I’m usually a big ref supporter - they make mistakes but are usually pretty darn good. In truth, the bickering about the refs is why I rarely come back anymore.
However, I have to confess: the refs seem much worse this year - but in favor of one team or another? IMO, nope.
As expected, this game is somewhat of a joke. There are only two things left to ponder: will the Steelers’ defense pitch a shutout, and will the offense drop a fortyburger on them?
I think the Panthers will need nothing short of a miracle to score the way things are going. Claussen is getting killed out there, and that’s the best one can say about him tonight. The offense is pretty much having their way, so 40 isn’t impossible either.
…and once more the Steelers connive to prove me wrong on both predictions. Looks like Carolina will score here.
A slight highjack – today is the 38th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception.
(It must be bringing us good luck!)
That game was a joke. The Panthers are atrocious. Then again, so are the Steelers’ special teams. Kick coverage. Every team has it, but few give up as many costly returns as the Steelers.
Oh, well. One more win or Ratbirds loss and it’s off to the playoffs with a bye week.
Is it guaranteed that if the Ravens lose the Steelers get a first round bye? What if the Steelers lose their final game and the Chiefs win their last two, who has the tie breaker there for the #2 seed?
I am embarrassed to say I totally forgot the game was on tonight. Remember just in time to see the last 4 minutes of what was apparently a romp. Here’s to the Birds losing Sunday! The Steelers can really use that bye.
Pittsburgh holds the tiebreaker for better conference record, so they still get the bye in that case. The only team that has a shot at the #2 seed other than Pittsburgh is Baltimore, though I’m not sure how just yet. The tiebreaker calculations are better left to people smarter than I am as complicated as they seem to be.
Yeah! Go Browns!
Who got injured? I only saw a glimpse of a Steeler lying on the ground holding his leg.
I know Ryan Mundy was down for a while, that might be what you saw.
I did not, but only tuned in three or four times during the evening to verify that my beloved Panthers were getting a beatdown. Of course, since they are this season’s pathetic losers (see: recent years, Detroit Lions), that was to be expected. 
Aside from Mundy, Mwelde Moore and Jason Worilds both injured their knees. No word on the severity yet. Worilds’ injury seems like it could be on the serious side.
Thank god Pittsburgh can earn home field on their own without help, because there is NO WAY that I would root for Cleveland to win, not even over Baltimore. I’d love to see the Ratbirds lose and close out the division and home field for the Steelers, mind you. But I ain’t backing the Brownies to see it happen.
No surprise that James Harrison and Troy Polamalu make the Pro Bowl (and congrats to them!) but it’s nice to see Pouncey make it as backup to Nick Mangold.
Obviously any fears that I may have had about the Steelers playing down to the Browns were unfounded. We scored on every possession until we took Roethlisberger out of the game. As a payback for the game last year, I’m quite pleased to watch the Steelers go up there and lay a big Cleveland steamer on them.
It appears that I also overestimated the Browns in giving them any credit for beating anyone this year. My first inclination to interpret their wins over the Saints and Patriots as anything other than those teams looking past them appears to have been correct. What a terrible, terrible team.
I can’t believe how bad the Browns were today. But I don’t really care because…
THE STEELERS GOT THE BYE, BABY!
They appear to be peaking at the right time of the year, too. And getting healthy.
So, who do you think they’re going to get in the divisional round? I’d really like to see Kansas City, but I suspect it’ll end up being Baltimore again. The lower seeds would both have to win their games (assuming that everything goes as it should for the rest of the games today), but it seems foreordained that the Steelers have to meet the damn Ratbirds three times a year every year.
HOW many times did they fumble today? I was almost embarassed for them. Almost.
Today’s game was a thing of beauty. Seriously.
Other than completely curb stomping a rival (even accepting that the term rival cannot really be applied to such a desperately inferior franchise as the Cleveland Browns), the thing that most thrilled me yesterday was the use of the quick slant pass, and the short passing game in general.
IIRC, we threw two quick slant passes. The first, to Wallace, worked for a huge gain, and the second, which I think went to Sanders, was a nice gain for about 10 yards or so. If we actually have that in our arsenal, I think our chances for success in the playoffs are dramatically improved. I believe we can compete with New England if we don’t restrain our passing game to nothing but attempts of 20 yards or more.
I also loved that on 3rd and 7, Ben chose to throw to the 8 yard route, rather than trying the deep ball. I know it was just the Browns, so it’s hard to generalize the success we had yesterday to actual NFL teams, but still, yesterday’s game made me much more optimistic about our playoff chances.
And the AFC North bloodletting begins. Eric Mangini was fired after a blistering hot 5-11 season. His second in a row, I believe? When can we expect Marvin Lewis’ dismissal from Cincinnati? I’m surprised it hasn’t happened already.