Tim Benz: Perceptions of Steelers and Broncos set to be tested Sunday
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The better the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing, the more likely coach Mike Tomlin is to discuss the opposing team during his weekly Tuesday press conference.
You know, talk up the opponent. Especially if that team is an underdog. Don’t let the locker room get too high on its early accomplishments, etc.
If the Steelers were 4-0 heading into Sunday’s game against the 3-1 Denver Broncos, Tomlin may still be at the podium today, extolling the virtues of every single player on the Denver roster from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, to former All-Pro pass rusher Von Miller, to the long snapper.
The inverse is usually true, as well.
When the Steelers are struggling badly as they are right now, Tomlin’s weekly scouting report of the opponent that he provides for the local media is a lot less in-depth because he usually prefers to preach the agenda of “working on ourselves” and the need for the team to clean up its own backyard.
At 1-3 right now, some major landscaping is needed at Heinz Field.
So, the Broncos shouldn’t be at all offended if Tomlin didn’t get into the nuanced stat lines of the backup tight end or the high school bio of whoever is the dime defensive back. That’s not indicative of what he thinks of them. It’s more a sign of how acutely aware he is of how much work needs to be done with his own team.
“This time of year is less about the people that we play. It’s more about the continual trajectory of our group,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “Us gaining a better understanding of who we are, who we have available to us. How do we accentuate their positive traits? How do we work to minimize their negative traits? How do we set them up schematically and put them in a good position to be successful?”
That tone seems to reflect the national view on this game as well. So much of the narrative this week from the national media seems to be about the Steelers’ three-game losing streak and the plummeting play of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Rightfully so.
Meanwhile, once we get away from the controversy over how the Broncos loss last week against the Baltimore Ravens ended, Denver just seems to be portrayed as a nice little story of a team quietly getting better in a vastly improving AFC West.
Again, perhaps rightfully so.
After all, Denver’s wins in their first three games came against the Giants, Jaguars and Jets. Those teams have a combined record of 2-10. So, the national spin on the Broncos seems to be, “They’re off to a good start after going 5-11 last year. But have they beaten anybody?”
Broncos coach Vic Fangio pays no mind to that talking point.
“I was very happy with the 3-0 start because all that matters is winning,” Fangio said Wednesday. “That was good for us to do. Especially in light of our past starts.”
Denver began 2020 with three consecutive losses and was 0-4 to start 2019. But then this year’s Broncos club went out and lost 23-7 at home to Baltimore last week. A game that featured the Ravens racking up 406 yards of offense to Denver’s 254, as the Broncos were just 3 of 14 on third downs.
“Last week, we ran into a good team in Baltimore. Their defense had a good day against our offense,” Fangio said. “We couldn’t get much going. They won by two scores. We didn’t play as well as we would like. Hopefully, we can get back to our winning ways.”
That said, if Denver comes to Heinz Field and beats the Steelers Sunday, won’t people be saying the same thing? I mean, have the Steelers looked like tough competition for anyone since their Week 1 upset against the Buffalo Bills?
The box scores and game film would say a resounding “no.”
Perhaps that’s why this game is being offered as a virtual toss-up. The Steelers — with home-field advantage — are listed as a narrow one-point favorite by BetRivers.com. So it appears the gambling public is having a tough time believing its own eyes as well.
Are the Steelers really as bad as their last three games appeared? Are the Broncos really as good as their first three games, when their defense allowed just 26 combined points?
“They’re a 3-1 football team, they’re playing really good football,” Tomlin said. “When you look at the tape, you see why. They’re running the ball extremely well on offense.
“On the defensive side of the ball, you’ve got to start with Von Miller. Just a generational guy. What can you say about Von Miller … They’ve got a quality group that rides that wave, in the secondary in particular. They’ve got veteran players with some continuity, particularly at the safety position (Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson).”
For as backward as it may seem, this game appears to be positioned as one that would be a bigger win for the Steelers.
Despite being a slight favorite at home. Despite being a team that won their division last year.
Meanwhile, Denver hasn’t been above .500 since 2016 and hasn’t been to the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl in 2015. You’d think coming to Heinz Field and scalping the Steelers would be quite an accomplishment in the early portion of their season.
Instead, it may be positioned nationally as just another victory over a team with only one win on its resume.
But that’s probably more reflective of what the Steelers have become, as opposed to what the Broncos are trying to be.