Burfict. With the game on the line, Roethlisberger came back into the game but clearly wasn’t himself. As of now, his playing status for the divisional round is up in the air.

Regardless of Roethlisberger’s injury, Kubiak is preparing to face him Sunday.

“Yeah, absolutely. We’re preparing for their team. I think they were what, second or third in offense? They’re very good. You’ve got a lot of great players,” Kubiak said. “We’re preparing for the group. We expect everybody to be there, but we’re preparing to play the Steelers.”

Roethlisberger is one of the toughest players in the league, and he will probably play against the Broncos. The defense is likely to blitz him often, but it needs to make sure it gets heat on Big Ben consistently.

Slow Down the Steelers Receivers

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There’s no doubt that Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is one of the best (if not the best) receiver in the league. Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. (also one of the best in the league) had not given up a touchdown pass in two years, but he gave up two scores in one game against Brown in Week 15. Brown finished that game with 16 receptions for 189 yards receiving.

The Steelers once again leaned on Brown in the Wild Card Game against the Bengals. He was targeted 12 times and caught seven passes for 119 yards. However, Brown was knocked out of the game against the Bengals after a dirty hit. The superstar receiver was concussed, and his status for the divisional round is unknown.

If Brown plays, Kubiak knows the team will have to be at its best to slow him down.

“He’s a great player. He’s going to have catches. He’s going to make plays. They move him all over the place.”

Kubiak continued: “He doesn’t stay in one spot, so he’s very difficult to handle. I don’t know the statistics, but I know they’re making a lot of 10-plus-[yard] plays in the course of a game. That will be very important trying to find a way to minimize the big plays.”

The veteran coach is correct: The Broncos must eliminate the big plays from the Steelers offense. Momentum is going to be a key factor in this contest, and the Broncos want to make sure they build—and keep—the momentum on their side.

Don't Get a Big Lead

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Before you roll your eyes, let me explain: When the Broncos went up 27-3 against the Steelers in Week 15, they might have signed their own death certificate in that contest.

Simply put, the Steelers are better at playing “shootout” football than any team in the league—including the Broncos.

When the Steelers need to go into a pass-happy mode on offense, it plays to their strengths. Having Roethlisberger toss almost nonstop passes to the likes of Brown, Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton is easy money for Pittsburgh.

In the previous matchup, the Steelers built such momentum with their passing game in the second half that Denver couldn’t stop them. Had the Broncos kept the game closer, perhaps the Steelers would have remained with a balanced attack that would not have been as effective at moving the ball and scoring points.

Kubiak accepts the last game didn’t go his way.

“That game was crazy. It was a tale of two halves for both teams. We played well as a team in the first half. They dominated the second half,” he said. “This time of year, if you’re going to win, you’re going to have to play great regardless of who you play. We understand that.”

The Broncos are in a good place to make a deep postseason run, but first they have to get past the Steelers on Sunday.

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.