Author: John Paulsen (Page 911 of 937)

The Seattle Seahawks managed to contain Steve Smith defensively and moved the ball offensively, resulting in a 34-14 win over the Carolina Panthers. Smith, the NFL’s leading receiver, only caught five passes for 33 yards despite numerous attempts to get him the ball. He did manage to score on a punt return in the first half, but was otherwise a non-factor.

Matt Hasselbeck continued his strong play, completing 20 of 28 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Shaun Alexander shrugged off last week’s concussion to rush for 132 yards and two scores. All in all, it was a brilliant offensive and defensive effort for the Seahawks, who will be appearing in their first Super Bowl two weeks from today.

Pittsburgh is the early linesmakers’ favorite, and it will be interesting to see if the Steelers let the pressure get to them. Both teams are playing loose and the squad that can continue to do so will have the advantage in Detroit. The key will be Pittsburgh’s blitz packages – Seattle has one of the best offensive lines in football and if they are able to give Hasselbeck time, the Seahawks will have a good chance of winning. Both teams are formidable, balanced squads so it should be a good game.

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.