{"id":122800,"date":"2021-10-06T10:55:56","date_gmt":"2021-10-06T14:55:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=122800"},"modified":"2021-10-06T10:55:56","modified_gmt":"2021-10-06T14:55:56","slug":"the-key-to-denver-broncos-bouncing-back-against-pittsburgh-steelers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/10\/06\/the-key-to-denver-broncos-bouncing-back-against-pittsburgh-steelers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Key to Denver Broncos Bouncing Back Against Pittsburgh Steelers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/broncos\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Denver Broncos<\/a> must bounce back against the <a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/steelers\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> to avoid slipping into another losing streak. Their three-week winning streak was against some of the weaker teams in the league. Many saw the game against <a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/ravens\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Baltimore Ravens<\/a> as a test. But according to a particular analyst, the real test is in how they recover <em>now<\/em>. Plus, there is one other area they can attack.<\/p>\n<h2>The Key to Denver Broncos Bouncing Back: Attack Pittsburgh Steelers Rookies<\/h2>\n<p>The Broncos have been knocked off the undefeated list. It was expected, but they have a knack for getting into a rut. This season is <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/09\/13\/broncos-risks-paying-off-week-1-win\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">meant to be different<\/a>. They are widely regarded as having the best depth in the entire league. It is a privilege &#8211; they should play accordingly. As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MillVo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Von Miller<\/a> says, &#8220;We just got to rack &#8217;em up, look at this [game]\u2026 get back in the lab on Monday and let&#8217;s respond.&#8221; Unlike previous seasons, it is entirely possible for the Broncos to bounce back.<\/p>\n<h3>Injuries Are the Cause of Their Problems, Nothing Else<\/h3>\n<p>Their problems began when they were without eight starters, all riddled with injuries. Jeffri Chadiha confirmed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/broncos-must-learn-important-lessons-from-ravens-as-injuries-mount\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">confirmed<\/a> this when he said, \u201cThe reality is that the Broncos would have had a much better chance in this game if they hadn&#8217;t been crippled by injuries.\u201d Missing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BridTe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Teddy Bridgewater<\/a> in the second half due to a concussion just exacerbated the absence of key playmakers like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/C\/ChubBr00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bradley Chubb<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/J\/JeudJe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jerry Jeudy<\/a>, Ronald Darby and Dalton Risner. Denver is fortunate that Jeudy and Darby are returning soon, and the rest of them soon after. The team can be expected to turn out better results upon their return.<\/p>\n<h3>The AFC West Title Fight Is Fiercer but Attainable<\/h3>\n<p>After the season\u2019s start it was clear that competition for the AFC West title would be a lot tougher, yet more balanced than it was in 2020. The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/chiefs\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> are shockingly at the bottom of the division. The Broncos are second, but it is better than anyone expected. The AFC West is now one of the most competitive divisions in the league \u2013 and no one saw that coming.<\/p>\n<p>While the Broncos await the return on their key players, their depth will need to step up. Their roster has been lauded as one of the best, and regaining their momentum quickly is vital. The strength of their depth will be clearer as they endure a tougher schedule than that of the first four weeks.<\/p>\n<h3>The Key To Beating Pittsburgh<\/h3>\n<p>Denver will face Pittsburgh Week 5, and they only need to think back to their earlier games to know what they have to do. The Steelers stormed into the season with an emphatic win against the <a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/bills\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Buffalo Bills<\/a>, then lost to the<a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/raiders\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Las Vegas Raiders<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/bengals\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/packers\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Green Bay Packers<\/a> by a combined 33 points. With an offense that ranks 27<sup>th<\/sup> in yards per game and 29<sup>th<\/sup> in scoring, they are a beatable team.<\/p>\n<p>The Broncos won their first three games of the season because of Vic Fangio\u2019s success against rookie quarterbacks. Pre-snap disguises and post-snap coverages mystified <a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/jaguars\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/L\/LawrTr00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trevor Lawrence<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/jets\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New York Jets<\/a> Zach Wilson. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/R\/RoetBe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ben Roethlisberger<\/a> has seen a lot in 17 years. The key is to get at rookie right tackle Dan Moore and center Kendrick Green. Von Miller will be able to cause problems in one-on-one matchups against Moore.<\/p>\n<p>The Broncos have many tests ahead of them, but they have so much depth, it\u2019s hard to picture them falling back into a slump. Once their injuries heal and they are back in full force, they can still power their way up the rankings and the eventual AFC West title.<\/p>\n<p>Main Image: <\/p>\n<p><a id=\"iP3myFisT0xoiXfdJmUxmg\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.ca\/detail\/1344834369\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'iP3myFisT0xoiXfdJmUxmg',sig:'QHf6vnuqfK_B09uFFi6qHimYrah-NGAxyIbdqR4SanE=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1344834369',caption: true ,tld:'ca',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Denver Broncos must bounce back against the Pittsburgh Steelers to avoid another losing streak. The key is in how they attack the rookies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2583,"featured_media":122820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,54],"tags":[3541,7641,7309,5581,63,607],"class_list":["post-122800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-broncos","category-editorials","tag-bradley-chubb","tag-broncos-featured","tag-denver-broncos-roster","tag-jerry-jeudy","tag-teddy-bridgewater","tag-von-miller"],"modified_by":"Alexander Haynes, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2583"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122800\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}