Steelers vs. Broncos: 5 Burning Questions
The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Denver Broncos at Heinz Field in Week 5. Here are five burning questions this team has heading into Sunday.
Will the offensive line put on another encouraging performance?
The Steelers' offensive line put their best performance of the season on tape last week against the Green Bay Packers. Kendrick Green had a lot to do with that, too. Despite some severe struggles in the first three weeks to the season, Green bounced back nicely and put together a quality performance against a star player in Kenny Clark. I wouldn't say he won that matchup, but he often times lost slowly and that's all you can ask for. The interior offensive line actually sparked somewhat of a running game, clearing holes for Najee Harris. Improvement like that, week to week, is going to be a big point of emphasis for this group.
Who has a bigger impact on this matchup; T.J Watt or Von Miller?
T.J. Watt is arguably the best defensive player in all of football. That's a discussion that Von Miller has been in for the majority of his career, as well. Watt wasn't quite his usual self last week, accumulating two sacks which wouldn't be considered "high quality." It goes without saying that an 85-90% Watt is still one of the best players on the field, though. Von Miller looks fully recovered from his ankle injury that he suffered in 2019 and is off to quite the start in 2021. Already with 4.5 sacks, the Steelers need to be mindful about leaving their tackles on him in one on one pass-rushing situations.
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Will a cornerback step forward with Cam Sutton sidelined?
Cam Sutton joined the illustrious groin club this week and the injury will prevent him from going on Sunday. That probably means more playing time for third-year corner Justin Lane. It also likely means that we will see Ahkello Witherspoon get a helmet for just the second game this season. James Pierre's performance has been pretty uneven overall, but they need him more than ever this week. Expect Arthur Maulet and Tre Norwood to handle slot duties when the Steelers go to their nickel and dime packages. Even with a banged-up Denver receiving corps, you have to assume that Teddy Bridgewater is going to want to test this group early and often.
Do we see a long touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger?
In the past two matchups against the Denver Broncos, Roethlisberger has connected on home runs. In 2018, Juju Smith-Schuster was on the other end of a 97-yard catch and run. In 2020, Chase Claypool's first career touchdown was a deep ball down the left sideline that resulted in an 84-yard score. The deep ball hasn't been there much for Roethlisberger and the Steelers' offense, but if they could hit on one of those splash plays this Sunday, it would go a long way to increasing their chances of coming away with a victory.
How big of a need is cornerback moving forward?
This question is less relative to this current season but more so about what happens in the offseason. Joe Haden is a free agent, leaving Cam Sutton, James Pierre and Justin Layne as the notable names in the room. The Steelers are already playing softer zone coverage this season, presumably to protect their corners. This is a big need that isn't being talked about enough. That's the bad news but the good news is, this upcoming draft class is loaded at the corner position, especially at the top of the first round where the Steelers could end up picking. There are several players that could find themselves worthy of being top 15 selections: LSU's Derek Stingley Jr., Clemson's Andrew Booth and Florida's Kaiir Elam. The Steelers need to make a significant investment here and soon.
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