So the elephant in the room is finally out of the way. This past week everyone’s talked about how the Broncos’ game against the Ravens was the type of game that was expected from Denver this season; in short, a losing one. True, the Broncos didn’t look great against the Ravens, but then Baltimore is one team that they’ve never looked good against. It would have been a small miracle to be able to beat them in Baltimore, and honestly the Broncos just aren’t that good. However, they’re still better than everyone expected, and one loss against a traditionally tough opponent that they normally lose to any way isn’t enough to say they’ve slipped into the mediocrity everyone expected of them when the season started. This week they can once again prove themselves as they face off against Pittsburgh, and fortunately that game is at home. What does Madden 10 say about this match up? Defense is the key.
If the Broncos want to win, they need to get pressure on Big Ben. In our Madden 10 sim, that’s exactly what we did and the result was four interceptions thrown by Big Ben. Pittsburgh had several decent drives that ended in a pick due to pressure on the quarterback. That’s the key to winning against the Steelers. You don’t have to sack him, but rush him, get him out of rhythm, force him to make quick throws. Big Ben was able to burn Denver on a blitz once late in the game, but if the defense can get to him mistakes will be made. Champ Bailey had two of the four interceptions, and those turnovers were the reason Denver won the game. It also didn’t hurt that Denver was able to keep the Steelers running game in check, allowing just 30 yards on the ground.
That’s not to say the offense didn’t do their part, because they did. As they have over the course of the season, the offense was steady and consistent. Orton threw for 15 of 21 for 216 yards and a TD. Moreno ran well against a tough D, pounding out 82 yards on 21 carries and finding the end zone twice. Brandon Marshall also had a big day, breaking tackles and racking up 94 yards on 3 catches, including one for a TD. The Broncos also missed two field goals, however, so not everything was clicking as well as it could have. In the end, the offense did enough and the defense did the rest to secure a solid 24-7 win. That score really doesn’t tell the whole story. As I said, Pittsburgh played well and kept Denver to just 17 points until the final drive of the game when Denver was able to get into the end zone one last time with just seconds left. Also, were it not for the turnovers, the score might have been quite different. So it’s up to the Denver D this weekend to prove that the Super Bowl champs aren’t all that super any more.
