Heath Miller

The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t need a reminder of Heath Miller's importance to the offense, but viewers of Sunday’s 33-20 win in Cincinnati got just that.

With 42 targets in his last five games, the ball is likely coming his way Sunday against Denver, which hasn't given up a 300-yard passing game all year. The Broncos will try to force some checkdowns, which means some methodical, move-the-chains action for the 33-year-old Miller.

Miller's involvement often depends on the matchup -- he's an excellent run-blocker -- but after Sunday’s 10-catch, 66-yard performance Sunday, Miller is setting a career receiving pace that won’t materialize because of injuries.

The numbers are sort of surprising, considering all the fireworks from the Steelers' offense. For the 28 quarters Ben Roethlisberger and Miller have been healthy and and on the same field together, Miller has 44 catches for 404 yards.

Miller is the perfect safety valve in the middle of the field when the offense can't go deep, and despite several weapons on the outside, Roethlisberger might be using Miller more than ever right now, the story said. He caught all ten of his targets on Sunday against the Bengals and it sounds like he could be heavily used again this week against the Broncos.