Only on Saturday everyone was notified, that Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger will play, despite the pain in his shoulder. But Pittsburgh will go into Divisional round game against Denver Broncos without key players, like RB DeAngelo Williams and top WR in NFL Antonio Brown. Denver will start their first game in these playoffs with veteran QB Peyton Manning, who is playing his 25-th playoff game. This fact tells us, that Denver is a strong favorite in this match.
But I will try to refute this argument. Pittsburgh have so many good receivers besides Brown, wearing the Steelers uniform. We can see the likes of Martavis Bryant, Markus Wheaton, Darrius Hayward-Bey and TE Heath Miller. All of these players can receive the ball, and gain yards after the catch. If Roethlisberger fully recovers from his injury, then Pittsburgh’s passing offense stays solid.
If Pittsburgh’s defense will play aggressively, then Coach Mike Tomlin can hope on interceрtions from Manning. In the regular season, the QB great was a long time leader in INT (17). True, Denver are great defensively, but in the regular season, Steelers beat the opposition at home 34-27.
In that case, I don’t think, that Pittsburgh will win the game. But I see an interesting matchup with a close finish. My pick is (+6). And the line is 2.10 with William Hill.