The Denver Broncos are one of just four teams remaining in the AFC playoff bracket. After a strong finish and a little luck from the Miami Dolphins defeating the New England Patriots, the Broncos hold the No. 1 seed in the conference. Their bye week is finished, and it's time to play football.

The Broncos first postseason game will be against the Pittsburgh Steelers this upcoming weekend. True, the Steelers did defeat the Broncos back in Week 15, but the circumstances have changed dramatically since. That game was played at Heinz Field and Peyton Manning was on the sidelines resting his foot. That won't be the case this coming Sunday. "The Sheriff" will be starting for the Broncos, and this game will be played in Denver.

In addition to Manning coming back and having home field advantage, the Broncos are also much healthier. The Steelers have some key injuries that could play a major role in the final outcome of this game. Their running backs are hurting. Le'Veon Bell has been out almost the entire season and now DeAngelo Williams is questionable because of that ankle injury. Williams missed the wild card game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and many insiders fear he could miss this game as well.

Antonio Brown is also questionable because of a concussion he suffered against the Bengals late in the game. Ben Roethlisberger isn't 100 percent either. Roethlisberger has a shoulder injury, and there's no telling what kind of impact it will have.

The Broncos honestly have no excuse to lose this game against the Steelers.

The No. 2 seed Patriots are also dealing with a large amount of injuries. The Patriots offensive line looks different every week: Julian Edelman's status is still in question and even Tom Brady took a little spill in the final game. Bill Belichick's squad lost four of their final six games to surrender the top spot in the AFC.

The key for a Broncos Super Bowl run will be the passing attack. We'll see if Manning is ready to go, but others have to step up as well. Demaryius Thomas has to get open far more often, and Emmanuel Sanders needs to provide that much needed deep threat. The biggest no show for the Broncos has been Vernon Davis. Davis has been a ghost in this Broncos offense since coming over from the San Francisco 49ers. The Super Bowl is at Levi's Stadium this year. What better way for Davis to rectify himself than to win it all there.

Clearly the Broncos have the defense to win it all. Wade Phillips's squad ranked in the top five in nearly every major category this season. If Brown is unable to go, Aqib Talib's job just got a lot easier. The Broncos have the best pass rush in the league, so it will be interesting to see how the always mobile Roethlisberger responds this time. Roethlisberger is a quality quarterback, but he has been in a little slump lately with some inaccurate throws and questionable decisions.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1

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