Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger passes against the Denver Broncos during the first half in an NFL football divisional playoff game, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in Denver.
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The Broncos will be keeping an eye on shutdown cornerback Chris Harris Jr. this week after his effectiveness was limited on Sunday against the Steelers due to a bruised shoulder.
ANSWERING THE BELL: Roethlisberger’s decision to publicly challenge wide receiver Martavis Bryant before the playoffs began paid handsome dividends for the Steelers.
Peyton Manning had a solid game.
This will mark the 20th time Belichick has prepared for Manning as head coach of the Patriots. At some point, it’s going to come down to “you have to play well and do what you do well better than what they try to do against it”. The Broncos almost covered a 7.5-point spread during their 23-16 win over the Steelers on Sunday, but Pittsburgh kicked a field goal in the final minutes.
Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots are the 2/1 joint-favourites to win the Super Bowl after the line-up for the championship games was confirmed. Brady has an 11-5 advantage head-to-head and has won four Super Bowls vs. Manning’s one. “We stayed patient tonight”. But he’ll be remembered I think very highly by Steelers fans. “I told them it would take them all today”.
A family in Littleton will be divided for the Broncos game this Sunday.
The 17th chapter was slated for November before Manning went out with a foot injury that pushed longtime backup Brock Osweiler into the starting and starring role. In 2007, when their second son was born, Peyton Manning led the Colts to a Super Bowl win against the Bears.
The Patriots are playing the AFC Championship for the fifth consecutive seasons, something accomplished only by the 1970s Oakland Raiders. “You don’t want to put yourself in bad situations, but at the same time, you don’t want to make it too much of a game where there are a lot of multiples – if they do this, we do that; if they do that, we do this”.
By half-time, the advantage had been extended to 31-0 when Stewart dived in for another touchdown from one yard, before quarterback Cam Newton hit Greg Olsen for a 19-yard score.
With Denver down 13-12 with less than 10 minutes left, cornerback Bradley Roby, burned time and again, punched the ball from Fitzgerald Toussaint’s arms and teammate DeMarcus Ware recovered at the Denver 35-yard line.
“We knew what to expect”, Broncos defensive end Malik Jackson said.
“I’m honored to be a part of it and I’m looking forward to playing next week in the AFC championship”, Manning said. “It’s on all of us”.
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Then, Manning went to work, driving Denver to its only touchdown. “Each game, key defensive players stepped it up, but you have to be a good team to win these playoff games and you have to win as a team”.
