Denver Broncos' Keys to Victory: Divisional playoffs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Who: Denver Broncos (12-4) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-6)

What: AFC Divisional-Round Playoff

When: 2:40 p.m. MST, Sunday, Jan. 17

Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High

TV: CBS

Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms

Radio: KOA (850 AM), The Fox (103.5 FM)

Odds: Broncos -7.5; O/U 40

Notable: The Broncos own a 14-8-1 all-time series edge against the Steelers, including a 4-3 mark in post-season games. Pittsburgh easily has been Denver’s most common playoff opponent with seven meetings with the Patriots next at four. … The Orange & Blue earned a first-round playoff bye for the fourth consecutive season and the 13^th time overall. The Broncos have gone 7-5 in their playoff game following those byes, advancing to the Super Bowl five times. … Denver owns a 20-19 all-time post-season record while the Steelers are 34-22 following their 18-16 wild-card win over the Bengals last week. … Gary Kubiak joins Red Miller and John Fox as the only Broncos’ head coaches to guide the team into the playoffs in their first seasons. Ironically, the teams coached by Miller (1977) and Fox (2011) both beat the Steelers in their first playoff games. … Peyton Manning is 3-2 all-time against the Steelers with nine touchdown passes and four interceptions, but it 0-1 vs. Pittsburgh in the playoffs. … Ben Roethlisberger is 3-4 in seven starts against the Broncos, including a 1-1 post-season mark, and has thrown for 16 TDs and 10 interceptions.

The Keys

• Play with an edge: The Steelers will be without all-world WR Antonio Brown and leading rusher DeAngelo Williams and Roethlisberger is almost certain to be at something less than 100 percent with a banged-up throwing shoulder. But the Broncos can’t afford to let up or look past anyone – not after getting upset as a home touchdown favorite in two of the previous three postseasons. Denver needs to view Pittsburgh as the team which rallied from a 27-10 deficit back in Week 15 to hand the Broncos one of their most stinging losses of the season. The Broncos need to set the tone early and play with a collective chip on their shoulders for a full 60 minutes.
• Give Peyton help: The 39-year-old QB reportedly is fresh and reinvigorated after playing less than two quarters over the last two months, but he’ll be making his first start since Nov. 15 and will need plenty of help. That of course starts with the protection up front as Manning can ill afford an uninterrupted continuation of the battering he and Brock Osweiler absorbed during the regular season. The O-line also must help pave the way for at least the decent threat of a running game, and on the back end, the pass-catchers must help by, well, catching the catchable passes.
• Win the turnover battle: We’ve saved the most important item for last, and we’ll start with that certain 39-year-old QB who simply cannot pick up where he left off in his last start, tossing interceptions at a league-leading pace. Despite starting only 10 games, Manning tossed 17 picks – only the Jags’ Blake Bortles had more with 18 – contributing lustily to the Orange & Blue’s 31 giveaways and minus-4 turnover differential, which are easily the worst marks of any of the 12 playoff qualifiers. Meanwhile, Von Miller, Chris Harris and the rest of the Denver D must re-gain their takeaway ways. In the first six games of the season, the Broncos forced 17 turnovers, but only added 10 more over the final 10 contests. Denver somehow survived a minus-4 turnover outing in Week 17 to beat the Chargers and wrap up the AFC’s No. 1 seed, but, at last glance, no 4-12 teams (i.e. San Diego) made the playoffs and posting another negative turnover number will be the quickest and surest way for the Broncos to bow out of the tournament.

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