NFL Conference Championships Game Notes

Steelers over Jets

Adam: -In a game in which the star quarterback had a bad stat line, those numbers don't tell the story one bit.  Ben Roethlisberger went 10/19 for 133 yards, 2 interceptions, no passing touchdowns, and one rushing score.  Yet he extended plays all day long, moved the team in key situations, and made enough plays to win.

-Rashard Mendenhall was huge in this game, toting the rock 27 times for 121 yards against a very stout run defense.

-Give the Jets a ton of credit for their perseverance, coming back from a 21-point halftime deficit and shutting out the Steelers in the second half.

-The Jets' coverage was again impeccable, but New York has to find a way to add a complementary pass rush.

-Mark Sanchez lost one fumble, but again did not throw an interception and did toss two scores.  It's important to remember that Sanchez is just a second year player.  Wait until after his third year before you really start to judge him.

-The Jets are a very talented football team, but Pittsburgh was more prepared for the big stage and shot off to an ultimately insurmountable lead.

-The Jets this year seemed to be more of an amalgamation of really good players than a cohesive team.  Great individual talent, but as a team, I'm not sure who their leader is or what is their identity.

-The injury to Maurkice Pouncey is a huge one.  He may be the Steelers' best offensive lineman, and this unit is already banged up.  Against Dom Capers, Clay Matthews, and company, you do not want an injury plagued offensive line.

-Both Pittsburgh and Green Bay will benefit from the extra week in between now and the Super Bowl.

Eric: -Rashard Mendenhall put the Steelers on his back and was much more effective than his similarly long named backfield mate, Ben Roethlisberger.  Mendenhall ran for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns on 27 carries, whereas Roethlisberger went 10/19 for just 133 yards and 2 interceptions, 0 touchdowns.

-Offense was not the story though in this one; look to the defense.  Ike Taylor's strip sack of Mark Sanchez and the touchdown return by William Gay essentially ended the game with 1:13 left in the first half.  After spotting the Steelers a 24-point lead, Sanchez and the Jets' fervent second half comeback attempt came up short with Gay's touchdown as the decisive score.

-To maintain their edge, Pittsburgh held up for a fourth quarter goal line stand, but poor management from New York was what really contributed to their not scoring.  Even heading into the red zone there were communication problems between Sanchez and the Jets sideline.  Then after a Shonn Greene run got them inside the five yard line, their power back only touched the ball one more time.  Miscommunication on getting the second down play action pass call in meant Sanchez had to rush the snap and couldn't sell his fake, leading to an incompletion.  Then on third down came another inexplicable pass that Lamar Woodley batted down at the line of scrimmage.  And on fourth down the Jets tried to pound away with LaDanian Tomlinson but to no avail.  A note to Brian Schottenheimer: Give it to Greene, your horse, the guy that got you down knocking on the goal line, and give him four opportunities to punch it in.  Don't put it in the air in a very congested ten yards and don't give it to the ancient Tomlinson.

Packers over Bears

A: -Aaron Rodgers wasn't the machine he's been lately, but he was effective enough to win the game.  One of his two interceptions was a freak play that bounced of his receiver's foot, and on the other pick he made the touchdown saving tackle.

-The game really shifted when Jay Cutler went down, interestingly though, it improved things for the Bears.  Todd Collins was awful in two series, but then Caleb Hanie came in the game and moved the offense well.  He tossed a touchdown to Earl Bennett but also threw the game clinching pick to BJ Raji.  In addition, Sam Shields intercepted Hanie on his last gasp throw late in the fourth quarter.

-James Starks was just enough on the ground–22 carries for 74 yards–to eat some clock and keep the defense off balance.  As a team, the Packers rushed 32 times for 120 yards.  If they can carry that on to the Super Bowl, they will have an excellent chance to win the game.

-People are all over Cutler for not finishing the game, including NFL players tweeting about his lack of toughness.  I'm not going to kill the guy though.  He hurt his knee, and if he was going to be ineffective because of it, then the Bears needed to replace him.  I don't think he quit on the team; I think he couldn't play at a competitive level so he sat out.

-Both defenses were really good on this day.  The offenses combined to go 3/24 on third down.

-Devin Hester was a no factor.  Credit the much maligned Tim Mastay who punted beautifully all day.

-The Packers outgained the Bears on the ground, through the air, and won the turnover battle.  That may have been expected, but if the upset was going to happen, the Bears needed big days from Hester, Julius Peppers, and Matt Forte.  They got none of the above.  Hester returned three punts for just 16 yards.  Peppers only had two tackles, no sacks, and one hit on Rodgers.  Forte had 160 total yards but failed to find the end zone.

-The Packers have played on the road, in bad conditions, or both since Week 16 of the regular season, and all five of those games came against top competition.  The Super Bowl will be a beautiful reprieve for the Pack, playing in pristine conditions with a neutral crowd.  Two of the greatest franchises and best fan bases now meet up in Dallas: Packers vs. Steelers.  Damn it feels good to say the Packers are in the Super Bowl!

E: -People are getting real testy about Jay Cutler and the extent of his injury.  If the man can't go, he can't go.  Sometimes the pain in one's head and thinking about the injury would make a player just as incompetent as a more serious injury would.  And hell, had Cutler finished the game we never would've seen the Caleb Hanie show.

-When a third string quarterback comes in and starts tearing up your defense, there might be some problems.  Fortunately for the Packers, Sam Shields picked the right time to be a hero, intercepting a Hanie pass on a potential game-tying drive to seal the victory for Green Bay.

-Speaking of Hanie interceptions, let's give it up for the big man, BJ Raji.  The nose tackle's fourth quarter pick six was the Packers' margin of victory.

-Eric's Game MVP honors go to Packer punter Tim Masthay.  He probably had the toughest assignment on the field Sunday: contain Devin Hester.  He consistently gave Hester unreturnable punts, either high ones that gave his coverage teams ample time to get downfield or long, angled line drives that bounced away from Hester and deeper into Bears' territory.

-The team I picked to win the Super Bowl back in July is still active.  And just to rub it in, the team Adam picked went 6-10.