Box score?

Often times a look at the box score of a game will tell the story a game, and sometimes it won't. The Steelers vs Ravens AFC Divisional playoff game was a little of both.

389 of total offensive for both teams combined. check
106 yards rushing combined  (only 35 for Baltimore) check
11 sacks
5 turnovers... check, check.

So what was that final score? 10-7? Nope, try again... how about,

31-24

What? How in the hell? Umm, yeah, let's just say that the "over" was the play, who knew.

Of course those turnovers fueled the lion's share of the points. The defenses were beasts even if the scoreboard says they were soft.

Steelers get... we still don't know

Going in I felt like the Steelers wanted the Chiefs the most, the Colts next and the Ravens least. I guess I still feel that way, but now we know we won't get the Colts and part of me wishes we would have.

When Vinatieri made the 50 yarder, I felt a sense of relief, thinking "hey I like our chanced a lot!". After all the Colts are still seriously banged up and the Jets pounded them mercilessly, would have been kinda fun to see if we could have held the ball for like 59 minutes. It was not meant to be though as the Jets had just enough left and Folk didn't choke (even a blind squirrel and all that). 


Now we will most likely get the RatBirds and it should be classic. 

Ravens vs Texans

The Ravens should win this game, they should be pissed off and a little desperate after losing the game and division lead to the Steelers last week.

But they are also beat up and probably tired. Not a great recipe for success against a potent Texans offense. The thing that still has me leaning the Ravens way is just how good they are against the run. If they can stuff Foster then Schaub has to step up, will he?

I'm guessing Flacco and Co. leave Houston with a win on Monday Night Football, extending the division race another week at least.

Steelers vs Bengals preview

Pre-season favorites to win the AFC North??? I questioned it then and I thought to myself.... the bungles? Really? The experts were picking the bungles to do something they haven't done in twenty years and that is have back to back winning seasons.

Yeah, not so much. 

The Steelers were picked third and expected to miss the playoffs.

Yeah, not so much.

What does all that have to do with Sunday's game?

Yeah, not so much. 

As much as I do love reveling in Cincinnati's ineptitude, I am still concerned that this is a trap game for Pittsburgh. We just came off a physical, emotional win and it would be easy to look past Cinci and towards the Jets. That said it looks like the Bengals have mailed it in, they believed their own press clippings and thought, "we are an elite team". Man, it's gotta hurt to fall from a ten story building like that, ouchie.

Cedric Benson is going to get stuffed all day and Carson Palmer will make a few plays and few more mistakes. Mendenhall should get going early and have a solid twenty carry day. I'm hoping Ben can get a day off and we cruise, but I don't think it's going to be a blowout.

Steelers should win a fairly low scoring game, my pick 24 -14.

Raider Karma

Ravens win and their in, should be simple enough, after all this week’s game is kind of a gimme... Just don’t tell that to the; Buccaneers, Bengals, Steelers or Broncos…

One year ago the Raiders made a HUGE impact on the playoffs when they beat the Buccaneers in the season finale. The Bucs had everything to play for and that loss knocked them out of the playoffs and simultaneously gave a post season ticket to the Eagles who would use it well and advance to NFC title game.

Earlier this year the Bengals fell flat against the silver and black, and then it was the Steelers and finally the Broncos. The last two were on the road no less. The Steelers and Broncos have no excuses, both were critical games and in the Steelers case they had recently lost to the Chiefs so they shouldn’t have been looking past anybody.

The Raiders style of play coupled with the Ravens own style should keep the game fairly low scoring and therefore somewhat in doubt late into the game. The Ravens absolutely should win; I just won’t be shocked if they don’t.

 

Odds Schmods!

Was there any doubt that we’d be in this spot?

If you thought the season would end any other way, you clearly have not been paying attention. Here’s what will happen this weekend;

Steelers will beat Dolphins
Patriots will beat the Texans
Broncos will beat the Chiefs

I am fairly certain that the Ravens will beat the Raiders, but I have another post coming on that topic.

That leaves the Bengals vs Jets to determine our fate… on Sunday night no less. Last game of the regular season.

Conventional wisdom has the Jets playing much harder than the Bengals especially since Cincinnati will be locked into the #4 seed come kickoff time. I remember in ’89 when we needed the Vikings to beat the Bengals on Monday night (last game of the regular season) for us to get in. This time we need Cinci to come out on top, but the circumstances are very similar.

One other thing… If the Bengals lose to the Jets this week they are almost assured of getting them right back in the Wild Card Round. They will of course know this, and do they really want to face a team that JUST beat them? Now the Bengals have not played well of late, but I think they are a slightly better team than the Jets and I’m hoping that talent will win on this day.

If the Bengals pull it off, we’ll have a date with New England. I’ll be the first to say; I hate that matchup, but I’ll take it to get in.

The end is a new beginning...

As time ticks down, Ben scans the field, looking for someone, anyone. Finally he sees a window and lets it go, the pass is perfect, two hands clutch the ball, and two toes tap the turf… just barely inbounds. Steelers Win!

The receiver was Santonio Holmes, the game of course was the Super Bowl. That play capped a magical season where the Steelers simply would not be denied. Flash forward ten months, the receiver was also Mike Wallace and that game of course happened just yesterday. That eerily similar play officially ended a five game slide where the Steelers did everything but gift wrap victories for their opponents.

Could that one play be the start of a new season? Will it infuse the team with a confidence that has been the most crucial of all the missing ingredients? Don’t think so? Don’t laugh, I’m serious.

After six games the Tennessee Titans were 0-6 and had just been shellacked by the Patriots. At that point they were losing games because of a secondary that was decimated by injury which resulted in a fading confidence in all other aspects of their game. When they won that first game after their bye I said, “watch the Titans, they are going to be very good in the second half”. I felt that way because that team was so obviously better than their record and that one win provided just a spark of confidence. That is all a good team needs.

That is what the Steelers got on Sunday. If they win the last two, they will need just a little help and they are in the playoffs. If that happens, all bets are off and I am sure of this; nobody wants to see Pittsburgh in the post season.