I’m just saying…

- Christina Aguilera had at least two weeks to prepare for the National Anthem and she still managed to change a word and skip an entire verse. Did someone forget to rub her the right way before she went out to midfield? Because you know you have to do that with her, right?

- What a game by Jordy Nelson: Nine catches, 140 yards receiving and one touchdown. Now imagine how good his numbers would have been had he not dropped two first down passes right in his hands.

- Speaking of drops…James Jones is lucky the Packers held on to the win because his drop in the third quarter was setting up to be the turning point in the game. Nobody can make a potential touchdown disappear faster than James Deandre Jones.

- I want to commend Bruce Arians for his decision to be aggressive when the Steelers were backed up to their own 7-yard line late in the first quarter. Rashard Mendenhall had just ripped the Packers for 24 yards on two carries in the previous series, so naturally Arians wanted to prove how smart he was by taking a shot downfield. Nick Collins and the Packers want to thank you for the gift, Bruce.

- Speaking of horrible ideas by Pittsburgh coaches: What was Mike Tomlin thinking attempting a 52-yard field goal with Shaun Suisham in the third quarter? Did Tomlin know that Suisham was only 5-for-10 kicking in the playoffs or did he think that the front office traded for Adam Vinatieri before the game?

- While we’re beating up the Steelers’ coaching staff: Is it just me or was Pittsburgh’s defense not prepared for Green Bay’s spread formations at the beginning of the game? Granted, the Steelers adjusted nicely throughout, but you’re telling me that Dick LeBeau didn’t think that the Packers would try to spread his defense out from the get-go? What, did he think GB would come out pounding the rock with James Starks against the No. 1 run defense in the league?

- I don’t know much about music but I know crappy live music when I hear it and I heard it Sunday night. The Black Eyed Peas should change their name to something more simple. Like “Studio Magic.”

- Due to an assortment of injuries to his defensive backfield, Dom Capers struggled to find the right coverages in the second quarter and Big Ben took advantage. In that quarter, he completed nine of 13 passes for 123 yards with a touchdown and an interception. But thanks to a 28 minute halftime (usually halftimes are 12 minutes), Capers had time to make adjustments and somewhat contain Roethlisberger in the second half (12 of 19 for 120 yards). So the crowd wasn’t the only thing Fergie and Co. killed last night.

- Did B.J. Raji ever make it to the stadium? I swear he wasn’t on the field.

- Maybe Raji knows where Troy Polamalu is because he never showed up either.

- This is how bad things were for the Steelers last night: Needing just a touchdown and an extra point to win the game, they were forced to start on their own 13-yard line instead of the 26-yard line because their special teams captain committed the dumbest penalty of the season…on special teams, no less. Penalties killed the Steelers all season so Keyaron Fox must have figured, “Hey, what’s one more?”

- I guess Jay Cutler should have broke his knee cap or worn a knee brace on the sidelines during the NFC title game because I haven’t seen any snide remarks from former and current players on Twitter about how Charles Woodson and Donald Driver didn’t finish the Super Bowl.

- Before the 2009 NFL Draft I wrote that Clay Matthews was nothing more than a bodybuilder posing as a football player. Upon further review, I’m nothing more than an ass-hat posing as a blogger.

Yikes. Check out the video below.

It’s the NFL and it’s Championship Sunday – we know you don’t need reasons to actually watch the games. But here are five storylines to keep an eye on as we draw closer to kickoff.

1. Are the Jets worn out?
Very few pundits thought the Jets would beat Peyton Manning on his home field and nobody thought they would upset Tom Brady in Foxboro. But after two straight upsets, Gang Green now has everyone’s attention and you get the sense that people are actually starting to get behind Rex Ryan’s team. Compared to the last two weeks, the Jets have been awfully quiet over the past five days as they prepare for the Steelers. Are they focused or have they worn themselves out? Playing on the road is draining enough during the regular season. What happens to a team when they have to play three-straight road games in the playoffs when a Super Bowl is on the line and they’re constantly underdogs? This time last year, the Jets fizzled out. Do they have enough left in the tank this year to pull off one more upset?

2. Will Rodgers continue his onslaught on opposing defenses?
After they crushed the Giants and beat the Bears in their final two regular season games, then went on the road and contained Michael Vick in Philadelphia, the Packers already had plenty of believers last week when they traveled to Atlanta. And after Aaron Rodgers put on a clinic against the Falcons, there’s a large contingent that believes the Pack are Super Bowl bound. But Rodgers has a tough test this Sunday against the Bears, whose defense might as well be cement to Atlanta’s Charmin extra soft. In their Week 17 loss at Lambeau, Chicago held Rodgers relatively in check but he still competed 19-of-28 passes for 229 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Rodgers can make plays with both his arm and legs and he has a knack for getting the ball out of his hand quickly and accurately. Can the Bears pressure him in the pocket and if so, can their corners play as physical as they did last week against Seattle in order to disrupt Rodgers’ rhythm with his receivers? Or will the gunslinger elevate his play one last time in order to make Green Bay’s improbable Super Bowl dreams a reality?

