2nd consecutive week Steelers play a team for the first time since they lost to them in the playoffs (albeit this team is so much different than in 2015). Denver has been a house of horrors though this decade (0-3 at Mile High this decade)
2nd consecutive week Steelers play a team for the first time since they lost to them in the playoffs (albeit this team is so much different than in 2015). Denver has been a house of horrors though this decade (0-3 at Mile High this decade)
While that may be true I still remember a playoff game in 05 that wasn't to bad.Originally Posted by st33lersguy
Hence the emphasis on this decade.
Yep I acknowledged it but we have won there with Ben.
I'm not really ready to talk about Denver yet, but I will say this:
Champions beat weak teams. This game decides whether we play NE at Hines Field or Foxboro in the playoffs. If we can't win in Denver, there's no point in even talking about the superbowl.
I believe we are the superior team and have the ability to kick their asses straight up between their shoulder blades and we're not losing trap games this year.
Pittsburgh should open about 6 point favorites in Denver. If I was a betting man, I'd pick the "over".
"You've heard people brag about 'being in the zone'. They don't know what the Hell being in the zone is about. I played in the NFL for 15 years and I was only in the zone that one time." - "Mean" Joe Greene on the 1974 playoff victory over Oakland
This is the "Trap game"
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As to the bold . . . I get what you're saying, but in the NFL, the difference between championship teams and weak teams is so slender that all it takes is good matchup and you're going to struggle. I mean, the Pats* were toasted by the Titans, who then turned around and got thumped today by the Colts.
Went in person to the Steelers' 28-10 victory in Mile High in 2009 before that season went into the crapper.
But remember over 40 years ago good teams never lost to bad teams. No need to ever recalibrate expectations.
Mojo,
I'm not even coming from that angle.
This is a must-win game for us so long as NE doesn't stumble. #2 seed depends on it. We either do it or we're not a superbowl team. We have yet to drop a trap game this year and I expect us to stick to that.
"You've heard people brag about 'being in the zone'. They don't know what the Hell being in the zone is about. I played in the NFL for 15 years and I was only in the zone that one time." - "Mean" Joe Greene on the 1974 playoff victory over Oakland
I think all the seeding stuff and who beats who is overblown, I always have. The only must-win games are elimination games.
Honestly, I think part of the reason is that I don’t think anyone is stopping the Chiefs seeming inexorable march to AFC supremacy.
Andy Reid and that 30th-ranked Chiefs Defense may say otherwise. Mahomes can't cover up their issues forever.Honestly, I think part of the reason is that I don’t think anyone is stopping the Chiefs seeming inexorable march to AFC supremacy.
Mahomes went off for 6 TD's against a Steelers team playing as poorly as any I've seen, and the game still wasn't settled until the end.
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Just run over them. What do the Broncos do well? Pass rush and a good secondary. Run the ball through and over them.
Agreed. The only question I have is IF the Steelers will try and do that?
Jaguars give up 109 yards rushing per game(15th in NFL) and the Steelers gave it to James Connor 5 times in the first half. 9 rushes the entire game. Broncos give up 127 yards rushing per game(27th ranked), so I'm not any more confident that the Steelers will try and stick with the run game this week either.
The Broncos have played a lot of close games at home against a very good team this year....Lost 19-17 against Houston, lost 23-20 against the Rams and 27-23 against the Chiefs .... The Broncos led 23-13 before the 4th quarter in this game I think.
The victory against the chargers on the road should give them confidence, so the Steelers need to be ready
Steelers went blow for blow with the Chiefs and the Steelers Defense is vast improved. I think they could compete with the Chiefs. Then there’s Andy Reid’s playoff success. The key to victory will be playing the Chiefs in the Championship round. Playing them coming off a bye will be an automatic loss as Reid’s record after a bye week is off the charts. Way off...
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Because the Chiefs and Andy Reid are unbeatable at Arrowhead in January.
I will believe this time is different when the Chiefs and Reid show it is different by not finding a way to screw up hosting a playoff game
As for the upcoming game, Steelers open as 3&1/2 point favorites
http://www.vegasinsider.com/nfl/odds/las-vegas/
It would be important to have a BYE in the playoffs, especially because it would be very hard to beat the Pats and the Chiefs, both on the road.
A lot of football remains to play, but the record of Andy Reid after a bye is not great in the last couple years ... The steelers beat the chiefs in the 2016 playoffs after a bye by the chiefs .... But of course it was against Alex Smith.
