DENVER – Chances are at some point or points today while you watch the Broncos and Steelers play for the AFC Championship at Invesco Field at Mile High, you’re going to see a couple of human missiles flying through the air making game-changing plays, one for each team.
For the Broncos, it’ll be safety John Lynch. For the Steelers, it’ll be safety Troy Polamalu.
The word safety, which defines the two players’ position, is an oxymoron in that there’s nothing safe about the way either player performs on the field – with complete disregard for their respective bodies and personal well-being.
One or both of these players very likely will be the reason his team wins. One or both is likely to make the play that turns the game one way or the other.
Polamalu has been a play-making machine for the Steelers all year, making 100 tackles, three INTs and three fumble recoveries. Had it not been for the poor-call interception reversal last week, he’d have two INTs in the postseason.
Lynch, the veteran former Buccaneers star, finished the season with 69 tackles, four sacks, two INTs and four forced fumbles. He also had an INT in last week’s playoff win over the Patriots.
The Broncos move Lynch all over the place, often blitzing him. He single-handedly rattled New England’s unflappable QB Tom Brady last week, making Brady throw early because of his blitzes.
Polamalu, who sports the long, dark locks flowing out from the back of his helmet, is moved around a lot, too, but more from run support and into pass coverage. He does some blitzing. The Steelers’ deftly disguise his role and he often crosses up opposing offenses, much the way he did when he baited Peyton Manning to throw that fateful pass most everyone thought he’d intercepted.
“I like his game,” Broncos safety Nick Ferguson said. “He’s fun to watch, always seems to be around the ball. They find so many ways to move him around and cause pressure and distractions. He always seems to be in position to make plays. He has a motor that never stops. It’s hard to deny a player like that.”
Even Broncos QB Jake Plummer said enjoys the sight of Polamalu.
“He’s a guy that’s fun to watch,” Plummer said. “If I played defense and played safety, that’s the way I’d like to play, running around like crazy and diving all over the place. Hopefully, we won’t give him many opportunities to make many plays.”
Denver coach Mike Shanahan spoke of the dilemma of figuring out what the Steelers are going to do with Polamalu from play to play.
“He is unbelievable,” Shanahan said. “I really didn’t know that until I studied him over the last couple days. But they do a great job with their scheme making it very tough to figure out where he is. But the rest is him making plays.
“There are not very many plays where he is not involved with the play. You can’t say that about many people in the National Football League. He plays with one of the highest motors I have ever seen.”
In that way, Polamalu is a lot like Lynch.
“They definitely give him an opportunity to make a lot of plays,” Broncos CB Champ Bailey said. “John, he knows everything, he studies the game very hard and he’ll knock you out. Both of them will do that. I think Troy is definitely a John Lynch in the making.”
Steelers coach Bill Cowher called Polamalu “a very unique player at his position,” adding, “He combines the athletic ability to cover, the explosion to be a great blitzer and he’s an outstanding tackler. You couple that with he’s a very instinctive player. He kind of has his own style.”
That style, to a degree, has been gleaned from watching players like Lynch.
At the Pro Bowl last February, Polamalu approached Lynch to seek advice on playing the position.
“Early in the week, he came up to me and said, ‘Any way I could pick your brain and if you don’t mind spend some time with you?'” Lynch recalled. “I respect that out of young players. The guy is committed to the game of football and, obviously, is a tremendous talent. He makes their defense go.”
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com
Steelers at Broncos, Today, 3 p.m.
ON THE AIR
TV:
CH. 2
RADIO:
WFAN (660 AM)
THE LINE
BRONCOS: -3
O/U: 41
INJURY REPORT
Steelers: OUT OLB James Harrison (ankle). PROBABLE: ILB James Farrior (calf), ILB Larry Foote (knee), CB Chidi Iwuoma (shoulder), DE Travis Kirschke (groin), OLB Joey Porter (hip), QB Ben Roethlisberger (thumb), CB Deshea Townsend (knee), DE Kimo Von Oelhoffen (knee).
Broncos: PROBABLE: TE Stephen Alexander (toe), DE Courtney Brown (shoulder), MLB Keith Burns (knee), WR Todd Devoe (wrist), CB Darrent Williams (groin), MLB Al Wilson (thumb).
KEY MATCHUP
Broncos S John Lynch, a frequent blitzer, vs. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, who’s been sacked only 23 times this season. Lynch was a key to unsettling Tom Brady and the New England offense last week.
NUMBER TO KNOW
9-0. Broncos’ record at home this season.
STEELERS CONCERN
Giving Broncos QB Jake Plummer too much time in the pocket and keeping him contained on the outside. Plummer not only can run well but he throws well on the run.
BRONCOS CONCERN
That they’re unable to stop the Steelers’ running game. Between speedster Willie Parker and the ultra-motivated Jerome “Bus” Bettis, this is a formidable task for Denver.
PREDICTION
Steelers are 1-4 in AFC Championship Games under Bill Cowher, but all of those games were in Pittsburgh. This Steelers team is relishing the underdog-road-warrior vibe and their defense will make the difference today. Look for Pittsburgh to force two Jake Plummer turnovers and look for the Steelers to stay committed to the run, even when the sledding is tough.
STEELERS 24
BRONCOS 23