Earlier on Tuesday we looked at the offensive side of the ball for both the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers, and what they need to do come up with a win on Sunday. If you missed that, you can read it by clicking here, http://www.rantsports.com/denver-broncos/?p=2146 Now it is time to move to the defensive side of the ball for both teams.
The Broncos win if:
They stop the run and force the Steelers to throw the ball. As we’ve talked about throughout training camp, the strengths of the Broncos defense are the pass rush and the secondary. The Broncos want to force the Steelers into obvious passing situations and then make life miserable for, Ben Rothlisberger. The offensive line for the Steelers is in flux and could have a difficult time blocking Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil, especially if Peyton Manning gives his defense a lead to play with. If the Broncos are unable to control the running game, then the Steelers can neutralize the pass rush. It’s impertative that the Broncos stop the run, force the Steelers to pass and then force some turnovers.
The Steelers win if:
They can get pressure on Manning throughout the game and force him to throw before he is ready. The Broncos passing game is based on precision and timing, a pass rush is really the only way to disrupt that. If Manning has time to go through his reads, then it’s going to be a long night for the Steelers defense. We mentioned safety, Ryan Clark in the piece earlier on Tuesday but it is worth noting again how important the safety is to that defense. Clark allows other players to be aggressive while he covers the middle of the field and without him, Manning could have a field day. That’s why the pass rush for the Steelers is so important, their secondary will not hold up if Manning has time to throw. They will take away the Broncos running game and force Manning to beat them but I’m not sure that’s a great idea.
In the end, the winner of the opener on Sunday night is going to be the team that takes away what the other team does best. Will that be the Denver Broncos or the Pittsburgh Steelers? We will find out soon enough!
Follow me on Twitter @Jemorrone7
Buy Denver Broncos Tickets | Buy Denver Broncos Apparel
