Steelers lose in disappointing fashion in OT

 All week I heard many local media members and much of Steeler Nation talk about today's game as if it were the equivalent of a bye week.  We heard that Tim Tebow was no threat, and the loss of Ryan Clark would not matter due to the lack of threat through the air. Hell, the Steelers were 12-4 and had the #1 rated defense relative to points allowed and passing yards.  I am much more of a Pens guy, and write little about the Steelers, though I watch them all the time.  I had many conversations at the gym this week with friends that I told that this was the most suspect 12-4 team I can recall seeing, and that their defense was way overrated.  The key stat for most championship teams is usually turnovers and turnover ratio, an area that the Steelers greatly underahieved in this season.  They were also a very bad road team, and struggled mightily against very poor teams, making suspect quarterbacks look good all year.  The Steelers defense was not nearly as stout against the run this season as they usually were either.  So, I took a road game, against a team with a very good defense, and a strong rushing attack as potentially trouble for a Steelers team that tends to play down to its competition.  I was hoping to be wrong, but the Steelers played to their recent script.  With an opportunity to go up quickly on the Broncos with two great first quarter drives, the Steelers fizzled in the red zone as they did quite often this year, and despite total domination, left the first quarter with only a 6-0 lead.  Then, Tebow began to dissect the suspect Steelers defense, building a 20-6 lead late in the first half, making several passing plays along the way.  Wait, wasn't this the guy who couldn't throw??  At any rate, the Steelers had something going late in the half, driving into at least field goal range, and possibly had time to challenge for a play into to the end zone.  As has been typical, they then make a mistake that costs them a chance to get points to close the half when Doug Legursky snapped a ball over Big Ben's head to end the drive out of range of even a late long FG attempt.  The Steelers then battle back valiantly to tie the game, stop the Broncos late, and have a chance to drive for a game winning field goal.  Then, three other season long Steeler issues arise.  Poor clock management by Tomlin, letting 22 seconds tick off the clock instead of stopping it to give Ben more chances to manuever the team into position for a late FG attempt.  Then from the 45 yard line, Ben takes an 11 yard loss and fumbled the ball while being sacked, eliminating any options for last second heroics.  Finally, Big Ben was sacked 5 times during the game, three of them during the last drive.  Then in OT, the paper curtain gets burned again on the first play with an 80 yard TD play.  End of game, end of season, end of the Ward era in Pittsburgh.  This team was beaten up for sure, but they had more than enough firepower on both sides of the ball to beat this team.  I thought Lebeau was horrible today, as was Tomlin.  The Steelers never adjusted to what the Broncos were doing, and allowed a really bad QB to torch them for 316 yards, including several splash plays.  I thought Timmons was invisible, Harrison was invisible, Polamalu was invisible, Wallace made another big drop, Ben threw a pick, and took a really bad sack.....Ike Taylor played maybe the worst game I have ever seen a quality corner play in my life.......The Steelers got no sacks, and no turnovers out of Tebow, who had been a turnover machine of late.  Mundy did create a fumble in the fourth quarter that could have and should have led to a big Steelers victory.  Instead, the Steelers left the game on the table and the Broncos took full advantage.  Congratulations to them.  The Steelers are getting a bit long in the tooth on defense, and you may have seen the end of Aaron Smith, James Farrior, Casey Hampton, and/or Chris Hoke. You most likely saw the last of 86 as a Steeler.   The Steelers may want to get out from under Kemo's contract as well. If the Steelers can sign Cotchery again, they will still have one of the best and deepest WR corps in the league.  They will also have the youngest offensive team in the NFL, with many players still reaching for their upside.  They will need to look at guard, running back, linebacker and corner in the offseason through the draft and free agency.  With a few tweeks, and some better fortune healthwise, the Steelers should be as good as anybody in the AFC next year.  For this year, they will have to look in the mirror and analyze how they let a VERY mediocre team, with a limited QB beat them.  The Steelers of old would have made a QB like Tebow pray for his life instead of humiliate them in a big game.  Next week sets up two mismatches with New England v Denver and Baltimore v Houston, a very wide open tournament that the Steelers should still be a part of, but frankly they did what they did all year on the road, and today paid the ultimate price, at least in terms of their dreams for a Stairway to Seven.