Pittsburgh vs Denver: Defense to outclass offense on all fronts

Pittsburgh has lost 3 games in a row. Does Ben Roethlisberger choosing not to end his sporting career seem a lost cause? Perhaps the home meeting with the Denver Broncos will be a turning point, and we will finally see the real Big Ben. Let's pick a few options to bet on for this crucial match.

Ben Roethlisberger has been the Steelers quarterback since 2004. Mike Tomlin has been the team's head coach since 2007. Ben is credited with winning the 2005 Super Bowl. The duo of Tomlin and Roethlisberger won the Super Bowl in 2008 and made it to the season opener in 2010. Clearly, the Steelers are one of the most consistent and title-winning teams of nearly the last two decades. But time goes on, sports and leagues evolve, and it takes new solutions to stay on top. Even Tom Brady left the New England Patriots to win another title as a result. Pittsburgh doesn't seem to have that potential. The old ways are less and less effective. The Steelers' last far-reaching playoff run dates back to 2016. Since then, not a single game won in the postseason.

The Steelers started the 2021 championship with a great away win over Buffalo, but then something broke. Three losses, Pittsburgh failing to score more than 17 points in each. Ben Roethlisberger had only 4 touchdowns and as many interceptions. Ben's participation in the game against Denver is also questionable. And it's probably not just a consequence of the injury the quarterback sustained in Week 2's game against Las Vegas. Too bad, but an era is ending crippled, and not with the shield, but on the shield.

The start of the season for the Broncos has turned out just fine. The team is coming into Week 5 with a 3-1 balance. Denver's division rivals are the Chargers, Vegas, and Kansas. Making the playoffs out of those four will be extremely difficult for the Colorado team. Nevertheless, Denver has already taken advantage of the chance to tickle the nerves of powerful competitors at the start of the championship.

With Vic Fangio at the helm of the Broncos for the third season, they are doing what they know best: playing defense. So far, only Buffalo concedes than Denver in the current league. A particularly important figure is Ed Donatell, the team’s defensive coordinator.

On offense, things are much more complicated. Denver is 21st in the league at the moment. The team's new quarterback is Teddy Bridgewater, who has played for Minnesota, New Orleans, and Carolina. He has just 892 passing yards this season but with 5 touchdowns, no interceptions, and an excellent completion percentage of –72.1. Bridgewater's participation in the upcoming game is questionable, as is Ben Roethlisberger's.

• Pittsburgh: Carlos Davis (DT), Rashaad Coward (OT), Chukwuma Okorafor (OT), Ben Roethlisberger (QB), Chase Claypool (WR) – questionable.
• Denver: Baron Browning (LB), Graham Glasgow (G), Andre Mintze (LB), Dalton Risner (G), Teddy Bridgewater (QB) – questionable.

The rivals played each other last season in Pittsburgh, the home team winning 26-21.

Before that, Denver had beaten the Steelers twice in a row at home. In 2016 - in the playoffs.

Both teams can win this game. Pittsburgh seems to be in a crisis, but don't overestimate Denver, either. After all, the Broncos have beaten the not-so-powerful Giants, Jets, and Jacksonville, and when they faced their first really serious opponent, the Baltimore Ravens, they went 7-23.

Total Under seems to be the best option here. Denver is rarely conceding and scoring as much. Pittsburgh can't score anything, but they're not allowing much to their opponents. Unlike the Broncos, the Steelers have faced really tough ones: Vegas, Cincinnati, and Green Bay. A head-to-head encounter between these teams at the start of the season promises to be a low-scoring game. It doesn't matter which quarterback ends up on the field, whether it's the Roethlisberger-Bridgewater pairing or Drew Lock and Mason Rudolph.

Prediction: Total Under.

Betting options:

• Total Under (40.5) for 1.78;
• Individual Total 1 Under (20) for 1.80;
• Individual Total 2 Under (19.5) for 1.76.