Even accounting that Lewis has slowed down a bit, it's crazy that Ed Reed and Ray Lewis are on the same defense. The Ravens looked bigger and stronger than the Dolphins. Once Reed ran the interception back for a touchdown, I figured it was ballgame. If Flacco doesn't make mistakes, I expect the Ravens to win in Tennessee. San Diego has little hope in Pittsburgh unless Roethlisberger is terrible.
Hopefully. I'm a little worried about Sproles. The Steelers D tends to play so aggressive that they become vulnerable to the draws and screen plays. Given Sproles' speed he's the perfect type of RB to run those plays.
I don't know if it's because of the team history or what, but people overrate the Steelers more than any club I've seen this year. Can they win the Super Bowl? Sure, they're a talented group, as are about seven other teams. But they're nowhere near the dominant force people make them out to be. Here's their performance against playoff teams: Tennessee: loss, 14-31 Baltimore: win, 13-9, in the final seconds on a very controversial call San Diego: win, 11-10, on a last second field goal Indianapolis: loss, 20-24 New York Giants: loss, 14-21 Baltimore: win, 23-20, in OT Philadelphia: loss, 15-6 That's a 3-4 record against playoff teams, with several losses not particularly close and every win being incredibly fortunate in the final seconds. They have a great defense, but they absolutely have a bad offensive line combined with a QB that holds the ball much longer than he should. That's not to say they can't win the Super Bowl, because they can. But I think people like them because of their brand name and historical dominance, and tend to make them into a dominant team, when they're really not. For example, the statement that San Diego "has little hope" unless Roethlisberger is terrible. Well, earlier this season against San Diego, Roethlisberger played one of his best games of the season -- 31-41, 308 yards, no turnovers -- and the Steelers won, 11-10, on a last-second field goal... at home! I think the odds are better than 50/50 that the Steelers win, and thus I'll pick them. But I expect it to be a very close game where the Chargers have a great shot to steal it late, and anyone thinking otherwise hasn't paid that much attention to the way the Steelers have won games, imo.
Oh, whoops, let me edit that... almost like a reflex to assume they'd be in. Well, make that 3-4. In any event, the point is the Steelers certainly aren't a dominant team. They're a good team with a great defense and a knack for making plays late, but they're certainly not the caliber of opponent where you can say another team doesn't have a chance. That's overstating it.
You again? The only "big" game where the majority of the analysts & media called for the Steelers to win was the Tennessee game. Given how that played out, go figure. Just about every other time they've been the underdogs which is precisely the way I like it. You must live in a bubble if you think for one second the Cowgirls weren't hyped up 10x as bad. Them...or I could make arguments for the Jets and Broncos too before their seasons nosedived. Several? Really? NYG/Indy: Blown 4th quarter leads Philly: Game was 10-6 until final minutes Titans: Game SHOULD have been 20-14 when the Steelers got the ball back for the final drive. The "should" I am referring to was the inexcusable unsportsmanlike conduct penalty which took away a 4th down & obvious FG attempt and resulted in a 1st & goal at the 1. Not making excuses, just pointing that out along with the fact the Steelers outgained the Titans -- the game was closer than the final score indicates. Don't think for one second the Steelers don't think they can beat the Titans. Look, I get it. Their offense is shaky. The line is struggling, Parker has been nagged with injuries and Ben has been unusually mistake prone. Not only has he been mistake prone but he's like the Manu Ginobili of football. He hangs onto the ball so long waiting and tries to create something out of nothing. Just when you think he's about to do something crazy is when he surprises you with a last second score, conversion or whatever. That's just his style. Ben has pretty much redefined the term "coverage sack" since nearly every sack recorded against him is attributed to the opponent's coverage and Ben dancing around in the pocket. All the same. Parker's health is improving, the line more than held their own against SD's defense and Ben simply just knows how to win. [Knock on wood]. I like our chances. If you want to use the probability of the analysts picking the Steelers to win a home playoff game this week to support your next puzzling football theory of them being "overrated", fine. Go for it. Again, another example where looking at the final score briefly doesn't tell the story. The Steelers doubled the Chargers total offensive output. LT sucked (go figure), Rivers was ineffective and Steelers offense struggled to put points on the board. It happens. For accuracy's sake the 11-10 "official" final score doesn't include Polamalu's TD that was incorrectly erased. I realize it doesn't change the point but every time I see that incorrect 11-10 final score I get annoyed.
I have indeed "paid attention" and feel otherwise. I don't think much of the Chargers at all. It isn't a matter of "overrating" the Steelers.
Brian Westbrook is why the Eagles will have a chance in New York next weekend. The Eagles probably won't win but if it's close in the 4th quarter, watch out.
Giants vs. Eagles Part III, winner takes all. Well, not really, but the winner does have good chance of going to the Super Bowl.
For accuracy's sake, that game against Pittsburgh was one of the worst played game by the Chargers all season long, and yet they still hung in there and lost by only 8 if you give them that Polamalu score. This is NOT the same Chargers team you saw back then. You'll see the Chargers winning next week.
I don't think Jackson played that bad overall this game and considering some of his performances earlier this year and last year this was a decent game. I think one of the bigger problems was that the Vikings line seemed to get tired and couldn't pick up the Eagles' blitzes as well later on in the game. Jackson ended up having to rush a lot more passes than earlier. As a young QB Jackson is still developing but once he gets more experience its possible he willl be able to handle when his protection breaks down late in the game. The difference between the two QB's in this game was what to be expected between a tough veteran and a player really still learning the game.
The QBs and the coaching staffs were the difference this game. I am not impressed with Brad Childress at all. What I like about the result is the Eagles have a chance to win next week. If the Vikings had won, you could bet the farm they would lose to the Panthers. I'm not sold on Jackson's future as a starting NFL QB. He has the "tools" but I don't know if he'll ever figure out how to use them. Childress better have another viable option (not named Frerotte) come training camp. If he is smart, Jackson will come in as the backup and not the starter.
Given that he doesn't have a legitimate QB on his team and really only 1 receiver most people would recognize (Berrian), I think Childress did wonders to get that team to 10-6. And while it was back in September, they did beat the Panthers already this season, 20-10.
Woot, nailed this week. I'm not sure what "puzzling" theories you're referring to — I've been pretty good at pegging teams lately. (How many other people in this thread nailed all four games?) I'm not necessarily saying it's the media. But every board I read — this and others — the impression I get is that people view the Steelers as dominant. They're not, for the reasons you and I have both stated. Perhaps I have a sour impression of them from the Eagles and Titans games, which I watched in full. In both, their offense didn't give me much room for optimism. I might still pick the Steelers to win the AFC — haven't decided yet. I think the Ravens are slightly better and more dominant, but with that hypothetical matchup in Pittsburgh, I'm thinking about picking the Steelers. I like Pittsburgh. If you look at my prior posts here, you'll find I was one of very few cheering for them in the Super Bowl, and defending them when certain others here were crying conspiracy over the officials. But the read I've gotten, on this and other boards, is that people think this team is a heavy favorite in the AFC, and I just don't see it. I also think the Chargers are very underrated. People talk about the Colts being hot, but the Chargers have won five in a row, including putting up 41 in Tampa on a very good Tampa defense with a lot to play for. Sure, their record was ugly at one point, but there's a reason these guys are considered the most talented team in the league year after year. They're good, they're hot, and Rivers has played well in big moments. Their defense can be suffocating. I think I'm taking Pittsburgh, but I expect this to be an excellent game.
