Taking a look at the NFL lines, oddsmakers currently have the Steelers favored by 8.5-points over the Broncos with the total set at just 34 points.

Pittsburgh Steelers:

The Steelers will have to take a bit of a different approach to get back to the Super Bowl, but it’s nothing this team isn’t capable of. Pittsburgh came into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed last year, but thanks to the Patriots losing their first game they were able to host the AFC Championship Game.  Unless the sixth-seeded Bengals win their first two games, Pittsburgh will have to win three straight on the road to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl for a second straight season.

The big concern for the Steelers is the health of starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has had to battle a severely sprained ankle down the stretch. Roethlisberger didn’t play in week 16 against the Rams, but did come back to help Pittsburgh beat the Browns last week. However, he completed just 23 of 40 attempts for 221 yards with no touchdowns.

There is even more pressure on Roethlisberger to perform at a high level after a devastating season ending injury to starting running back Rashard Mendenhall, who tore his ACL in the final game of the regular season. Pittsburgh is already without backup Jonathan Dwyer and figure to be without Mewelde Moore, who is listed as doubtful. That leaves Isaac Redman as the primary back. Redman rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown against the Browns.

The Broncos defense has been hit or miss late in the year. They seem to struggle the most against teams who can throw the football. The big key in this game will be whether or not the Pittsburgh offensive line can protect Roethlisberger from  Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller.

Denver Broncos:

The Broncos will be making their first playoff appearance since 2005, but they aren’t exactly coming into to the posteason with a lot of momentum. After winning six straight from week 9 to week 14, the Broncos finished up the season with three straight losses. Denver went into week 17 needing to beat the Chiefs to secure the AFC West, but ended up losing the game 3-7. Thanks to the Raiders loss at home to San Diego, Denver was able to keep the top spot in the division.

The buzz surrounding the Broncos is centered around starting quarterback Tim Tebow, who took over the starting job from Kyle Orton in week 7. Denver was just 1-4 at that point and looked like they were headed for another poor finish. However, Tebow would lead the Broncos to seven wins in his first eight starts, most of which came in thrilling come-from-behind fashion. During that stretch Denver won six games by a touchdown or less, including three overtime wins.

The big concern for the Broncos is whether or not Tebow can deliver a win when it really matters in the playoffs. Over the final three games Tebow completed just 20 of 73 (41%) passing attempts for just 439 yards with one touchdown to four interceptions. In the regular season finale he went just 6 of 22 for 60 yards.

For Denver to have any chance of winning this game they are going to need to have a big game running the football, but even then they are still going to need a huge game defensively and something out of the passing game. In the loss to Kansas City, Denver rushed for 216 yards but only had a field goal to show for it. Willis McGahee had a team-high 145 yards.

Running the football against the Steelers defense is no easy task. Pittsburgh finished with the 8th best run defense in the NFL, allowing just 99.8 ypg. It also appears unlikely that Tebow will have much success throwing the ball, as the Steelers finished held opposing teams to a league-best 171.9 passing yards per game. One thing to keep in mind is starting free safety Ryan Clark will not be able to play in this game because of the high altitude. Whether or not the rest of the Steelers can avoid slowing down at Mile High Stadium is something that will have a huge impact on this gam.

Betting Trends:

Pittsburgh is 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games in January.

Denver is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 playoff home games.

Be sure to stop back and check out who Steve Janus has picked to win during the 2012 NFL playoffs.

Originially posted on BetFirms