Woohoo!
The defense seemed a little weak the first half, but they did fine the second.
Playoffs here we come!
It’s on now. The AFC teams have no idea what just happened. They think a chump team barely got in. Nope. The eventual Super Bowl Champions just made the playoffs with authority. Oh yeah, it’s definitely on now.
I also have to chuckle that the #3 seed and the #6 seed have the same record. Oh, and that BOTH wildcard teams have better records than the #4 seed. I’m all for division titles and everything, but I think that record should establish homefield for playoff games. Obviously, in a situation like the Steelers / Cinci matchup, you’d give the edge to the div. champs, but it just seems silly to have the Patriots host a playoff game against a team that potentially will have won two more games in the regular season.
Anyway, off the soapbox.
Steelers D looked horrible in the first half, especially on third down, which was particularly revolting. They tightened up in the second. Parker and The Bus were solid the whole game, as was the whole special teams squad. Ben’s stats were horrible, but it wasn’t really his fault. He should have had about 6 more completions, and at least one touchdown pass, but for some reason all the Steelers wideouts left their hands at home for parts of the game. The first pick wasn’t his fault, but the second was.
Overall, it looks like the Steelers have the intensity to go on the road and make a run: Cinci, Indy, whoever, and off to Detroit!
Yeah, y’all should beat Cincy. Steeler RBs have hit a stride, and STs are awesome, areas where Cincy has seriously faltered the past few weeks.
I’ll go OOAL and predict a 24-17 win over the Bungles. (Based the current 3 and 6 seed rankings as I post). Jax takes a probable 2 game better record into Foxboro for the 4/5 seed game.
Dang! This is almost like the NBA.
It looks like Jerome may hang it up after this one. I hope they can win the SB for him.
Airman, “He who must not be named” was reporting a game on Fox, I believe. Did you see him? Did your TV survive?
Lucky for my TV I missed that. As it is my wife very nearly caused an explosion in the house when she gifted me with this when I got home. For one thing, the title’s all wrong. It should be “The Most Disgraceful Super Bowl In History: The Day You-Know-Who Threw The Game And His Career Into The Garbage And Very Nearly Destroyed The Loyal Fan Base Of The Greatest Team In The NFL”.
Of course, that’s just me.
Cincy is making the Steelers look like a JV team right now, even with two nasty injuries. Your boys better step it up.
It is not looking good guys. We are simply being outplayed. Even by their second string QB! We better step up our game or the season is over. :mad:
Our season is over. Even if we skirt by today, we’d get slaughtered in Indy next week. With how pathetic we’re playing, there’s simply no point. In my 10 years of watching the Steelers, I’ve never seen a pass defense this bad. We can’t cover anyone.
Penalties are KILLING us! Troy, what are you doing? It is so unlike you.
Calm down, we can still come back, it is still early.
And what does it matter? We go to Indy? Does anyone seriously want to bet that we won’t get killed there with the way we’ve been playing? Blind hope can only get you so far.
Only 17-14 at the half. It could be a lot worse. We can still step up our game and win this one.
Now *that *is what I’m talking about! What a play! I love those trick plays (when they work.) Woohoo! We’re on top.
Part of me wants to put my foot in my mouth. Part of me thinks that the outcome would have been different if Palmer wasn’t injured. But mostly I just wonder where the hell that team was in the first half.
I’m only 21, I don’t need this kind of heart attack inducing stress Cowher.
That’s what I’m talking about. It looked shady early on, but damned if they didn’t play like champs from about halfway through the 2nd quarter on.
Bring on the Colts. The winner will be the Super Bowl champs. In other words, Pittsburgh. 
Troy, I forgive you for the penalty. I forgive you for causing me a heart attack with the lateral after the interception.
Please play this way next week *all *game long.
So you’re just counting out New England and Denver?
My thoughts: Our defense has been playing that way all year, and I’ll be damned if I can figure out why. We seem to allow anything the offense wants to do, except establish a really good running game, and then come out in the second half and really shut things down.
Polamalu better get his head out of his ass. Those were two really boneheaded moves for a player of his caliber.
I hope Wisenhunt is offered a head coaching job somewhere else. Yeah, the direct snap to Randle El, throwback to Roethlisberger, deep ball to Wilson play worked here, but it could easily have not worked, and we needed to get at least a field goal on that drive to go up by a touchdown. We were at the 43 and had a third and a couple to go to get a first down. That could really have changed the outcome of the game, whereas we have all sorts of weapons that should be able to convert a third and short. We tried nonsense later in the game, and Randle El almost ran us out of field goal range before throwing it away. Stop the bullshit and trust that you can exert your will with your primary weapons - strong running backs, Heath Miller, Hines Ward and Ben Roethlisberger. That stuff really pisses me off. I’m sure it makes Chuck Noll roll over in his barcalounger.
Frankly, I like our chances in Indianapolis. The Colts are a great team, but I think there are a number of factors that are more in our favor now than the last time we played them. I hope someone has a decibel meter and some method for checking the pumping in of amped up noise.
Well, the usual madness is starting in the city itself. Pittsburgh’s Christmas Tree has been renamed a “Steeler Tree” and people have been asked to bring Steeler’s stuff to decorate it with. As for me, I checked the playoff schedule before RSVPing to a party.
CJ
I don’t recall any of the other teams blaming their loss to us on noise, perhaps Pittsburg is just sensitive. I’m sure the NFL will be checking digital audio of the game, looking for repitive feedback, but doubt they will find anything. I’ve been to too many Colts and Pacers games where the noise was defening to not believe Indy is just a Loud town (IIRC, the Knicks used to complain about the same thing in Market Square Arena a few years back).
You’re half right, I expect the winner of the Colts/Steelers game (to be the Colts) to make it to Detroit. Denver and NE will soften each other up and the next game will be pretty easy (for the Colts). Since there are really no good contenders in the NFC (barring Seattle and possible Carolina), the winner will be the Super Bowl champs. Chalk one up for the AFC in Blue and White.