3. Can the Steelers pressure Sanchez?
Pittsburgh led the league in sacks with 48 but it barely touched Mark Sanchez the first time these two teams played this season. Despite throwing for only 170 yards and rushing for one touchdown, Sanchez led the Jets to a 22-17 victory as the Troy Polamalu-less Steelers failed to make big plays. The Patriots failed to lay a hand on Sanchez last weekend as well and they were burned when the quarterback threw for three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Pressure will play a huge role in the outcome of this game, as Pittsburgh must force Sanchez into making poor decisions. The key will be stopping the run and forcing the Jets into obvious passing situations. Once that happens, Dick Lebeau can dial up the blitz and maybe force a turnover or two. He’s no Drew Brees, but the Steelers can’t sit back and allow Sanchez to get comfortable because he’s proven that he can beat defenses with his arm.

4. Can Hester be a difference maker?
The Packers’ game plan for dealing with Devin Hester is not to punt – as in, not to punt, period. But if Chicago’s defense has anything to say about the situation, Green Bay will be punting a handful of times this Sunday. Will the Packers kick to Hester or will they limit his impact by punting the ball out of bounds? In the first meeting between these two teams, Hester returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to set the stage for a Chicago victory. Last week in Atlanta, the Packers allowed a 102-yard Eric Weems kickoff return for a touchdown so it’s apparent that GB’s special teams will give up a big play from time to time. If they do punt to Hester, then he needs to be the game-changer he was all season. The Bears have played exceptionally well under Mike Martz, but Dom Capers’ defense looks lights-out right now and this is certainly a game that could come down to special teams.

5. Will the home teams continue to succeed?
In the last 40 conference championship games, the home teams are 27-13. Last season, the Colts whipped the Jets 30-17 at home and thanks to late-game heroics by Lord Favre, the Saints edged out the Vikings 31-28 in overtime. Two years ago, the Cardinals knocked off the Eagles 32-25 at home and the Steelers handled the Ravens 23-14 at Heinz Field. Could we be in store for a Steelers-Bears Super Bowl or will the public’s new darlings the Jets and Packers rise to the occasion?

One factor that the Jets have to their advantage this week is that they’ve already beaten the Steelers in Pittsburgh once this season (22-17 in Week 15). But things could prove to be more difficult for New York this time around.

Below are three keys for the Steelers to avoid another upset.

1. The O-line must rebound.
The play of the O-line continues to be the biggest question mark surrounding this team. Flozell Adams was sick last week with the flu and could barely stand up, which is why he struggled so much against the Ravens. Ramon Foster deserves praise for moving to tackle when Adams left the game, but he continues to be a marginal blocker. Jonathan Scott gave up a handful of pressures and a sack against Baltimore and while Maurkice Pouncey played well overall, he had trouble moving the Ravens’ big defensive tackles at the goal line. In fact, the entire Steelers’ O-line had trouble at the goal line, which includes Chris Kemoeatu (who also made some stupid decisions after the whistle had been blown). What’s interesting is that the Steelers gained 377 total yards against the Jets in Week 15, which included 146 on the ground. They also had touchdown drives of 96 and 74 yards, so they’ve already proven that they can move the ball on Rex Ryan’s stingy defense. But can the O-line elevate their game after last week’s performance? They better, because Ryan has proved over the past two weeks that he can put together some of the best defensive game plans in the NFL.

2. Special teams needs to be much better.
Special teams played a major role the first time these two teams met. Returner Brad Smith took the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown to give New York a quick 7-0 lead, which set the tone for the rest of the game. Smith suffered a groin injury against the Colts and sat out last week’s game against the Patriots, but he should be back this Sunday. That said, he might not return kicks because Antonio Cromartie has been exceptional in that role the last two weeks. Cromartie retuned a 47-yard kickoff in the fourth quarter against the Colts to help set up Nick Kolk’s 32-yard game-winning field goal as time expired. Even though Smith has already burned Pittsburgh once this year, Cromartie has more speed and breakaway potential. No matter who receives kickoffs this week, the Steelers’ coverage units must be better. That includes their punt coverage unit, which did a rather weak job containing Jerricho Cotchery in Week 15.

