Ben Roethlisberger threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns while All-Pro Antonio Brown made 16 catches for 189 yards in the initial meeting with the Broncos, but both stars were injured during Pittsburgh’s 18-16 wild-card win over AFC North-rival Cincinnati last week. Brown has been ruled out by the Steelers as the team tries to prepare for a divisional round game in the 2016 NFL Playoffs.
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Brown was one of the leading receivers in the National Football League this season, catching 136 passes for 1,834 yards with 10 touchdowns. The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Denver Broncos on Sunday, December 20, 2015. Additionally, DeAngelo Williams isn’t expected to play as he deals with a foot injury. On the final drive, linebacker Vontaze Burfict collided with Brown, a defenseless receiver over the middle on a passing attempt. Fitzgerald Toussaint will also play a huge role in Pittsburgh’s offense in this game.
The Steelers likely won’t be able to throw the ball 55 times as they did in a 34-27 victory over Denver last month. The Broncos faded a bit from their early-season surge, but they get Peyton Manning back and their defense should be well-rested. He’s going through the NFL’s concussion protocol, and the Steelers don’t have a timetable for his return.
Roethlisberger is expected to play on Sunday. All four receivers and possibly Darrius Heyward-Bey will need to step up in a big way when the Steelers play the Broncos this time.
Of course, now the speculation will turn to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his shoulder. We went through some trial and error.
Roethlisberger sat out practice Wednesday with QBs Landry Jones and Michael Vick sharing snaps for the Steelers.
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According the Jason Mackey of DK on Pittsburgh Sports, Martavis Bryant said that Roethlisberger was throwing the ball 4o yards and probably could have thrown it further if he wanted to. “I thought it was as productive day”, said head coach Mike Tomlin when asked about Roethlisberger on Friday, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. They allowed 908 receiving yards and seven touchdowns to opposing tight ends this year, which means Miller could be in line for a big game.
