Ugh. This weekend was just as bad as wild card weekend. You would think that the "Championship" games would feature better games than "Wild Card" games. That definitely wasn't the case.
Steelers Vs. Broncos: This game was a turd from the very beginning. I noted three key mistakes by the Broncos that led to an embarassing defeat. First, Mike Shanahan abandoned the runnning game WAY to quickly. It turned into a shootout between Big Ben and Jake the Snake. That style does not favor Denver at all. Second, Jake the Snake had two INTs that resulted in 14 points for the Steelers. He was under extreme pressure all game, and he made two costly decisions to try and force the ball. Aside from that, Jake played well. His offensive line failed him miserably (just like Indy). Yet had he not thrown the ball those two times, the score could have been 20 - 17. The last mistake I noted was Denver's defense on third down. Holy ****! They looked awful. They could not stop the Steelers on thrid down at all. Denver's defense looked piss poor. How can you play so welll against the Patriots one week, and then bomb against the Steelers the next? It doesn't make sense. Overall quality of game: C-
Panthers Vs. Seahawks: Once again, another turd right from the beginning. The Seahawks dominated the game in the first half. It was ridiculous. Jake Delhomme played poorly, which was uncommon. But like Jake the Snake, he was under extreme pressure the whole half. Steve Smith is incredible though. The guy is unlike any other player in football right now. He wasn't able to get passes thrown to him, so he gets in the game and runs a punt back for a TD. What the?!?! Awesome. Seriously, that guy is the MVP of the league. The Seahawks looked like a totally different team. What team played the Redskins last week? It wasn't the team I watched yesterday. Over quality of game: C-
So both of these games were pitiful when considered as "Championship" games. The Steelers and Seahawks did everything they wanted to do. Everything. It was a sad sight to see. All I could think was,"How did the Broncos and Panthers get into these games?" The Bettis story is dominating the media. Most of the world will soon want them to win. The Seahawks will be expected to lose so that Bettis can win a Super Bowl in his home town and retire. Good for him. But what kind of Super Bowl does that make (in terms of quality of the game)??
Both the Seahawks and the Steelers have pressure defenses. I should say extreme pressure. They are all about never giving the QB any time in the pocket. So you have to believe that both teams will have to have some kind of running game going if they want to score points. These teams do matchup pretty well on paper, and in style of play. I haven't seen the Steelers have to play a game outside their style throughout the playoffs. If the Seahawks expect to have a chance, they will have to stop the Steelers from getting out to a big lead before halftime. That will keep them from running the clock out during the second half. If the Seahawks can stop that from happening, they have a good chance to win.
After watching the games this week, there is no reason not to think that one team will blow the other team out. It could be another 34-10 type of game. That would bore the crap out of me. There is just too much push for the Steelers to win out there in the media. Bettis gets his dream come true, and Cower gets to win a Super Bowl after having a history of losing in the playoffs. But I am not one who cares too much about off-the-field stories. I care about what happens between the lines of the football field. I care more about good competition.
So my pick is the Seattle Seahawks to upset the Steelers. Aside from the "feel good" stories, the Steelers are next in line behind the Patriots for "dirty" football. I guess the Eagles and Raiders would go in that category too. So... GO SEAHAWKS! But more importantly, please give the world a decent game.
Steelers Vs. Broncos: This game was a turd from the very beginning. I noted three key mistakes by the Broncos that led to an embarassing defeat. First, Mike Shanahan abandoned the runnning game WAY to quickly. It turned into a shootout between Big Ben and Jake the Snake. That style does not favor Denver at all. Second, Jake the Snake had two INTs that resulted in 14 points for the Steelers. He was under extreme pressure all game, and he made two costly decisions to try and force the ball. Aside from that, Jake played well. His offensive line failed him miserably (just like Indy). Yet had he not thrown the ball those two times, the score could have been 20 - 17. The last mistake I noted was Denver's defense on third down. Holy ****! They looked awful. They could not stop the Steelers on thrid down at all. Denver's defense looked piss poor. How can you play so welll against the Patriots one week, and then bomb against the Steelers the next? It doesn't make sense. Overall quality of game: C-
Panthers Vs. Seahawks: Once again, another turd right from the beginning. The Seahawks dominated the game in the first half. It was ridiculous. Jake Delhomme played poorly, which was uncommon. But like Jake the Snake, he was under extreme pressure the whole half. Steve Smith is incredible though. The guy is unlike any other player in football right now. He wasn't able to get passes thrown to him, so he gets in the game and runs a punt back for a TD. What the?!?! Awesome. Seriously, that guy is the MVP of the league. The Seahawks looked like a totally different team. What team played the Redskins last week? It wasn't the team I watched yesterday. Over quality of game: C-
So both of these games were pitiful when considered as "Championship" games. The Steelers and Seahawks did everything they wanted to do. Everything. It was a sad sight to see. All I could think was,"How did the Broncos and Panthers get into these games?" The Bettis story is dominating the media. Most of the world will soon want them to win. The Seahawks will be expected to lose so that Bettis can win a Super Bowl in his home town and retire. Good for him. But what kind of Super Bowl does that make (in terms of quality of the game)??
Both the Seahawks and the Steelers have pressure defenses. I should say extreme pressure. They are all about never giving the QB any time in the pocket. So you have to believe that both teams will have to have some kind of running game going if they want to score points. These teams do matchup pretty well on paper, and in style of play. I haven't seen the Steelers have to play a game outside their style throughout the playoffs. If the Seahawks expect to have a chance, they will have to stop the Steelers from getting out to a big lead before halftime. That will keep them from running the clock out during the second half. If the Seahawks can stop that from happening, they have a good chance to win.
After watching the games this week, there is no reason not to think that one team will blow the other team out. It could be another 34-10 type of game. That would bore the crap out of me. There is just too much push for the Steelers to win out there in the media. Bettis gets his dream come true, and Cower gets to win a Super Bowl after having a history of losing in the playoffs. But I am not one who cares too much about off-the-field stories. I care about what happens between the lines of the football field. I care more about good competition.
So my pick is the Seattle Seahawks to upset the Steelers. Aside from the "feel good" stories, the Steelers are next in line behind the Patriots for "dirty" football. I guess the Eagles and Raiders would go in that category too. So... GO SEAHAWKS! But more importantly, please give the world a decent game.
