NFL Steelers: Odds on Who They Encounter in Playoffs and just how They Go With

Oakland RaidersThis really is door No. 2 for that Steelers. The Raiders complement very well with Pittsburgh. Offensively, the Raiders perform a large amount of running, something the Steelers haven't always defended now this season and therefore are a good passing team with a quarterback (Carson Palmer) that knows Pittsburgh well.Defensively, the Raiders boast a decent secondary with speedy corners, but Ben Roethlisberger and company should be able to handle that. This game could end up being very difficult whether it happens, but the Steelers really are a more complete team compared to Raiders and may probably dominate the clock enough to win.Listed here are our other two hopefuls.Denver BroncosWhether or not Tim Tebow is setting offense back 70 years, he's winning football games. That's all that really matters. He's also got the Broncos believing in themselves. That can be dangerous. Denver has a talented defense too that gets after quarterbacks and shuts runners.A lot more than Tebow, that's winning Denver games. This has been a nightmare matchup for everyone lately, however i think if any defensvie coach can figure Tebow out, it might be Dick LeBeau, especially because of the team's pass rush.Tennessee TitansThe Steelers thrashed the Titans in Week 5, but Tennessee has come a long way since. Chris Johnson is starting to get on track finally, and also the Titans have discovered methods to win despite a dropoff in production from their receiver-less passing attack. Still, you'd have to think the Steelers could repeat at least part of their Week 5 performance to unseat the Titans.The common thread I find within the wild-card matches is that the Steelers like a 12-4 Wild Card are better than any mixture of teams that could grab the fourth seed or even the third seed. I don't visit a problem with them during this round.We now have to throw in some more variables. During my original predictions, the Cincinnati Bengals were the sixth seed. The New York Jets are one other viable wild-card option (excluding the Broncos, Raiders, Titans and Texans, who could feasibly have a wild-card berth when they miss out on their division).Assuming the Jets or Bengals face off against one of the likely third seeds (Oakland or Houston), either could move on to the following round and face the top seed. That will mean the Steelers would face the second seed.If the sixth seed team loses, the Steelers would face the 3rd seed. That would mean one of the teams we've already mentioned. That's more appealing than either likely matchup for a second seed: New England or Baltimore.Let's look at each of those teams individually.Offense vs. PittsburghThe Steelers did a fantastic job in Week 8 of keeping the Patriots from the field. Once they were on the field, the Steelers took away Tom Brady's favorite targets (Rob Gronkowski, Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez) making him throw to Chad Ochocino or Deion Branch.The outcomes were that Brady, as they still completed plenty of passes, didn't get the ball into the hands of his playmakers.The Steelers' defense still matches well with New England because of an above-average secondary that's featuring the raised William Gay and Keenan Lewis alongside Ike Taylor, Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu. The pass rush also seems a likely plus against a Patriots line that is lacking some punch these days.Defense vs. PittsburghThe Steelers already proved the things they can do against New England's defense but will have to revamp their approach again because Bill Belichick doesn't let unexpected things happen the same way twice.

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