Of all of the first round playoff games coming up next weekend, the Denver Broncos against the Pittsburgh Steelers seems like the most obvious choice for a blowout. The Broncos are not enjoying any level of momentum whatsoever, and they face a veteran 12 win team who just played in the Super Bowl last year. The home field advantage did the Broncos no good in the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday. Thus, it's easy to see why so many are predicting Pittsburgh to walk over Denver next weekend.
"They say that getting in is all that matters, but I'm not sure they're correct in this particular case," writes Don Banks. "The Denver's offense was brutal at home in a 7-3 loss to Kansas City, and Tebow looked very much like the same quarterback who floundered around for most of 55 minutes in his very first start of the season, in Week 7 at Miami. So much happened in the span of those 10 weeks, but for Tebow and his team, this has to feel a little like the ultimate mixed blessing."
That word "brutal" is true about an offensive performance in which Tim Tebow runs for 16 yards and has a 20.6 passer rating. The Broncos can play good defense and have a stout running game behind Willis McGahee, but they need Tebow to turn things around under center or they're in for a long afternoon.