NFL Playoffs 2012: Broncos Host Steelers In AFC Wild Card Game

Check out Behind The Steel Curtain for the latest on the Steelers and Mile High Reportfor the latest on the Broncos, and head on over to the SBNation NFL news hub for everything you need to know about the 2012 playoffs.

For all news and information regarding the Denver Broncos, head over to the SB Nation blog Mile High Report. For more on the Steelers, check out Behind The Steel Curtain. Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more updates from Sunday’s game.

But will they win? Behind The Steel Curtain told us why the Steelers will win this game, and why they’ll lose.

SB Nation’s NFL bloggers made predictions for Wild Card weekend and here’s a look at the updated NFL playoffs schedule for Sunday. Check out Behind The Steel Curtain for more on the Steelers and Mile High Report for more on the Broncos.

But that doesn’t mean Denver can’t win. SB Nation’s Mile High Report tells us why the Broncos will win, and why they’ll lose:

Why the Broncos will win: The Broncos get back to what they were doing when they won 6-straight games - protect the football, control the clock and make plays in the passing game when needed. It’s been a Jekyll and Hyde season for the Broncos. They started the season 1-4, went 7-1, then ended 0-3. The difference between 1-7 and 7-1 has been turnovers. The Broncos simply didn’t give the football away during their winning streak, yet, the last three games they have turned it over NINE times. They simply aren’t good enough to do that and beat a football - good or bad.

We have all of your necessary information for following along with Sunday’s game right here:

Time: Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. EST at Mile High Stadium in Denver.

Without further ado, here are the 36 possible Super Bowl 46 matchups. Disagree? I’ll see you in the comments.

The only subplot that is even remotely interesting about this game, which would probably end 8-3 or something, is that it would feature Urban Meyer’s two most prominent pupils, Tebow and former Utah star Alex Smith. This would definitely not make you hate Braxton Miller for no good reason.

We will find out exactly how much the Broncos plan to use Quinn when they host Steelers at 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. The Steelers are big betting favorites this week, despite technically being the lower seed.

For more on Quinn and the Broncos, head over to the SB Nation blog Mile High Report. For more on the Steelers, check out Behind The Steel Curtain. Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more updates from Sunday’s game.

Quinn has not thrown a pass in a regular season game since starting nine games for the Cleveland Browns during the 2009 season. While Tebow has had his ups and downs, Quinn shouldn’t inspire a ton of confidence from Broncos fans either should he see the field.

For more on Tebow and the Broncos be sure to check out the SB Nation blog Mile High Report. For more on the Steelers, head over to Behind The Steel Curtain.

Dawkins has had a lingering neck issue that caused trouble for him down the stretch. He’s missed part or all of the last four games and hasn’t practiced in several weeks. Not practicing all week is a good indication he’s not going to play.

The Broncos host the Steelers on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. (ET) on CBS. Check out the rest of the 2012 NFL playoffs schedule.

The 2012 NFL playoffs are only hours away with four games on tap for Wild Card weekend. The Texans are hosting the Bengals and the Lions are traveling to New Orleans for Saturday’s games and Sunday has the Falcons playing the Giants and the Broncos hosting the Steelers.

Eight SB Nation bloggers representing the eight teams playing this weekend weighed in on their team’s game, including their picks for the contest. There’s a lot of confidence in this group -- only one blogger picked their team to lose.

SB Nation’s NFL playoffs roundtable moves away from upset watch and looks to the x-factors on Wild Card weekend.

Which player is the biggest x-factor this weekend? By that we mean, a team will win or lose largely due to which player. In this roundtable we have the Texans’ Arian Foster represented along with Ben Roethlisberger and T.J. Yates.

GET MORE: Steelers vs. Broncos 2012 | NFL Playoffs Picks | NFL Coaching Carousel

At 8-8, the Broncos limped into the postseason on a three-game losing streak and Denver actually has a losing record at home this season. Meanwhile, the Steelers went 12-4 this season and won five our of their eight road games in 2011.

Pouncey missed two of the Steelers final three games with the injury. His status for the game had been question but the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports he will not play.

The Steelers should still win the game, with or without Pouncey. They’re eight point favorites against the Broncos and their defense can make up for whatever offensive deficiencies they have.

