Just ask the women, I notice a trend that they prefer it this way on saturday's, LOL
Anyhow.....
Seems every playoff game this post-season features two teams that faced each other during the regular season. This one is no different and while I should be cautious when putting too much weight to previous contests, there are factors to take away from each one. In Week 14, the Steelers defeated the Jets on this very field by a 17-6 count. Pittsburgh played soundly and was deserving of the win but the score was not exactly indicative of the play. That one stood at 10-6 with less than four minutes to play before the Steelers put it away. However, rookie sensation Ben Roethlisberger was only 9 of 19 for 144 yards and the only touchdown pass of the game came off the arm of running back Jerome Bettis. Roethlisberger was also picked twice in that game. In addition, the Jets actually out-gained the Steelers by a 296-262 count. Of course, this is a different day and both arrive here under different circumstances. Pittsburgh earned the right to have a week off by winning the AFC and they should be well rested. The Jets are here for a second post-season road game after an impressive win in San Diego. While the Steelers are deserving of this billing, I consider the points being offered as substantial ones. Big Ben is still a rookie quarterback being asked to spot more than a touchdown. The league caught up to the youngster in the final weeks of the season as Pittsburgh relied more on its defense than the arm of Roethlisberger, who threw five interceptions in his last three starts. The Jets make few mistakes (+17 in turnover ratio) and can hang around here with their solid defense. Another low-scoring affair gets me the cover here.
PLAY : Jets +8.5
Perhaps the wrong quarterback is getting all the pre-game hype here. Because of Michael Vick?s diversity as a runner and a thrower, he has established himself as one of the league?s more exciting players to watch. Taking nothing away from him, he is a great talent that?s fun to watch. However, being a scrambler and then a thrower is not necessarily a recipe for success in this league. Over the past few seasons, the pocket-passing prototypes are wearing Super Bowl rings, i.e., Tom Brady, Brad Johnston and Kurt Warner. The Rams? Marc Bulger fits that mold. Bulger was plagued by injury for part of the year but appears to be good to go now. In Bulger?s previous two games, he has thrown for 763 yards and five touchdowns with the bulk of those stats occurring against a solid Jets defense. Granted, it?s never easy getting excited over the Rams. They can look as good as any at times but can also have you pulling your hair out on any given Sunday. If they are to win here, they?ll need to slow Atlanta?s running game. The best way to accomplish that could be by getting a lead and forcing the Falcons to play catch up through the air. With the Rams playing on an indoor fast track with their potent passing attack that can easily happen. I don?t quite trust this Atlanta team whose 14th ranked defense is somewhat slighted by playing in the weak NFC. This is a big number for a team that has not had much playoff experience and for one that has failed miserably as a favorite with the Falcons having just three covers in past 10 tries when spotting points.
PLAY: Rams +7
Anyhow.....
Seems every playoff game this post-season features two teams that faced each other during the regular season. This one is no different and while I should be cautious when putting too much weight to previous contests, there are factors to take away from each one. In Week 14, the Steelers defeated the Jets on this very field by a 17-6 count. Pittsburgh played soundly and was deserving of the win but the score was not exactly indicative of the play. That one stood at 10-6 with less than four minutes to play before the Steelers put it away. However, rookie sensation Ben Roethlisberger was only 9 of 19 for 144 yards and the only touchdown pass of the game came off the arm of running back Jerome Bettis. Roethlisberger was also picked twice in that game. In addition, the Jets actually out-gained the Steelers by a 296-262 count. Of course, this is a different day and both arrive here under different circumstances. Pittsburgh earned the right to have a week off by winning the AFC and they should be well rested. The Jets are here for a second post-season road game after an impressive win in San Diego. While the Steelers are deserving of this billing, I consider the points being offered as substantial ones. Big Ben is still a rookie quarterback being asked to spot more than a touchdown. The league caught up to the youngster in the final weeks of the season as Pittsburgh relied more on its defense than the arm of Roethlisberger, who threw five interceptions in his last three starts. The Jets make few mistakes (+17 in turnover ratio) and can hang around here with their solid defense. Another low-scoring affair gets me the cover here.
PLAY : Jets +8.5
Perhaps the wrong quarterback is getting all the pre-game hype here. Because of Michael Vick?s diversity as a runner and a thrower, he has established himself as one of the league?s more exciting players to watch. Taking nothing away from him, he is a great talent that?s fun to watch. However, being a scrambler and then a thrower is not necessarily a recipe for success in this league. Over the past few seasons, the pocket-passing prototypes are wearing Super Bowl rings, i.e., Tom Brady, Brad Johnston and Kurt Warner. The Rams? Marc Bulger fits that mold. Bulger was plagued by injury for part of the year but appears to be good to go now. In Bulger?s previous two games, he has thrown for 763 yards and five touchdowns with the bulk of those stats occurring against a solid Jets defense. Granted, it?s never easy getting excited over the Rams. They can look as good as any at times but can also have you pulling your hair out on any given Sunday. If they are to win here, they?ll need to slow Atlanta?s running game. The best way to accomplish that could be by getting a lead and forcing the Falcons to play catch up through the air. With the Rams playing on an indoor fast track with their potent passing attack that can easily happen. I don?t quite trust this Atlanta team whose 14th ranked defense is somewhat slighted by playing in the weak NFC. This is a big number for a team that has not had much playoff experience and for one that has failed miserably as a favorite with the Falcons having just three covers in past 10 tries when spotting points.
PLAY: Rams +7
