After being soundly defeated in Baltimore by the Ravens for their first loss last week, the Broncos have to get right back up in the saddle and take on the Pittsburgh Steelers tonight when Week 9 of the NFL schedule comest to a close. The story in Denver this year has been an greatly improved defense while Kyle Orton has guided the offense that includes a solid receiver corps led by Brandon Marshall.
This will be the nation’s first MNF Prime Time opportunity to see the new and improved Broncos. Now all Denver needs to be is beat the defending Super Bowl champions to prove to all, that they are indeed the “real deal.”
The Broncos, who are both 6-1 SU and ATS, saw their unbeaten streak come to an end with a 30-7 loss to the Ravens. Now the question will be asked: Is Denver as good as their record indicates. They’ll have a pretty good idea where they’re at as a football team after tonight’s game.
The Steelers are coming off a bye week and at 5-2 they begin the night a half-game behind the surprising Cincinnati Bengals. Pittsburgh started the year at just 1-2 but they’ve turned things around with consecutive wins over the Vikings, Browns, Lions and Chargers.
The Broncos defense has been the key to the team’s fast start. They rank first in the league in yards allowed per game (266.7) and yards allowed per play (4.4) and second in the league in scoring defense, allowing 13.7 points per game. Denver also ranks third in rushing defense and they’ve allowed just one team-the Ravens to rush for over 100 yards in a game.
During the offseason, the Broncos switched to a “3-4” defense and addressed their need via free agency instead of the draft. Those moves have been wildly successful is and has turned the Denver defense from bullied to bully.
Pittsburgh’s biggest concern tonight will be to contain Elvis Dumervil who is second in the NFL with 10 sacks. The Broncos will also have the law on their side tonight as in Ty Law who ended his “semi-retirement” this week to rejoin Josh McDaniels. It’s expected Law will see some action against the Steelers as the nickel back.
The Steelers defense leads the league in rush defense at nearly 77 yards per game and hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in its last 25 regular season games. However that tough nosed Pittsburgh “D” will be without three starters tonight: defensive end Travis Kirschke, linebacker Lawrence Timmons and safety Ryan Clark. Sill with the likes of James Harrison and Troy Polamalu this unit clearly ranks near the top of the NFL.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is off to one of the best starts in his stellar career. Big Ben is third in the league in passing yards (2,062), second in completion percentage (70%) and owns a passer rating of 102.6. He’s thrown 11 touchdown passes and just six interceptions. With Roethlisberger at the helm, the Pittsburgh offense now ranks fifth in the league in passing and total yards per game.
The Steelers receiving corps, led by Hines Ward remains one of the top units in the league. Ward, who was recently named the dirtiest player in the league in voting by NFL players, has 42 catches for 602 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Heath Miller has 40 receptions while Santonio Holmes has 30 grabs for 497 yards and a16.6 yards per reception average.
The Steelers running game is led by Rashard Mendenhall. The former Illinois star has just 418 yards on the year but is averaging almost 5.5 yards per carry. He’s taken over as the lead back supplanting Willie Parker.
The Broncos offense has done just enough to win this year. They’re 10th in rushing and 13th in total yards and are averaging 20 points per game. QB Kyle Orton has been a solid game manager and has taken every snap this season. The former Purdue standout has thrown for over 1,600 yards with nine touchdowns and just one interception.
He’s got a trio of excellent receivers in Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokely and Eddie Royal and a solid tight end in Tony Scheffler. Rookie Knoshown Moreno has shown flashes of brilliance, but has averaged just 3.9 yards per carry and has shown a propensity to fumble. Veteran Correll Buchalter has been a free agent gem and is averaging 6 yards per carry. The Denver offense could be described as efficient. They’ve also got the fifth best turnover differential in the NFL at +6.
Pittsburgh, which is 0-5 ATS in its past five road games, has split their past six games following a bye. Then there are the always enjoyable conflicting trends. For example the Steelers have never lost on Monday Night Football under Mike Tomlin but they haven’t won a regular season game in Denver in 19 years.
The Steelers opened as 3-point road favorites. The line has seen some wild fluctuations and is anywhere from Pittsburgh -1 to -3 depending on where you do your shopping. The total opened at 38.5 and has been moved to 40 virtually everywhere.
It’s apparent the linesmakers feel that the Steelers are rounding into form. Pittsburgh is now a 10-1 favorite to win the Super Bowl trailing only New Orleans, Indy, New England and Minnesota. The jury is still out on the Broncos who are 22-1 to win the NFL championship.
The weather forecast in Denver is calling for light winds, clear skies and temperatures in the mid 40’s are forecast for the Mile High City tonight.