The best team in the AFC is the Pittsburgh Steelers. I don’t think anyone can argue that point after the Steelers’ performance the last three weeks – @ CIN, @ IND, @ DEN. Today they picked apart the Denver Broncos en route to a 34-17 victory at Invesco Field. Bizarro Will Ferrell was dominant yet again, throwing for 275 yards and two scores. The Steelers only rushed for 90 yards, but they were able to move the ball pretty much at will against a suspect Denver pass defense. The key stat is Pittsburgh’s performance on third down. The Steelers went 10-16 (.625) and seemed to always get just enough yardage to move the chains.
Denver QB Jake Plummer looked like Arizona QB Jake Plummer in the second half, throwing the ball all over the field in an attempt to bring the Broncos back from a 24-3 halftime deficit. After a 30-yard strike to Ashley Lelie cut the lead to 14, Pittsburgh drove down for a Jeff Reed field goal. On the ensuing kickoff, Charlie Adams returned the ball 47 yards to put the Broncos in good field position. But a costly interception by Plummer pretty much ended Denver’s season.
Pittsburgh goes on to face the NFC representative at Ford Field (in Detroit) in two weeks. Much will be made of the play of Bizarro Will Ferrell and of Jerome Bettis’ return to his hometown Detroit for the final game of his career. But the Steelers are playing in the Super Bowl because they are the best team in the AFC, pure and simple. However, no matter whom they face, I think they’ll enter the game as the favorite, and that might finally put the pressure back on Pittsburgh.
