Pittsburgh at Denver - W
When they run: Forget about the 112 rushing yards or the fact they averaged just 2.7 yards per carry. What matters most is the Steelers had 42 attempts. Their best chance was to get a lead and bleed the clock. The Steelers held the ball for almost 35 minutes and kept the ball away from the Indianapolis offense. RB Jerome Bettis scored from a yard out, but nearly cost the team the game with the late fumble...Honestly, Denver's vaunted running game wasn't very productive, but what mattered most was when given the opportunity, they capitalized: Pass interference in the end zone puts the Broncos at the one, Mike Anderson pounds it in. Corner back Champ Bailey returns an interception to the one-yard marker, and Anderson goes in off-tackle. Denver only averaged three yards a pop, but scored when in position.
When they pass: It was another effcient game by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He connected on 14 of his 24 attempts, including two touchdowns. The one interception he threw, the Steelers didn't pay for it. Roethlisberger was effective going downfield, connecting on passes of 45, 36, and 19 yards. The only negative was the 6-for-14 on third down conversions. Pittsburgh was constantly in third-and-long...Once again Denver wide receiver Rod Smith had a big day against New England. This time around, he snagged six receptions for 96 yards. The offensive line did a good job of protecting QB Jake Plummer. He was sacked just twice and rarely felt pressure. His two roll out passes were his biggest plays, one a 42-yarder, the other a TD, both to Smith. The negative is Plummer was never able to put together a long drive for points. All points came off of turnovers.
Defending the run: By jumping out to a 14-0 first quarter lead, Pittsburgh forced Indy to scrap a evenly balanced attack and run less. As a result, the Steelers faced only 15 rushing attempts. On those attempts, Indianapolis averaged 4.1 yards. That number can be spun either way: Pittsburgh was more concerned with defending the pass or they didn't do a good job up front. The play of the game was Roethlisberger's tackle of Nick Harper on the fumble return...You wouldn't know it by watching the game, but Denver wasn't stopping RB Corey Dillon. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry. What we do remember is the Kevin Faulk fumble recovered by linebacker Ian Gold. It led to Denver's first points of the game. It was also the play that put momentum squarely in Denver's favor. The busiest tackler was MLB Al Wilson with eleven total tackles. He should expect a long day.
Defending the pass: Were there several Troy Polamalus out there? The kid was everywhere! He nearly had two interceptions, one taken away by poor official judgement. The NFL later admitted the referee was wrong. What it boiled down to was Indy couldn't handle the Steelers blitz. Indy QB Peyton Manning was hurried on almost every pass and was sacked five times, including two times in a row on Indy's next to last possession...There might not had been a pass play that Denver failed to blitz on. They never sacked N.E. quarterback Tom Brady, but he was under constant pressure. It was the pass rush that led to corner Champ Bailey's interception and 100-yard return. But even with the aggressive pass rush, the secondary was carved for 341 yards. Getting close might not be enough this week. Once they get there, the Broncos need to bring Roethlisberger down.
Special teams: Hard to find a better all-around performance by Pittsburgh's unit. Punter Cris Gardocki planted three of his five punts inside the 20 while averaging 41.6 yards. And Antwaan Randle El set up the third quarter touchdown with a 20-yard punt return. Coverage was tight on both kickoff and punt returns...Two recovered punts on kickoff returns easily were the highlights of the night for Denver's coverage. Those turnovers were converted into 10 points. But don't forget Todd Sauerbrun dropped three punts inside the 20.
The Pick: The last time these teams met in the AFC Championship, the John Elway-led Broncos went into Three Rivers Stadium and came out with a win. The situation is reversed, with Denver at home this time. Different venue, different result. The Steelers have been great on the road and their stellar play continues.
Carolina at Seattle - W
When they run: So much for that tough Chicago defense. 'Lina bullied their way for 123 yards. The going likely will get tougher without RB DeShawn Foster who broke his ankle. The load now must be carried by Nick Goings. He's more of a north-south runner so don't expect many cut-back runs. Wide out Steve Smith got a few carries on reverses. Those went for 26 yards and a score. Without Foster, maybe the Pathers will sprinkle in a few more Smith reverses...Seattle had to play most of the game without league MVP running back Shawn Alexander after he suffered a concussion on his sixth carry. Fortunately quarterback Matt Hasselbeck turned in a Superman-like effort. Two drives later, he tucked the ball and ran for nine yards. He had two more rushes on the day, one for a score. And Maurice Morris stepped in and gained tough yardage. He converted four first downs. Alexander will play, but he needs to be more productive (nine yards on those six carries).
When they pass: Quarterback Jake Delhomme turned in a performance remenicient of when his Panthers dueled the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII. He connected with Smith on two long touchdown scores of 58 and 39 yards. Throw in a one-yard score to tight end Chris Mangum on a play-action pass and Delhomme had a stellar day. Smith caught half of Delhomme's completions (12), meaning the other targets carried their weight...Hasselbeck does better work from the pocket than on the run and he came through for the Seahawks. He and receiver Darrell Jackson were in sync, connecting for 143 yards and a touchdown. No other receiver had more than two receptions. The other guys likely will have to contribute more on Sunday.
Defending the run: The Pathers didn't have an answer for Thomas Jones. Though Chicago spent the whole afternoon playing from behind, they never abandoned the run. Their massive offensive line pushed around Carolina's linemen and linebackers, creating plenty of running room. This should be a concern heading into Seattle. Defensive end Julius Peppers injured his right shoulder, but he says he will play...Great effort by the Seahawks front seven, limiting Washington's ground game to just 59 yards on 25 attempts. No run went longer than seven yards. Rookie linebackers Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill combined for 19 total tackles. Now the question is can they do it again? Another run first team comes to town and Seattle must make them one dimentional. Tatupu and Hill are on the light side so defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs needs to come up big.
Defending the pass: There's room for improvement in the Carolina secondary. Who would had expected three Chicago receivers averaging at least 10 yards per catch with a minimum of three receptions. 'Lina was being victimized by receiver Bernard Berrian. Fortunately for the Panthers, a hip injury knocked Berrian out of the game in the third quarter. The game-clinching interception by Ken Lucas should had been nulified by a delay of game penalty, giving Chicago another chance at tying the game...By playing most of the game ahead of Washington, Seattle's secondary was tested all afternoon long. They gave up yardage (242) to a below average passing offense and a score. What stands out is the 103 yards by wide out Santana Moss, a undersized but fast receiver. He's similar to Carolina's Smith, though Smith is more physical, aggressive, and dangerous. The best pass rush in the league mustered just two sacks.
Special teams: Smith tried too hard to make a play returning punts for Carolina. As a result, he gained no yards. Punter Baker had a very good day with three punts downed inside the 20 with a 41.2 average. Kicker Kasay slipped on an extra point but was good on his two field goals. Coverage was great...Punter Tom Rouen was outstanding for Seattle. Besides averaging 42.4 yards per punt, four of his five punts were downed inside the 20. Coverage units kept all returns to a minimum. On the flip side, return units failed to get good field position for the offense.
The Pick: It took 20 years for Seattle to just win a playoff game since their last post-season victory. But it's been even longer since they played for a championship because they never got there. Injuries play a role in the Panthers coming up short against the Seahawks.
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