They returned to the scene of the crime (a brutal 45-3 murdering by the Patriots at Gillette Stadium) and upset the 14-2, top-seeded Patriots. And quite frankly, the game ended three days ago and I'm still waiting for the Jets to blow the lead. Perhaps the league can plant video tapes of the Patriots' sideline at the Jets' practice facility and instead of sweeping it under the rug like the Super Bowl 36 videos, punish the Jets by stripping them of the win and having New England host Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship game on Sunday. I didn't see any late flags in the Jets-Pats game that would be thrown for no one but Brady, so maybe they'll sub this in as their "late flag?" I won't believe we're out of the woods until the 5:30 kickoff takes place from Heinz Field.
Speaking of Mr. ...err...Mrs. Brady? It was rumored that he had his head down crying in the Patriots' locker room after Sunday's loss. It kind of reminded me of the South Park episode in which Eric Cartman gets a bully, Scott Tenorman, to eat his parents who Cartman had gotten shot by a redneck, chopped up, and put into chili. As one would imagine, when Scott had it revealed to him that he had eaten his own parents, he became visibly upset and started crying. Cartman went over to Scott and began to lick/drink Scott's tears, and talking about how delicious they are. If I had been in the Patriots locker room on Sunday, I believe I would've taken similar action to Cartman. And just like in the South Park episode, Tom Brady's favorite artist that he idolizes, which is clearly Justin Bieber based on his haircut (Radiohead in Scott Tenorman's case), would have called him a "l'il crybaby." "Oh, tears of unfathomable sadness. Yummy!"
The Jets, with their close to dominating win over the Patriots, have earned the right to play in their second consecutive AFC title game. They were defeated last year by the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 30-17. I think this contest will have far fewer points as both squads feature excellent defenses. And even though both sides do have some explosive play makers on offense like the Steelers Mike Wallace and the Jets Santonio Holmes, defense typically trumps offense, especially when they're as strong as these two defensive units. I do feel, that the Jets will again come up short in the AFC Championship game. Yes, they defeated the Steelers in Pittsburgh just a few short weeks ago. However, Troy Polamalu sat out that contest with an achilles injury. He's expected to play in this contest which will give the Steelers a huge boost. Holmes, a former Super Bowl MVP with the Steelers and teammate of Polamalu told the press that he believes Polamalu is "...the greatest player he's ever played with or seen in person." For a guy who blazes past defensive backs and has a track record of scoring touchdowns in five of his six career playoff games, that's quite a bit of respect from a strong source.
If words don't do it for you, let's try numbers instead. Since the beginning of the 2009 season, the Steelers have posted an exemplary record of 15-4 when Polamalu plays and just a mediocre 6-8 record when he sits out. He also managed to tie for second in the league in interceptions this season with seven, even though he missed two games, coming to an average of one pick per two games played this season. Now that's an impact player. And even though he didn't appear much on the stat sheet in the Steelers' huge comeback win over the Ravens on Saturday, box scores don't begin to illustrate the legend that is Troy Polamalu. Don't think for a moment that this moment wasn't playing in the back of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco's head the entire game.
As fun as it is to think of the Ravens and Joe Flacco spontaneously combusting during the second half, that wasn't the case. The Steelers and their Hall of Fame genius defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau brought all kinds of pressure and different looks in the second half, and it left Flacco and the Ravens rattled. The Steelers' fans fed off of their effort to begin the second half and the team channeled that energy from that point forward. The same effect should be expected on Sunday. I'll be using all of my goofy superstitions to try and win as well. I began a new tradition by rubbing the hair on my Polamalu Christmas ornament for luck (Thanks Dan Clark!) I plan on rubbing out another victory on Sunday. Side note: The previous sentence was ghost-written by Tobias Funke of Arrested Development.
On the other side of the NFL's final four, is one of the finest rivalries in sports: the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. This NFC North showdown at Soldier Field will give the rivalry something that it's been lacking since 1941: a postseason game. The Bears defeated the Packers that year for the NFL championship and the two teams haven't met in the postseason since. That's seven decades. This sounds like a really long time, but sports fans in Chicago have waited longer for some things. Whatever these things may be have slipped my mind...but I digress.
The Bears and Packers promise to bring football fans another defensive battle. Mike Martz and the Bears adjusted the offense mid-season to focus more on running the ball, which makes sense for a team with a sound defense and spectacular special teams. This also puts far less pressure on quarterback Jay Cutler, who just got his first playoff experience last Sunday. And although Aaron Rodgers lit up the Falcons last week in Atlanta, the Bears are one team he is yet to completely figure out. In four starts against Chicago, he has just three touchdown passes to go with two interceptions. It's not awful, it's just not off the charts like against the majority of his opponents. That said, I believe the Packers will win the turnover battle and with it the game. I'm picking the Packers to win by a score of 13-9, although I'll be rooting for the Bears since I think they're the easier opponent for the Steelers. It would also give the Super Bowl party I plan to attend more buzz as it will include fans of both the Steelers and Bears on its guest list.
The Bears and Packers promise to bring football fans another defensive battle. Mike Martz and the Bears adjusted the offense mid-season to focus more on running the ball, which makes sense for a team with a sound defense and spectacular special teams. This also puts far less pressure on quarterback Jay Cutler, who just got his first playoff experience last Sunday. And although Aaron Rodgers lit up the Falcons last week in Atlanta, the Bears are one team he is yet to completely figure out. In four starts against Chicago, he has just three touchdown passes to go with two interceptions. It's not awful, it's just not off the charts like against the majority of his opponents. That said, I believe the Packers will win the turnover battle and with it the game. I'm picking the Packers to win by a score of 13-9, although I'll be rooting for the Bears since I think they're the easier opponent for the Steelers. It would also give the Super Bowl party I plan to attend more buzz as it will include fans of both the Steelers and Bears on its guest list.
Photos in order by Greg Derr of the Patriot Ledger, uncredited
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