AFC Championship Game Preview
By Ben Parker
On January 22, 2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Denver Broncos for
the AFC Championship Game. The game will be played Denver, which means that there
will be altitude, and probably snow/ice on the field something that Pittsburgh is used to.
Something that Pittsburgh is not used to is the altitude. Denver plays about 1 mile high into the atmosphere, which means that if you are going to play up there, you better be really conditioned, especially in the fourth quarter. This home field that Denver has is just about as good as any home team can have. It’s loud, it’s cold, it’s in the altitude, and there is no mercy. Sounds like game over for Pittsburgh right there doesn’t it?
Well, not exactly. Last week, Pittsburgh flogged Peyton Manning and his Indianapolis Colts in their (Indy’s) house. It was a great road win for Pittsburgh, and a devastating loss for Peyton Manning and his team. Beating Indy at Indy in the playoffs is one of the toughest things to do in the NFL. It gets more loud, more noisy, and more crazy in the RCA dome in Indy than anywhere else in the league. It is just brutal.
In my opinion, winning in Indy is just as tough if not tougher than it is to win in Denver. So, I don’t think the road will really affect Pittsburgh. The only thing that will, is Denver’s ability to bring the blitz and prevent Pittsburgh from blitzing them. Denver has a great running game with Mike Anderson, Tatum Bell, and Ron Dayne. They’ve combined for over 2000 yards rushing this year, and they don’t seem to slow down.
Not only do they have a great running game, but they have one hell of a Quarterback. Jake Plummer is playing great right now, and he seems to be on a mission. He has a 90.2 quarterback rating in the post-season, and he seems to just get better and better thanks to his great wide receivers Rod Smith, Ashley Lelie, Charlie Adams, and David Terrell.
On the Defensive side of the football, they have one hell of a secondary. They have John Lynch playing Free Safety and Champ Bailey at Cornerback. With those two guys back there, it will be really tough for Ben Roethlisberger to complete his passes not to mention the aggressive Denver blitz.
So, I am making it sound like Pittsburgh has no prayer in the world. Their opponents have a great running game, a tenacious blitz, a fantastic wild haired quarter back, and a scary secondary. So, does Bill Cowher and company have a prayer?
The answer is yes. They too have a great running game with Jerome Bettis, and Willie Parker. Those two players have combined for over one thousand yards, and they find a way to get first downs. They rarely fumble, or turn the ball over, and even if they do, their defense or their quarterback can make tackles to prevent the opponent from scoring.
On top of their great running game, they have a great quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger. He’s having a terrific year. With a quarterback rating of 103.4 in the post-season, he is just about unstoppable. He is really tough to bring down because of his size, and durability. His thumb may be hurt, but he’ll still find a way to win.
Not only is their offense great, but their defense is even better. They have nine sacks this post-season, while Denver has zero this post season. With Troy Polamalu coming after Jake Plummer along with Joey Porter and company, Plummer will have a real tough time.
They are great against the run, and they have no fear. They have one of the best defenses in the NFL. Holding Manning last week to just 18 points. Edgerin James was pretty weak last week against their tough D, so I don’t think that Denver’s rushing game will give them much trouble. All in All, I pick Pittsburgh to win by a score of 24-21. It will be close, but the Steel Curtain will come alive, and will pull out with the win.
By Ben Parker
On January 22, 2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Denver Broncos for
the AFC Championship Game. The game will be played Denver, which means that there
will be altitude, and probably snow/ice on the field something that Pittsburgh is used to.
Something that Pittsburgh is not used to is the altitude. Denver plays about 1 mile high into the atmosphere, which means that if you are going to play up there, you better be really conditioned, especially in the fourth quarter. This home field that Denver has is just about as good as any home team can have. It’s loud, it’s cold, it’s in the altitude, and there is no mercy. Sounds like game over for Pittsburgh right there doesn’t it?
Well, not exactly. Last week, Pittsburgh flogged Peyton Manning and his Indianapolis Colts in their (Indy’s) house. It was a great road win for Pittsburgh, and a devastating loss for Peyton Manning and his team. Beating Indy at Indy in the playoffs is one of the toughest things to do in the NFL. It gets more loud, more noisy, and more crazy in the RCA dome in Indy than anywhere else in the league. It is just brutal.
In my opinion, winning in Indy is just as tough if not tougher than it is to win in Denver. So, I don’t think the road will really affect Pittsburgh. The only thing that will, is Denver’s ability to bring the blitz and prevent Pittsburgh from blitzing them. Denver has a great running game with Mike Anderson, Tatum Bell, and Ron Dayne. They’ve combined for over 2000 yards rushing this year, and they don’t seem to slow down.
Not only do they have a great running game, but they have one hell of a Quarterback. Jake Plummer is playing great right now, and he seems to be on a mission. He has a 90.2 quarterback rating in the post-season, and he seems to just get better and better thanks to his great wide receivers Rod Smith, Ashley Lelie, Charlie Adams, and David Terrell.
On the Defensive side of the football, they have one hell of a secondary. They have John Lynch playing Free Safety and Champ Bailey at Cornerback. With those two guys back there, it will be really tough for Ben Roethlisberger to complete his passes not to mention the aggressive Denver blitz.
So, I am making it sound like Pittsburgh has no prayer in the world. Their opponents have a great running game, a tenacious blitz, a fantastic wild haired quarter back, and a scary secondary. So, does Bill Cowher and company have a prayer?
The answer is yes. They too have a great running game with Jerome Bettis, and Willie Parker. Those two players have combined for over one thousand yards, and they find a way to get first downs. They rarely fumble, or turn the ball over, and even if they do, their defense or their quarterback can make tackles to prevent the opponent from scoring.
On top of their great running game, they have a great quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger. He’s having a terrific year. With a quarterback rating of 103.4 in the post-season, he is just about unstoppable. He is really tough to bring down because of his size, and durability. His thumb may be hurt, but he’ll still find a way to win.
Not only is their offense great, but their defense is even better. They have nine sacks this post-season, while Denver has zero this post season. With Troy Polamalu coming after Jake Plummer along with Joey Porter and company, Plummer will have a real tough time.
They are great against the run, and they have no fear. They have one of the best defenses in the NFL. Holding Manning last week to just 18 points. Edgerin James was pretty weak last week against their tough D, so I don’t think that Denver’s rushing game will give them much trouble. All in All, I pick Pittsburgh to win by a score of 24-21. It will be close, but the Steel Curtain will come alive, and will pull out with the win.
posted by Ben Parker at 5:49 PM
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