The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the Super Bowl 50 favorites coming into the 2016 NFL Playoffs; however, things have taken a turn for the worse. Not only is Ben Roethlisberger dealing with injuries once again -- this time a sprain AC joint in his throwing shoulder -- but Antonio Brown could be ruled out of their game against the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round entirely due to the concussion protocol after suffering the illegal hit by Vontaze Burfict. This could be a major blow to the Steelers because they plain and simply have no shot if those two aren't at the top of their respective games.
This truly could obliterate the Steelers' chances of making it to the big game. Not only will things be tough for Roethlisberger to throw the ball, but not being able to get it to his most reliable target -- a top five receiver in the NFL, no less -- could stall their offense entirely. Especially considering they'll be playing one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Denver has the top-rated against-the-pass unit in the league, and the Steelers had the third-best passing offense (even with Landry Jones and Michael Vick starting five games combined).
Suffice to say, this was supposed to be an epic battle. But if either of those two can't go or at least be somewhat close to who they are when completely healthy, then this game has been all but handed to the Broncos.
Sure, Martavis Bryant is a great big-play receiver. But he can't do everything like Brown can. He's not a go-to guy on third down. He's not a consistent enough target to bring in 10-12 catches during the course of the game and be the top wideout. Or at least he hasn't shown that he can at this level yet. Even so, with Big Ben hurt, life won't be easy for Bryant either, and who knows how effective the veteran quarterback will be throwing the deep ball.
I don't know how great Peyton Manning can be coming back from his foot injury and taking over for the rookie Brock Osweiler. But you have to imagine the Steelers would need to score at least 20-25 points to have a legitimate shot at winning regardless. I'm not too sure they can do it without a healthy Brown and Roethlisberger.
