AFC Conference Championship

AFC
New York Jets (6) Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (2)

The Story…
For the second year in a row, Rex Ryan has steered his trash-talking Jets to the AFC Championship game. Last year, they lost to eventual runners-up, the Indianapolis Colts, in a game that magnified the gulf of experience between the two teams – most notably their Quarterbacks. But the New York Jets are a different team, now, and they hope to extinguish the memories of watching Super Bowl XLIV on television and replace them with a plane ticket to Texas.

The Steelers are something else. I have never heard them compared to the Patriots of the last decade – the team that won three of four Super Bowls and gave rise to the legend of Brady, Bruschi, Vrabel and Mr. Ice, Adam ‘I now play for the Colts’ Vinatieri – but maybe they should. The Steelers have slunk to two titles from the last five. Winning tonight gives them a shot at claiming a .500 Super Bowl success record. That’s ludicrous. Sure, they’ve got to roll over the Jets first, but they have homefield advantage, playoff experience and a nonchalance about their talents – like a boxer who, with every landed punch, paints the Mona Lisa in Blood on the wall – that puts the fear of god into those lining up to play in Pennsylvania.


Prediction…
The Jets cost me over a grand in the first week of the playoffs, and I have to wish they’d been playing Pittsburgh when I needed them to lose. I think they will struggle to out-muscle a team that operates in a similar fashion, but with many more years experience. I imagine the Jets may take a while to bed into this game, with the home crowd and the distracting waving of the terrible towels playing a part in the first half – look to Pittsburgh to shut-out New York in the first quarter and build an enthusiastic lead by the half. Wouldn’t it be ironic if the Super Bowl XLIII MVP, Santonio Holmes, came-up with some late game heroics for the Jets and beats his old buddies when it matters most? Provided the Jets don’t leave this one too late, they will make a decent game of it. But I can’t see Pittsburgh laying down, so they’re my pick to make it to the Super Bowl.


Recap…
The Steelers got out of the blocks quickly in this one and raced to a 24 point lead at the half, shutting out the Jets for the first thirty minutes. As predicted, the Jets fought a tough game, but left it too late to start the comeback. I’ve often thought that the Jets would go the season undefeated if games were 5 quarters long, but in the available 4, they often lose out due to their slow-starting behaviour.

Sanchez could become the Jim Kelly of his generation if he keeps this up, provided, of course, that he gets a lot better and the Jets get unluckier still.

One thing I must do is call out Rex Ryan’s decision to kick away in the fourth instead of attempting the onside kick. With less than five minutes remaining and in a five point hole, giving the Steelers the chance to burn time off the clock – possibly scoring again and ending any chance of a New York comeback – there is no excuse for kicking deep. The best case scenario is that your D stops their O in 3 and forces them to punt…probably right back to where you started. Ryan has the biggest balls on record in the NFL, so it isn’t his bottle I’m questioning. It’s worse. It’s his tactics. I didn’t expect to be saying that post-game, but it’ll confuse me for a while yet, I think.

So the Steelers march on by a score of 24-19 and the Jets lose at the same point for the second year running. They are getting better, though – maybe next year.


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