“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with Kirby and his entire family,” Steelers President Art Rooney said in a statement to WPXI. “We are saddened to hear about this unfortunate situation but we know that he has the best medical care in the country treating him. The entire organization is praying for Kirby to have a full recovery and we will be by his side through this difficult time.”

The fire reportedly started around 2:45 a.m. CT, when a neighbor told WPXI he was a awoken by police officers pounding on doors to awaken residences to get them to clear out of the building. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

The biggest story line in this game is the same guy who dominated the headlines all year long -- Tim Tebow. How will he fare in his first NFL playoffs game? Will he choke? Will he rise to the occasion. Those are all the questions we’re looking to answer this weekend.

The majority of experts are picking the Steelers to win. I’d agree with that but I won’t be surprised if this game is much closer than the eight point spread.

The Steelers have done pretty well for themselves from the Wild Card spot, winning the Super Bowl in 2005 as a 6-seed, so it’s safe to say they know what they are doing. The Broncos, meanwhile, are 1-6 all time in Wild Card playoff games. They do hold an all-important home field advantage, however, not to mention whatever funky magic is still left in Tebow’s tank.

For more on Sunday’s game, head over to Broncos blog Mile High Report and Steelers blog Behind The Steel Curtain.

Sports Illustrated’s Peter King expects the Broncos to just barely do enough to keep it a two-score game. Unsurprisingly, every single one of the NFL experts at both Yahoo! and CBS have picked the Steelers to win. It appears that Tebow Time has about run out.

Check out Behind The Steel Curtain for the latest on the Steelers and Mile High Report for the latest on the Broncos, and head on over to the SBNation NFL news hub for everything you need to know about the 2012 playoffs.

So which underdog has the best shot at winning this weekend?

Our roundtable participants are SB Nation NFL bloggers David Fucillo and Jason Garrison, as well as myself, SBNation.com’s NFL editor.

Check out Behind The Steel Curtain for the latest on the Steelers and Mile High Report for the latest on the Broncos, and head on over to the SBNation NFL news hub for everything you need to know about the 2012 playoffs.

The over-under has gone in the opposite direction, however, as the point spread moved from 35½ down to 34 on most sites as Vegas apparently believed Tebow would take Woody Paige’s advice and pull the trigger more than he did in the regular season.

Check out Behind The Steel Curtain for the latest on the Steelers and Mile High Reportfor the latest on the Broncos, and head on over to the SBNation NFL news hub for everything you need to know about the 2012 playoffs.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin isn’t too concerned with Roethlisberger’s ankle.

Most teams and players dont’ want to talk about injuries so that the opponent doesn’t have an edge. That’s apparently not the case with Roethlisberger, who often talks about his injuries.

But John Elway, the former Broncos quarterback and current vice president of football operations, doesn’t seem worried. Elway told Woody Paige of the Denver Post that Tebow needs to trust his athletic abilities and “pull the trigger.”

Over at Broncos blog Mile High Report, they are well aware of the Broncos’ recent struggles. They are also acutely aware of Tebow’s recent play. They are also doing their best to keep spirits high on both fronts:

But the Broncos have been the Steelers’ superiors in the history of their series, compiling a 16-10-1 mark against the Steel City stalwarts, though the two teams are 3-3 in playoff games. Pittsburgh won the last meeting between the two teams 28-10 in 2009, but Denver has won three of the last five games in the series.

The all-time series has a couple other quirks. Since 1985, the 15 games have been five separate strings of two Denver wins followed by a Pittsburgh win. And in the last six games prior to the 2009 loss, Denver had scored the same number of points in consecutive games three times: 24 in 1997 and 1998, 17 in 2003 and the 2006 AFC Championship Game, and 31 in 2006 and 2007. Follow those patterns blindly, and the Broncos should win this weekend’s game, despite scoring just 10 points and matching their 2009 output.

The 6-foot-3, 209-pound Dixon passed for over 5,100 yards and 38 touchdowns during his college career, but had over 1,000 net rushing yards (over 1,200 gross rushing yards) in former Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti’s spread option offense before he was selected in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Dixon has started three of the four games he’s played in during his NFL career, passing for 402 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, and gaining 56 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Dixon will be a free agent in the offseason.

Check out Behind The Steel Curtain for the latest on the Steelers and Mile High Reportfor the latest on the Broncos, and head on over to the SBNation NFL news hub for everything you need to know about the 2012 playoffs.