Broncos writer shares insight, thoughts on Steelers Week 5 matchup

The Pittsburgh Steelers play the Denver Broncos in Week 5. A writer from Predominantly Orange shares his thoughts on this must-win matchup. 

Even with a declining Ben Roethlisberger and an obscure amount of turnover on the offensive line from last season, I don’t think anyone could have predicted the Pittsburgh Steelers would be 1-3 through their first four games of the season. After besting the Bills on the road in Week 1, Mike Tomlin’s team has since lost three straight contests.

If last week’s game against the Packers wasn’t a must-win for the Steelers, this one certainly is if they want to keep their season alive. Recently, I caught up with Graham Tiedtke of FanSided’s Predominantly Orange to discuss this Pittsburgh’s Week 5 matchup against the 3-1 Denver Broncos. He shares his thoughts on the upcoming game:

1. What has been your overall impression of the Broncos through the first four weeks?

The Broncos have been able to pull off nice victories over the Giants, Jaguars, and Jets. While those are considered “easy, should-win” games, it was a nice confidence booster for this team.

Unfortunately, they just were not able to get things rolling against the Ravens.

There are still some things to figure out if you’re the Broncos, and one of those things is the longevity of the quarterback situation. Depending on how the rest of the season goes, we could see yet another change.

The team has also had injuries occur once again. That was a major issue last season, as well. Bradley Chubb is out for a while. He hopes to return sometime this season, but that could depend on if the team is close to getting into the playoffs.

It’s still a work in progress, but going undefeated in September was a lot of fun to watch. Hopefully, they can figure out how to have another streak like that.

2. Are there any weaknesses on the Broncos, offense or defense, that could be a concern against the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Special Teams has been an ongoing concern and issue of the Denver Broncos. They gave up a kick return for a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens last week. No matter what they do to try and resolve the issues, something seems to always go wrong.

I think that the quarterback position may have trouble against Pittsburgh, and part of that will be because of the offensive line. All I know is that they will have to play significantly better than they played against Baltimore.

3. Is QB Teddy Bridgewater going to play after suffering a concussion, and how do you think Denver’s offense will perform against Pittsburgh’s defense?

It sounds as if Bridgewater could be available against the Steelers, but the big issue is that he is not eligible to practice until Friday, giving him just one total day of practice for the week.

I think that will end up being a problem for Denver. That being said, the Broncos have run the ball effectively this season and they may go to that quite a bit. The Broncos rank 11th in rushing yards at 487 on the season.

The question will be, can Pittsburgh stop them on the ground? The Steelers are allowing 99 yards per game on the ground. If Denver can establish the rushing game, it would be a huge win.

4. Who is one under-the-radar player on the Broncos that fans need to watch on Sunday?

Rookie safety Caden Sterns. Sterns, while not a starter, has five tackles and two sacks, along with an interception.

The Broncos sent Sterns on a blitz twice against the Ravens and it resulted in his two sacks. Oh yeah, that was against Lamar Jackson.

5. Which player on injured reserve have the Broncos missed the most that would have made a big difference against the Steelers?

The Broncos have several key players on injured reserve. They lost wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to an ankle injury, wide receiver K.J. Hamler to a torn ACL, outside linebacker Bradley Chubb to an ankle injury, cornerback Ronald Darby to a hamstring injury.

Those are the big four. I think that the guy they miss the most is probably Jeudy. While Denver has Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick, those two just don’t have the same skills as Jeudy.

Not having Jeudy and Hamler on the field is a big problem for the Denver Broncos, and it is not helping the quarterbacks at all.

6. What is your game prediction for Steelers vs Broncos in Week 5?

I think that, on the offensive side of the ball, Denver is going to run the ball quite a bit. They’re going to have to control the clock. Throw a little bit of play action to Noah Fant maybe. Ben Roethlisberger, while he is getting older, is still tough to bring down so the Broncos are going to need to play amazing coverage.

It would not shock me if the Steelers end up having big special teams plays, and I think that this game is going to be pretty difficult to win for the Denver Broncos.

I still love to see how this team can improve on a week-to-week basis. Hopefully, they do not see their ongoing issues carry over to the Steelers game, though.