3. Polamalu must avoid injuries.
In the first game between these two teams, Pittsburgh’s secondary gave up a couple of big plays in the passing game without Polamalu (who was nursing an Achilles/ankle injury) roaming the secondary. As is often the case when Polamalu doesn’t play, the Steelers’ defense didn’t create any big plays. Their pass rush was non-existent, they failed to generate any turnovers and they allowed 106 rushing yards. But Polamalu will be in uniform this Sunday and he needs to stay on the field throughout. If he does, the Jets’ offense could have a difficult time moving the ball both through the air and on the ground.

It’s the playoffs, where team matters more than individual players. But there are several key players that hold their team’s hopes in their hands this weekend and we’ve listed eight of them (one for each team) below.

In no particular order…

1. Terrell Suggs, Ravens
The Ravens have been waiting for this guy to return to form and he finally has. Suggs looks hungry, motivated and determined to get the Ravens to a Super Bowl. If Baltimore’s front seven is able to take away Rashard Mendenhall and force the Steelers to be one-dimensional this Saturday, then Suggs needs to get after Ben Roethlisberger. Mike Wallace is a true homerun threat and can score from anywhere on the field, so Suggs and Co. can’t give Big Ben time to throw. Getting pressure on the quarterback is always vital in football, especially in the postseason where one or two plays can decide the outcome of a game.

2. Troy Polamalu, Steelers
I realize this is an obvious one but I don’t care: Polamalu is the key to whether or not the Steelers will be playing in the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks. He’s vital to their defense because when he’s not on the field, it’s a completely different unit. When the Steelers and Ravens met in Pittsburgh late in the season, it was his forced fumble of Joe Flacco that set up Pittsburgh’s offense to score the eventual game-winning touchdown. He’s a playmaker in every sense of the word but he’s also been battling an Achilles/ankle injury so he’s not 100 percent. If he’s able to fly around the field and create havoc like he normally does, then Baltimore will have a tough time moving the ball this weekend.

3. James Starks (Packers)
The football world is now enamored with this young man – and for good reason. The past two games, Starks has given Green Bay something it’s been searching for all year: balance. The Packers have already proven that they can win when Aaron Rodgers has to throw the ball but it’s much tougher on a defense when they can’t sit back in coverage on most downs. In the first meeting between the Packers and Falcons, Atlanta didn’t have to respect the run. But after Starks rushed for 123 yards on 23 carries last weekend against the Eagles, the Falcons may not have the luxury of dropping extra defenders into coverage.

4. Michael Turner (Falcons)
While many people concentrate on the Matt Ryan vs. Aaron Rodgers matchup, the real key to the Falcons’ success this weekend is Turner. The Saints game proved that if Turner can’t get rolling, the Falcons’ offense is vulnerable. If Atlanta can’t put together a few long drives where it grinds out yards, chews up the clock and keeps Rodgers on the sidelines, they could be in trouble. The last thing the Falcons want is a shootout.

5. Raheem Brock, Seahawks
Brock continues to be one of the more underrated defensive linemen in the game. Last week against the Saints, he had four solo tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and one QB hit. The key to slowing Mike Martz’s offense is to rattle Jay Cutler. As everyone knows, when he’s constantly under duress he will make mistakes. He may take a sack or two at first, but it’s his nature to want to make a play by throwing the ball. A couple of turnovers could be the difference in whether or not the Hawks can pull off another upset. Brock and Chris Clemons need to be active all day and they must get to Cutler to disrupt his rhythm.

6. Brian Urlacher (Bears)
Urlacher is the key to Chicago’s success on most Sundays but he’ll especially be vital this Sunday against a veteran in Matt Hasselbeck who understands what it takes to beat the Tampa 2. Urlacher is by far the most important piece of the Tampa 2 scheme because of the position he plays. The middle linebacker is responsible not only for stopping the run, but for also dropping back into coverage and allowing his safeties to spread out in deep halves, and the outside linebackers to cover underneath. In the Bears’ first meeting with the Seahawks, Hasselbeck threw for 242 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. If he has that kind of success again, Seattle could pull off its second straight upset. He knows how to attack Chicago’s weaknesses, which is why Urlacher needs to play a perfect game so that those around him can be where they need to be and not give Hasselbeck easy passing windows.

7. LaDainian Tomlinson & Shonn Greene (Jets)
The Jets and Falcons have the same mission this weekend: run the ball and keep the opposing offense off the field. For the Jets, that’s where Tomlinson and Greene come in. The pair combined to rush for 152 yards on 35 carries last weekend against the Colts. They wore down Indy’s smallish front seven in the second half and frustrated Peyton Manning by leaving him on the sidelines. The Jets want to limit the times that Tom Brady can burn them and the only way they can do that is by keeping him off the field. They must grind the tempo of the game down and as usual, win an ugly game.

