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Steelers vs. Broncos..An Apples to Apples Comparison
The Pittsburgh Steelers head to Denver to take on the Broncos and the altitude of the Mile High City on January 8, 2012. The Steelers enter with a 12-4 regualr season record and the AFC's #5 seed while the Broncos barely made it into the playoffs with an 8-8 record. The Broncos' 8-8 record was good enough to win the AFC West, granting Denver home field advantage for this Wild Card game.
The table below offers an apples to apples comparison of the two playoff teams. The statistics are from the 2011 regular season.
| Category | Steelers | Broncos |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 Record | 12-4, AFC North Runner-up | 8-8, AFC West Champions |
| 2011 Home Record | 7-1 | 3-5 |
| 2011 Away Record | 5-3 | 5-3 |
| Playoff Seed | AFC # 5 | AFC # 4 |
| Starting QB Wonderlic | Ben Roethlisberger = 25 | Tim Tebow=22 |
| Offensive Ranking | 12th | 23rd |
| TDs Thrown | 21 TDs | 20 TDs |
| INTs Thrown | 15 INTs | 13 INTs |
| Reception Leader (Yards) | Mike Wallace, 1,193 | Eric Decker, 612 |
| Rushing Leader (Yards) | Rashard Mendenhall, 928 (On Injured Reserve) | Willis McGahee, 1,199 |
| Offense Total Points | 325 points | 309 points |
| Rushing Fumbles | 5 fumbles | 11 fumbles |
| Sacks Given | 42 sacks | 42 sacks |
| Offensive Penalties | 101 penalties | 101 penalties |
| Defensive Ranking | 1st | 20th |
| Defense Points Allowed | 227 points | 390 points |
| Defensive TDs | 1 TD | 6 TDs |
| Defensive INTs | 11 INTs | 9 INTs |
| Fumbles Recovered | 4 fumbles | 9 fumbles |
| Defensive Penalties | 96 penalties | 99 penalties |
| Sacks | 35 sacks | 41 sacks |
| Interception Leader | Polamalu, Gay & Taylor, 2 | Goodman & Bailey, 2 |
| Sack Leader | Harrison & Woodley, 9 | Miller, 11.5 |
| Tackles Leader | Clark, 71 | Williams, 69 |
| Average Kickoff | 66.5 | 64.4 |
| Field Goals | 23 out of 31 | 19 out of 25 |
| Average Kickoff Return | 25.1 yards | 24.5 yards |
| Average Punt Return | 10.5 yards | 12.7 yards |
| Offensive Turnover Ratio | -13 | -12 |
| Time of Possession | 32:33:00 | 29:43:00 |
| Franchise Super Bowl Wins | 6 | 2 |
| Super Bowl Losses | 2 | 4 |
| Franchise Championship Wins (Pre SB) | 0 | 0 |
| Founded | July 8, 1933 | August 15, 1959 |
| All Time Playoff Record | 33-20 | 17-15 |
| Series Record | 10-16-1 | 16-10-1 |
| Last Meeting | 2009: Steelers, 28-20 | 2009: Steelers, 28-20 |
| Head Coach Experience | Tomlin, 5th season | Fox, 1st season |
| Coach Playoff Record | 5-2 | 0-0 (5-3 at Carolina) |
| Offensive Captain(s) | Ben Roethlisberger & Hines Ward | Willis McGahee & Chris Kuper (IR) |
| Defensive Captain(s) | James Farrior | Champ Bailey & Brian Dawkins |
| Special Teams Captain | Arnez Battle | Wesley Woodyard |
| # of Players on Injured Reserve | 12 | 8 |
| 2011 Pro Bowl Selectees (Not counting Alternates) | 5 | 3 |