| Pat Angello. 23rd January, 2006 - 1:12 am
 I’ve been a Broncos fan for as far back as I can remember. Growing up in Colorado and my father having season tickets was honestly one of the coolest things ever. The town gets just plain loopy whenever the Broncos field a team of Super Bowl caliber, and we all have Super expectations. With the Steelers coming to Denver this weekend for the AFC Championship game, I simply knew in my heart that Denver would stop the Bus and Pittsburgh’s streak of winning historic road playoff games would never, ever stay alive.
Guh!
The Steelers did exactly what they have done the entire post season – throw the ball efficiently, stop the run, confuse the opposing teams’ offense, and cause turnovers. Denver had 5 total turnovers at home all season long. Sunday they committed 4. Jake Plummer was responsible for each one, which is unfortunate after the great, mistake-free season he had.
I’m certainly not putting the blame on Plummer – the Broncos’ defense had no idea on how to stop the Steelers. Pittsburgh scored every time they had the ball in the first half. The first drive resulted in a field goal, but I didn’t panic. Then Jake fumbled, but I still had faith when it led to a touchdown. Denver answered, a little, with a field goal. With the score 10-3, I had confidence in the tough Broncos’ D. Then I watched Ben Roethlisberger pick them apart for an 80-yard drive that consumed half of a quarter. Pittsburgh picked up the blitzes, and the DB’s played WAY too far off the receivers. Denver failed to stop Pittsburgh on many 3rd down and long situations and the excited Invesco Field crown got quiet in a hurry.
The Broncos finally figured out a way to stop Pittsburgh early in the second half, and they even put some points on the board in an attempt to make a game of it. The crowd came back to life, but Roethlisberger kept his cool and took care of Denver with his arm and his legs. Big Ben ended up 21/29 for 227 yards and 2 TDs, and he scored a TD on a scramble.
Turnovers killed the Broncos, and I’m afraid to listen to the idiots calling into the sports talk radio stations tomorrow. I just know Plummer will get cooked. However, anyone who knows anything about the sport will tell you that the defense let down the city of Denver this weekend. Next year is far away, and there’s no way to tell what team will be on the field in Denver. Also, the loss of Offensive Coordinator, Gary Kubiak (new Head Coach for the Houston Texans) could have a major impact on this team next season.
For now, I’m a Steelers fan. Why? Because they took it to my team, and the only way I’ll feel good about that is if they win the whole thing. Somehow, I just feel better when my team loses to the team of destiny. |