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I agree that the Chiefs are not invincible, especially because of their defense, but I would not be surprised to see the Chiefs go to the Super Bowl this year because it's not Alex Smith their QB ...Because the Chiefs and Andy Reid are unbeatable at Arrowhead in January.
I will believe this time is different when the Chiefs and Reid show it is different by not finding a way to screw up hosting a playoff game
As for the upcoming game, Steelers open as 3&1/2 point favorites
http://www.vegasinsider.com/nfl/odds/las-vegas/
Not many believed in chiefs in other seasons because of Smith ... Of course their loss against the Titans last year was unacceptable.
I would agree, but this year you want to avoid the #4 seed if possible. The #4 seed would host a whoever doesn't win the AFC West (Chiefs/Chargers) then assuming you win that game would then travel to the #1 seed. So you could essentially be playing two teams with a better record than you right off the bat.
At this point I'd settle for #2 or #3.
^ This. We're in a dogfight with NE for the #2 and #3 seed. I believe we're good enough to beat NE at home, but not at Foxboro. We have to stay ahead of them, and the way to do that is by not dropping games we're supposed to win. NE has a pretty soft schedule from here on out.
"You've heard people brag about 'being in the zone'. They don't know what the Hell being in the zone is about. I played in the NFL for 15 years and I was only in the zone that one time." - "Mean" Joe Greene on the 1974 playoff victory over Oakland
You are not wrong, nor are the others talking about the importance of this or that seeding. It is just a stubborn believe I have that if you need to get to the SB by taking the easiest route through the AFC field, what is the point? Because you will then just get smoked by the NFL champs in the SB?
Either you can beat good teams or you can't.
Like I said, I realize this is ridiculous on my part. In an NFL where almost nothing separates one team from the next, you want to avoid playing as many "elite" teams as possible because anything can happen on any given Sunday and it is so hard to win.
It would be ideal to take the #2 seed. But I can't help feeling that it kinda won't matter this year.
I agree you should beat the best to be the best but sometimes avoiding bad match-ups helps. We historically play bad against the Patriots and in both our runs (2005/08) we avoided playing them and still won the Superbowl.
Yep. But let me say that this Denver team is NOT a bad team. Their record is bad, but they've played a murderer's row schedule and with a couple of lucky breaks they'd be at .500
Always tough to play at mile high as well. I think we might lose this one but I hope the team proves me wrong.
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Yeah we weren't able to get into a rhythm early on partially because Ben was missing wide open guys and that killed a bunch of drives that should have kept going. And I was fuming after a 3rd and long 1 call was a QB sneak, i was like FFS are you kidding me? Sneaks are run when there's like half a yard or less to go, but not a FULL yard. That should have been Conner all the way.
The difference isn't in avoiding elite teams. I believe that we are, in fact, a better team than NE this year. I also believe that we can beat KC at Arrowhead and compete with the NFC's best on neutral ground.
But I do not believe that we can beat NE in Foxboro. We all know how they and the fanbase do everything in their power to stack the deck.
We will have the opportunity to see how worthy the Steelers are. In the meantime, no dropping games we're supposed to win.
"You've heard people brag about 'being in the zone'. They don't know what the Hell being in the zone is about. I played in the NFL for 15 years and I was only in the zone that one time." - "Mean" Joe Greene on the 1974 playoff victory over Oakland
I know!! 3rd and a long yard and you QB sneak????
Use Conner, or Ridley or any RB behind Nix and go get 1 yard. I know the Haley haters love the QB sneak, but that was not the right distance to be letting your franchise QB try and get the yard.
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The best way to beat the Broncos is pressure on Keenum, that is all. Their defense isnt as good as it once was, their OL is less than average, they have 1 good WR end one up and coming WR. They have a decent running game, but nothing like the jags.
As for playoff byes, I almost don’t want one, we seem to play poorly for at least a half after a bye so I almost would rather them play with no bye.
What do you prefer
Play against a team like the red hot Colts,Chargers or Baltimore in wild card round and after playing on the road against New England or KC in the divisional round or playing at home in this round with no wild card game?
I have this down as a hard loss. I think they lose here then come back to win at home against LAC and on the road in OAK. If they get out of that 2-1 or better, that should be fine.
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It won’t matter if we come out flat for a half after a bye, which we did last year against the Jags. I would rather have the 1 seed and Olay home games, but having the bye makes me nervous for the above reason. Besides, if we are the 1-2 seed, we are the red hot team heading into the playoffs!
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At least it is not like the games they started out at a disadvantage (including the Tebow game) because Ryan Clark was held out for medical reasons due to the altitude
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