8. Danny Woodhead, Patriots
Woodhead is the ultimate weapon in New England’s offense because he’s so shifty that he often gets lost in the chaos. Then all of a sudden he’s running past you for a five or seven yard gain. Perhaps his biggest attribute is that he can be utilized as a runner or receiver. If the Jets account for him as a running back, then Tom Brady can motion him outside and then he becomes yet another receiving target to beat New York’s 3-4 outside linebacker coverage. If the Jets account for him as a receiver, then Brady can slide him into the backfield and force New York to make adjustments quickly. It’s no wonder why Rex Ryan is kicking himself for letting this lighting rod get away.

Matchup: Ravens (13-4) @ Steelers (12-4)
Kickoff: 4:30PM ET, Saturday

1. Can Polamalu stay healthy?
When Troy Polamalu intercepted at least one pass during a game this year, the Steelers were 6-0. I could go on about how important he is to Pittsburgh’s defense but I don’t need to – everyone knows how vital he is to the Steelers’ success. He’s been battling an Achilles/ankle injury for the past month and he didn’t practice all last week. He’ll be held out of early practices this week too, as the Steelers want to limit the risk of further injury. He’s not going to miss a playoff game, but can he make it all four quarters of what should be the most physical battle of the year?

2. Can the Steelers’ O-Line hold up?
Just because Pittsburgh scored 68 points in its final two games doesn’t mean that its concerns along the offensive line have disappeared. (Plus, those 68 points were collectively scored on Carolina and Cleveland.) Baltimore has a superior defensive line, led by tackle Haloti Ngata and while Ben Roethlisberger usually does a great job of holding up against pressure, no quarterback wants to throw with defenders in his face. The Steelers’ O-line will be tested this Saturday.

3. Can the Ravens slow Mike Wallace?
The Ravens have allowed an average of 10.2 yards per competition through the air this season, which ranks them eighth in the league. They generally don’t give up big plays but if there were ever a homerun threat they needed to be weary of this weekend, it’s Mike Wallace. The second-year pro is averaging 21.0 yards per catch this season, so he’s doing most of his damage downfield. In the season finale against Cleveland, Wallace only caught three passes but they went for 105 yards and one touchdown (off a 56-yard bomb from Big Ben). The Ravens held Kansas City wideout Dwayne Bowe to zero catches last weekend, but can they have similar success against Wallace?

4. Can the Steelers protect the ball?
Pittsburgh hasn’t turned the ball over much this season. In fact, the Steelers are second to only the Patriots in turnovers per game at +1.1. But the Ravens defense is playing at a Super Bowl level right now and in the past two games, they’ve forced 10 turnovers (five fumbles and five interceptions) and have held their opponents to 14 total points. It goes without saying that teams usually don’t win when they lose the turnover battle, but it may be especially true this Saturday in Pittsburgh. The Steelers can’t give Baltimore extra opportunities.

5. Can the Ravens avoid a collapse?
In back to back games in early December, the Ravens had dominated this same Steelers team for three quarters before Pittsburgh mounted a comeback in the fourth. A week later in Houston, the Ravens needed a Josh Wilson pick-six in overtime to beat the Texans after they coughed up a three-touchdown lead early in the third quarter. The Ravens also blew a lead in Atlanta when they were up with 22 seconds remaining and gave up a late Roddy White touchdown to lose. Baltimore is one of the hottest teams in the league and a legit Super Bowl contender but neither side of the ball can get complacent this Saturday. Given what’s at stake and whom they’re playing, chances are they won’t but they can’t forget what happened last time these two teams met.

With the way Mark Sanchez has played over the past two weeks, the Steelers could probably hold the Jets to under 10 points with only eight on defense. But they don’t want to make it a habit of not having safety Troy Polamalu around.

Polamalu has dealt with a lower-leg injury for several weeks and will not play on Sunday against the Jets. With him in the lineup, the Steelers are allowing an average of just nine points per game over the last four weeks and he leads the team with six interceptions. There may not be a defender in the league playing better than Polamalu is right now.

That’s why the trop from him to either Will Allen or Ryan Mundy is significant. Again, with the way Sanchez’s confidence has deteriorated over the past couple of weeks, the Steelers can win without Polamalu on Sunday. But when he was out of the lineup for most of last year, the Steelers failed to make the playoffs at 9-7 and also suffered a five-game losing streak during the season (something that most likely wouldn’t have happened had they had their defensive unit intact).

It’ll be interesting to see if the Steelers rush Polamalu back for next Thursday’s game against the Panthers. They may hold him out until Week 17 against the Browns, or may even rest him until the playoffs. Either way, they’ll need him back for the postseason or else we could be looking at an entirely different Pittsburgh defense for the playoffs.