Hats must be taken off to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite playing without three of their best players on their offense and their best playing gutting it out with a bad shoulder, they gave the Denver Broncos everything they could handle and more in the divisional playoff. That said, it was hugely important that Denver won that game.
Why? First of all, does anybody within reason believe the Steelers would’ve gone into Foxborough against a much healthier defending champion New England Patriots and won the game? Of course not. After all, they beat Pittsburgh earlier in the year when most of their best players were healthy. No, if dethroning the champs was going to happen for the AFC, the Broncos had to be the team to win.
Five moments that propelled us to Sunday's AFC Championship https://t.co/AGtQHRqZfU pic.twitter.com/3XuKCIS9u9
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 18, 2016
The reason is simple: home field. In the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era, the Patriots have played in an astounding nine conference championship games. They are 4-1 when they host the games, their only loss coming against the eventual champion Baltimore Ravens in 2012. Away from Foxborough? It’s a different story. The Patriots are just 2-2. Both wins came against the Steelers, offering further proof of their domination of Pittsburgh.
Their two losses? Both came at the hands of Peyton Manning, including one in Denver two years ago. The Broncos also defeated the Patriots at home without Manning earlier this season, a 30-24 overtime thriller. So they have the confidence knowing they can beat the champs and no quarterback has a keener understanding of Belichick defenses than the future Hall of Famer.
This game isn’t going to be a gimme by any stretch. The New England Patriots are notoriously hard to beat in the playoffs and it will take an even great effort from the Broncos to do it. That said, if there was a scenario that at least offered the best chance, this is the one.