Broncos-Steelers game balls: Peyton Manning, DeMarcus Ware and ... Joe DeCamillis?

When the game started with the Denver Broncos converting field goals instead of touchdowns, I began to worry. The Pittsburgh Steelers were finding success moving the ball, but somehow the Broncos defense kept the score low. It paid off as the Broncos offense  nearly doubled its point output in the final quarter to lock down the 23-16 victory.

It really felt like there were truly no superstar performances in this game. Just a team fighting and grinding its way to a home playoff win.

Bradley Roby

He didn't have a spectacular game in coverage, but second-year corner Bradley Roby showed up big when the team needed him the most. Throughout college and his NFL career, Roby has shown a knack for the big play and late in today's gridiron battle he displayed that ability once more. His strip of Steelers running back Fitzgerald Toussaint in the fourth quarter was recovered by DeMarcus Ware, a turnover that was desperately needed and provided a spark to help propel the Broncos to a comeback victory against Pittsburgh. - Christopher Hart

DeMarcus Ware

DeMarcus Ware had a heck of a football game, whether it was harassing Ben Roethlisberger on third down late in the game or when he made the most important fumble recovery of the season. Bradley Roby made an incredible play to jar the ball loose from Fitzgerald Toussaint's arm right into Ware's area.

That play turned the tide in the game as Peyton Manning would put together his best drive of the game that would be capped by a C.J. Anderson third down and goal score.

From there, Demaryius Thomas would catch a two-point conversion and the Denver Broncos would hold on for the franchise's tenth AFC Championship game appearance. This was a great team win. - Tim Lynch

Aqib Talib

Hurt or not Ben Roethlisberger went 24/37 for 339 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. Two of those non-touchdowns were thanks to Aqib Talib, Talib followed that up with finishing tied for 3rd on the team with four solo tackles. With Chris Harris banged up and favoring his shoulder, Talib was consistently drawing the best man on the field for 2015's best overall offense (Steelers) and taking him out of the game. All while playing general to Denver's young corners forced to step up in Harris's assistance. - Ian Henson

Brandon McManus

Brandon McManus has had a lot of ups and downs in his short 2 year career with the Denver Broncos. He's been questioned about his 40+ field goals. He's been questioned about his clutch kicking performance. Well, in the biggest game of his career, Brandon McManus was practically all of our point scoring to help the Broncos advance to the AFC Championship game. Brandon was 5 for 5 from 28, 41, 51, 41, and 45 yards with a fairly strong crosswind. That was a hell of a game for a kicker in the playoffs. McManus definitely deserves this Bronco fan's game ball! - Sadaraine

Peyton Manning

Love him or hate him, worship him or worship the Broncos, think he should be riding his sofa instead of lacing up his starting cleats or not, Peyton Manning is back and as good as he's been since 2013.

Manning was magnificent on Sunday afternoon. 222 yards passing? It would have been almost 300 with a touchdown had CJ Anderson remembered how to catch a pass with nobody around him. Tack on 6,7, or 8 more drops, and Peyton "game manager" Manning has over 400 yards and 3 TDs with get this, NO TURNOVERS! Yes ladies and gentlemen, Peyton is back, and it's a damn good thing too, because I'm simply not ready for an NFL without him.

While Manning will never be confused for John Elway, I challenge anyone to tell me that when Manning flopped down, but realized he wasn't touched and immediately jumped up and slung a pass to Sanders, that you didn't reminisce about certain helicopter plays in our lore.

Sure, it didn't win the game or even produce any points, and it certainly didn't occur in the super bowl, but when Peyton popped up and slinger that ball, it was game over. The Sheriff was back, and our team was back. In the great words of Peyton Manning himself, "We're on to New England!" - Pete Baron

C.J. Anderson

When you think of "kicking and screaming," one face is on the promotional poster: C.J. Anderson. It started in last year's divisional loss to the Indianapolis Colts and resurfaced in Sunday's 23-16 gut-check win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Anderson finished with 15 carries for 72 yards. He also averaged 4.8 yards per carry. But the reason he gets the gameball is because he scored the most important touchdown of the season for his team to cap a drive that makes a team a champion. And he wasn't going to be denied, either. However it happened, Anderson was scoring that touchdown. That's what kicking and screaming is all about. - Ian St. Clair

Joe DeCamillis

Joe DeCamillis, really? Yes, really. There were too many ST plays to not go with the ST coach.

When DeCamillis was hired to round out the family coaching tree, I wasn't terribly impressed. And after the first preseason games, I thought his hire was definitely a disaster. By the first game, however, special teams came together enough to be not a liability, and then respectable and then pretty darn good.

Then came Sunday. From Kayvon Webster downing a punt on the three, to Cody Latimer scaring the you-know-what out of the punt-returner plus hitting hard enough to knock the ball out, to McManus kicking through the uprights all day long despite crazy wind, to Britton Colquit putting the ball where it needed to be, to Omar Bolden's 42-yard punt return - special teams was finally special, rather than not-so-special.

It looks like Kubiak knew what he was doing with that hire. - Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann