2018 Broncos' Season, Week 12


Week 12: Broncos 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
Season Record: 5-6 (3-3 Home)
Key Play: In the fourth quarter, leading 24-17 with just over a minute left, the Steelers faced third and goal at the Broncos' three. Ben Roethlisberger dropped back to pass and was intercepted by Shelby Harris, sealing the upset win.

Recap: Do you believe in Miracles? Sorry to steal from Al Michaels, but I feel like I've just witnessed a Thanksgiving Weekend miracle. The Steelers came into Denver 7-2-1, the hottest team in the AFC. And the Broncos, at 4-6, were coming off a nice win against the Chargers, but hadn't had a good season. And now, at 5-6 with an easy schedule, instead of talking about draft picks, it's time once again to think about playoff possibilities. In fact, it's too early to feel good about anything, but the Broncos have a favorable path to at least nine wins, and a possible playoff berth. I thought that would be their path back in August, but heading into the bye week that seemed like a lost cause. But two wins against two playoff bound teams in two weeks later, and it again seems to be on the table. The Broncos traded Demaryius Thomas and lost several players to injury, and yet they seem to be getting stronger. Case Keenum, who was awful at times early this season, had his third straight game without a turnover, and the Broncos played well again. In fact, three weeks ago this seemed like a lost season. Now, it's hard not to wonder what if when you think about tight games against the Chiefs, Rams and Texans that just slipped away. To this point the Broncos have played the toughest schedule in the NFL, but their last five weeks feature four teams below .500 and a re-match with the Chargers at home. The Broncos could actually be on the cusp of something and, for the first time since early September, fans are hopeful once again. As Red said in "The Shawshank Redemption," hope can be a dangerous thing. But let's hope that this time it's not in vain. It's on to the Bengals!

Game Balls:
* Phillip Lindsay. He should be the Rookie of the Year, but he's been overlooked. All he did Sunday was run for 110 more yards and a touchdown to put this team on top.
* Emmanuel Sanders. Where would we be without Sanders, who has been superb this season. He had seven catches for 86 yards and a TD today.
* Shelby Harris. Harris nearly sacked Big Ben on that 97-yard TD pass to Juju Smith-Schuster, but he came through in the clutch on that final third down with the game-sealing interception.
* Justin Simmons, Will Parks, Darian Stewart, Chris Harris. The secondary showed up today. Simmons blocked a field goal, Parks saved a TD and caused a turn over, Harris picked off Big Ben and Stewart recovered a fumble from James Connor. That was quite an effort that led to a win.

Lingering Concerns:
* Can the Broncos do it? It seems set up for an improbable playoff run, but are we just getting our hopes up? Time and the next four weeks will tell the tale.

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