Month: January 2006 (Page 7 of 14)

At halftime of the Bears/Panthers game, I saw a promo for this scrolling at the bottom of the screen. I think Fox has somehow forgot what the NFL’s core demographic is. Where is the Sexiest NFL Cheerleader contest?

By the way, my money is on Brett. No way he loses to a kicker.

The Pittsburgh Steelers survived a topsy-turvy game in Indianapolis, nipping the Colts, 21-18. Indianapolis, who hadn’t played a meaningful game in almost a month, looked terribly out of synch for most of the first half, both offensively and defensively. After allowing two Pittsburgh pass touchdowns, they finally showed a pulse on a 96-yard drive – resulting in a field goal – and trailed 14-3 at halftime.

Pittsburgh extended its lead in the third quarter to 21-3 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Jerome Bettis. Ben Roethlisberger – who looks like Will Ferrell after a week-long bender in Las Vegas – was terrific for most of the game, finishing with 197 yards and two TD passes. But in the second half he took a hit on the elbow that may have affected his ability to throw the ball accurately. After the Colts scored on 50-yard pass from Peyton Manning to Dallas Clark, the Steelers sat on the lead and mustered an important 14-play drive that ate up eight minutes of the fourth quarter. After a very controversial reversal of what looked like a Troy Polamalu interception, the Colts scored quickly on a 3-yard Edgerrin James scamper, set up by a beautiful 24-yard catch by Reggie Wayne.

The Colts managed to stop the Steelers offense on their next possession and took over on their own 20, trailing 21-18. The Steelers blitzes forced the Colts into a fourth-and-16, and Manning was sacked on his own 2-yard line. With the game in hand, the Steelers took over and tried to punch it in with Bettis, but the Bus fumbled the ball and it was picked up by CB Nick Harper for a return of 35 yards. It looked from the replay that, had Harper angled to one of the sidelines, he may have been able to avoid Ben Roethlisberger, who ended up making the game saving tackle.

The Colts moved the ball down to the Pittsburgh 28-yard line, but failed to convert a third-and-2. On the ensuing play, Mike Vanderjagt missed a 46-yard field goal attempt that wasn’t even close. The Steelers survived the emotional and physical roller coaster and will travel to Denver next weekend for the AFC Championship.

Be sure to hit up our SMACK TALK thread and sound off about the game. Or click below and post your thoughts on this thread.

Until yesterday, Tom Brady had never lost a playoff game. The streak had to end at some point, and yestderday the Patriots lost to the Broncos in a mistake-filled game. Surprisingly, Tom Brady made one of the biggest mistakes, with an errant throw near the goal line that was intercepted and returned 99 yards to the New England one-yard line. That play changed the entire game.

New England out-gained Denver, but they couldn’t overcome the turnovers and mistakes. Not what you would expect from a three-time champion, but the streak had to end at some point.

Matt Hasselbeck had his coming out party yesterday against the tough Redskins defense. He demonstrated why Seattle has a real shot to win it all this year, as he led Seattle to an impressive 20-10 victory over Washington. ESPN’s John Clayton sums it up well:

Nationally, Hasselbeck isn’t a household name. Not yet, anyway, but games such as this NFC divisional playoff are starting to show what a lot of players and coaches already realize. Hasselbeck is more than just a leader of the offense. He, along with Holmgren’s play-calling, is one of the main reasons Seattle has been to the playoffs three consecutive seasons and now is within one game of the franchise’s first Super Bowl.

Shawn Alexander should be back next week, so Seattle fans have to be excited about their chances.