Steelers vs. Broncos 2016 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch NFL playoffs online
The Broncos are looking for revenge against a Steelers team that beat them 34-27 a month ago.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are bruised and battered, but still alive in the AFC playoffs after escaping Cincinnati with a two-point win over the Bengals last weekend. Up next is a Divisional round showdown against the Denver Broncos, who have their Hall of Fame signal caller back in the lineup and look ready to make a deep playoff push.
Peyton Manning's triumphant return in Week 17 against the Chargers was straight out of a Hollywood movie script. He replaced an ineffective Brock Osweiler in the third quarter and rallied the Broncos to a 27-20 win that clinched the top seed in the AFC for Denver. With Osweiler at the helm, the Broncos had nearly as many turnovers (five) as points (seven). Manning led the team to 20 points on six drives, and most importantly, played mistake-free football.
Manning's numbers weren't flashy -- 5 of 9 passing for 69 yards -- yet the offense looked more dangerous when he was under center. The key was his ability to audible at the line of scrimmage and get the team into the right plays, especially in the run game. The Broncos rushed for a season-high 210 yards on 32 carries against San Diego, with both Ronnie Hillman (15 rushes, 117 yards) and C.J. Anderson (15 rushes, 95 yards) reaching the end zone.
Denver’s defense, which spent the regular season at the top of most of the league’s major statistical categories, gives the Broncos a chance to win any game, but the team’s playoff fate likely rests on pairing its defensive dominance with a strong rushing attack and balanced offense. Denver is 8-0 this season when it gains at least 110 yards on the ground, and 8-0 when it runs on more than 35 percent of its offensive snaps.
When healthy and clicking on all cylinders, the Steelers present a really tough matchup for the Broncos. First, on defense, they are much stronger against the run compared to the pass, aligning well with the weaknesses/strengths of Denver. Pittsburgh’s defense was fifth in rushing yards and sixth in yards per rush, but was 30th in passing yards and 18th in yards per attempt.
On the other side of the ball, the Steelers' offense is as potent as any in the league, ranking in the top four in scoring offense, total offense and passing offense. They were also perhaps the only team all season to make the vaunted Broncos defense look mortal. In Pittsburgh's 34-27 win over Denver in Week 15, the Broncos surrendered season highs in points (34) and total yards (377), and Ben Roethlisberger (380 yards) became the only quarterback with a 300-yard passing game against the Broncos.
The looming question is how effective the Steelers' offense will be on Sunday with their three stars -- Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, DeAngelo Williams -- hurting and/or on the sidelines. Brown and Williams have already been ruled out and their impact as a offensive duo was immense. They combined for 50 percent of the team's rushing and receiving yards this season, the second-highest rate among teammates in 2015.
This will be the eighth all-time meeting in the playoffs between the Broncos and Steelers, the most frequent postseason matchup of AFC teams in the Super Bowl era. Denver holds a 4-3 edge in the series and has won three of the last four contests.
How to Watch
When: 4:40 p.m. ET
Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver
TV: CBS
Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson
Online: CBS Sports
See More:
