Steelers can clinch a playoff spot this weekend

Only NASA scientists are more capable than the good folks at the NFL; and when it comes to figuring out the myriad playoff possibilities for the league's teams the NFL's "scientists" are without peers.

Today the league came up with their first "playoff scenarios" for this season, and it turns out that Pittsburgh can clinch a spot in the postseason dance this weekend. Here's how:

• Steelers beat Dallas
• Miami loses at Buffalo
• New England loses at Seattle

OR

• Steelers beat Dallas
• Miami ties Buffalo
• New England loses at Seattle
• N.Y. Jets lose at San Francisco

Neither scenario has us rushing out to purchase champagne, but it is nice to know that the Steelers are getting close.

The Referees: Our Opinion -- Our Final Word

Update: 1/14/08 1:00AM EST
The entire discussion -- both amongst fans and Pittsburgh media -- as to the quality of the officiating in the Jacksonville v. Steelers game has, for the most part, concluded. But like any powerful entity the National Football League has insisted on having the final word.

Officials are chosen to work the playoffs based on merit -- i.e. those who performed most capably during the regular season were selected for the Wild Card weekend, and those who were judged to have performed most capably that weekend moved on to the Divisional round -- and as it turns out every one of the officials who worked playoff game between the Jaguars and Steelers moved up to the Divisional Round. In fact, the entire crew for that game, except for Back Judge Bill Schmitz, stayed together and officiated the game between San Diego and Indianapolis (Mr. Schmitz worked the game between Seattle and Green Bay).

We're sure it's just a coincidence that in both games that Gerry Austin was the referee the visiting teams were victorious.

Update: 2:00AM EST
It seems as though some of the Steelers' players are not as willing as we were to look beyond some missed calls. The following is an excerpt from an item in Monday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"Penalties were kept to a relative few Saturday night, but apparently that's what bothered some Steelers the most -- too few penalties.

The Jaguars had six penalties for 40 yards and the Steelers five for 50.

Linebacker Larry Foote intimated that a huge hole in the Steelers' defense that quarterback David Garrard ran through for 32 yards on fourth down to set up Jacksonville's winning field goal came about for reasons other than good blocking.

Foote complained to officials on the field and it was the only topic he broached briefly in the locker room before leaving.

'You'll see a big old hole open up, and you'll see the reason why. That's all I've got to say. Thank you.'

Steelers linebackers were upset by what they felt were non-calls, particularly holding by the Jaguars.

'I'm the wrong person to interview,' Clark Haggans said. 'You might want to interview the referees. Plain and simple, that's it. I don't have anything else to say besides that.'

Said James Harrison, 'I have nothing to say about that. I ain't got no fine money to give away for talking about them blind refs, so I got nothing to say'."


Original Post
We've encountered some Steelers fans who have complained bitterly about the officiating in the Jacksonville game; and we must admit to having been tempted to including a discussion about this issue in our post-game wrap.

Sean Mahan holding on the two point conversion attempt? It really didn't look that way. However, James Harrison was held on very nearly every passing play, and on David Garrard's 32-yard, fourth quarter run both Mr. Harrison and Troy Polamalu were held.

Frankly, Hines Ward did have his hands in the face mask of Brian Williams -- illustrating the point that penalties are in the eyes of the beholder.

However, the referees had nothing to do with Ben Roethlisberger throwing three interceptions.

The referees had nothing to do with the Steelers not getting a first down with less than three minutes to play in the game, and in the lead.

The referees had nothing to do with a 16-yard punt return by Dennis Northcutt, thereby allowing the Jaguars to begin their winning drive from their own 49-yard line.

There isn't a game in the NFL where penalties couldn't be called more often, and while it can be argued that the failure to make certain calls had an impact on a particular play the reason the Steelers lost has to do with the plays that they made (Ben Roethlisberger's interceptions) and didn't make (not covering a kickoff well enough to keep Maurice Jones-Drew from breaking off a 96-yard return).

A Quick & Dirty Preview of Games We Don't Care About

Oddly enough there are still teams playing NFL games.

For those who want to know who will win those games -- and why would you -- here's a look at the yards per catch and giveaway/takeaway ratios (a "system" Pat Kirwan mentioned on Sirus radio's Movin' the Chains Inside the Red Zone) for the teams still in the NFL playoffs.

Seattle @ Green Bay
Giveaway/Takeaway: Seattle +10, Green Bay +4
Yards per Catch: Seattle 7.1, Green Bay 7.7

Looks like a nail-biter

Jacksonville @ New England
Giveaway/Takeaway: Jacksonville +9, New England +16
Yards per Catch: Jacksonville 7.5, New England 8.3

New England for the win, but by 13?

San Diego @ Indianapolis
Giveaway/Takeaway: San Diego +24, Indianapolis +18
Yards per Catch: San Diego 6.7, Indianapolis 7.6

These two teams are #1 (Chargers) & #2 (Colts) in takeaways. Looks like a close one as well.

N.Y. Giants @ Dallas
Giveaway/Takeaway: N.Y. Giants -9, Dallas +5
Yards per Catch: N.Y. Giants 6.2, Dallas 8.1

Looks like a blowout in the making

One final comment. One motivation for watching these games is this: Except for Green Bay and Seattle the Steelers will be playing all of these teams next season.

Jacksonville V. Steelers: The Good, the Bad & The Ugly -- the Wild Card Edition

Wow.

We are e-x-h-a-u-s-t-e-d.

Imagine how the players must feel.

It was an amazing game, and our knee-jerk reaction following the game was to be disappointed at the final score while simultaneously being quite proud of how the Pittsburgh Steelers fought back from as much adversity as a team can encounter on the field of play.

But upon further reflection we must, as we believe the Steelers' players, coaches, and fans must, reject moral victories. The franchise is a great one because of the championships it has won not because the teams have played horribly in one half and played splendidly in the next. The National Football League -- and in particular the playoffs -- is a zero sum game. The Steelers lost, and looking for something to feel good about only delays (and possibly detracts from) the critical self-analysis that must now begin if the team hopes to get back to being a legitimate championship contender.

After a crazy, mixed up game, like the one we witnessed Saturday night there is no way to categorize the game into "Good," "Bad," and "Ugly." The Steelers were all of those things -- sometimes at the same time. Here's some of what we mean:

Ben Roethlisberger : During the first half, just for a moment, we thought we were watching Super Bowl XL. A quarterback rating of 47.8? Three interceptions? Even if the first one is credited to aggressive play by Rashean Mathis (it was a high risk, high reward play which worked out for him and the Jaguars) the two that followed were . . . mind-boggling in their carelessness (and the final one cost the Steelers an opportunity to kick a field goal).

But then there was the second half. Two touchdowns, 188 yards, 17/23 and a 126.72 quarterback rating. He led his team, he willed his team down the field -- taking advantage of the turnovers forced by the defense -- and brought them back to the brink of victory.

The Offensive Line : With 3:43 left in the game the Steelers had the football and a one point lead. Frankly, they were twenty yards -- two first downs -- away from sealing the win. There was a time, a season or two ago, the Steelers could have run out the clock by keeping the ball on the ground, and getting the necessary yardage. The 2007 edition of the Steelers' offensive line managed to lead the team down the field -- for five yards. From that point, the rest is history. Moreover, the 43 yards of rushing that the Steelers accumulated (13 of which came from Ben Roethlisberger) Saturday is their lowest total in the playoffs since rushing for 58 yards in the AFC Championship game against new England on January 27, 2002 in that game Kordell Stewart was the Steelers' leading rusher).

We do want to send some praise the way of Trai Essex. We watched him intently all evening (and then watched the game again via the miracle of Tivo), and must say that he exceeded our expectations by a considerable margin. Additionally, it did not appear that the Steelers modified their playbook appreciably to "protect" Mr. Essex. There were runs to the left, there were QB roll-outs to the left, and until the Steelers' final offensive play of the evening Mr. Essex hadn't been beaten on a pass rush (it should be pointed out that there was almost always a running back helping Mr. Essex in pass protection, but that probably should have been the case when these two teams played the first time this season), and on that play Najeh Davenport didn't exactly do much to lend a hand (i.e. he whiffed on the block). Overall Mr. Essex did well, better than anyone had a right to expect from a third string tackle.

The Defense : Faced with bad field position throughout much of the first half -- Jacksonville's average drive began at their 46-yard line -- the defense limited Jacksonville to 14 points (and let's be fair -- the kick return by Maurice Jones-Drew left them in an impossible position). In the second half the Steelers' defense forced turnovers, and played the physical brand of football that their fans have come to love and expect. They limited the Jaguars to 239 net yards, and held Fred Taylor and Mr. Jones-Drew to a combined 77 yards. But at the end of the game, when they needed to make a play in order to secure victory, David Garrard rumbled for 32 yards thereby ensuring that the Jaguars would have an opportunity to kick a makeable field goal.

No one can question the effort or the intensity of the Steelers' defense. But in the end all that can be said is that they almost played like champions.

[Note added 1/6/08, 5:20 PM: It should be noted how thrilled we were to see LaMarr Woodley making impact plays. The solid performances of Mr. Woodley, Matt Spaeth, and Daniel Sepulveda is making the 2007 draft look solid]

Special Teams : Following the final Steelers win of the season (i.e. the game in St. Louis), in discussing the kick coverage team here is what we said: "If the Steelers are fortunate enough to make the playoffs this glaring weakness will cost them points -- count on it."

Did you doubt us?

And yet the special teams responded. Following the 96-yard return by Maurice Jones-Drew the Jaguars had five more kick returns, and they managed to rack-up a total of 44 yards (i.e. 8.8 yards per kick return). The pooch kick is an amazing thing. On those five kicks we saw speed -- something sorely lacking in games,and years past, on Pittsburgh's special teams.

The punt coverage team was similarly up-and-down. Dennis Northcutt returned three punts Saturday evening. On the first two he managed to get 15 total yards. Again, the speed of the Steelers' coverage unit was terrific. But then, with the offense having failed to get a first down late in the game, deep in their own territory, Mr. Northcutt broke loose for a 16-yard return, enabling the Jaguars' offense to begin their winning drive near midfield.


Conclusion : If we were to identify the turning point in what was a see-saw affair it would have to be the Steelers' fourth quarter possession that began with 3:43 left in the game. With momentum on the Steelers' side, and a one point lead, here's what happened:

• The Jaguars' defense beat the Steelers' offense, forcing a punt.


• The Jaguars' punt return team beat the Steelers' punt coverage team, setting up the Jags' offense at their 49-yard line.


• The Jaguars' offense made enough plays -- including the 31-yard run by David Garrard on fourth-and-two -- to kick the field goal that put them ahead.


• The Jaguars' defense stomped out any hope of a miraculous Steelers' comeback by beating the left offensive tackle and stripping the ball away from the quarterback.

Late in the game, with a chance to win, the Steelers were dominated in every phase of the game. It's hard to find anything to feel good about in that.

The Mother of All Game Previews

"Since midseason, no team has improved more than Jacksonville, and no team has declined more than Pittsburgh."

So begins the preview offered by Football Outsiders of the Jaguars v. Steelers contest. It is far-and-away the best preview you will see of any game (a preview of the Redskins v. Seahawks precedes the Steelers' preview, on the same page), and provides a fair-and-balanced (to coin a phrase) look at both teams.

Just as an aside, Pat Kirwan of Sirius radio's Movin' the Chains offers up a more simplified approach to determining which team will win in any given game. Take a look at the yards per catch and the takeaway/giveaway ratio of the two teams -- if, and when, those numbers tilt towards one team or the other then you have a clear cut favor.

In this week's game between Jacksonville and Pittsburgh here's how those numbers stack up:

Takeaway/Giveaway
Jacksonville +9
Steelers +3

Yards per Pass
Jacksonville 7.5 yards
Steelers 7.7 yards

Hmmm . . . looks like a nail-biter.

And not to be outdone, the New York Times also has a preview worth looking over.

Polamalu Held Out of Practice - UPDATE

Update
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that safety Troy Polamalu practiced on Friday, and his availability to play on Saturday versus Jacksonville will be made at game time.

How well he might play may be another issue; however Mike Tomlin is quoted as saying "[i]f he does play, there will be no excuses. The standard of expectation won't change. If he's going, he's going."

Original Posting
WPXI is reporting on its website that safety Troy Polamalu was held out of practice on Thursday, marking the second consecutive day that he has been held out.

Mr. Polamalu missed five regular season games this year, and has missed eight games over the course of the last two regular seasons.

Jacksonville's Top Ten

Generally speaking, Pittsburgh Steelers Fanatic doesn't get caught up in individual/one-on-one matchups as it relates to the outcome of a game. Unlike baseball, football is actually a team game with component parts (i.e. players) working hand-in-hand to create conditions that enhance the likelihood of winning. So, rather than "player X has to beat player Y," we tend to focus on fundamentals (e.g. turnovers, line surge, "gap integrity" -- a phrase that is new to us, and which we love!). In that spirit we offer up the ten things that the Jaguars have to do to beat the Steelers, as presented at Jaguars.com; and it's presented here because most of these ten things are also important to a Steelers win as well.

1. Hold onto the ball—One interception nearly cost the Jaguars the last game. Ball security is job one.

2. Rush the passer—It’s likely to be all Ben all the time, and that puts a premium on the pass-rush.

3. Run the ball—The Steelers will load up against it. If the Jaguars are able to run with any semblance of the success they had against the Steelers on Dec. 16, the Jaguars could win comfortably. Note: This is THE KEY to the game for the Steelers. In an interview on NFL Radio on Thursday, the Steelers "have to control the clock . . . and keep the [Jacksonville] defense on the field." In the first half of their first meeting Jacksonville led at the half 10-7, and rushed for 98 yards. As bad as that was, Jacksonville came out with their first possession of the second half and reeled-off a 74 yard, 20 play drive that featured 41 yards of rushing.

4. Play with poise—The Steelers are a playoff-experienced team. The Jaguars are not. Poise in the playoffs is critical. The Jaguars have to find it early in this game.

5. Get a lead—It would keep the Steelers from gaining momentum.

6. Win the QB battle—The team that does usually wins, and that’s especially true in the playoffs. Postseason performance is the true mark of a quarterback. Note: Ben Roethlisberger is the better of the two quarterbacks, but the patchwork offensive line responsible for protecting him isn't anywhere as good as Jacksonville's (see item #2). If Mr. Roethlisberger can remain upright throughout the day the Steelers have a chance.

7. Be special—Jaguars special teams played horribly in the last meeting between the two teams. The Steelers have had major problems on special teams this season and the Jaguars should enjoy a major advantage in this aspect of the game. Note: This may be overstating things a bit, but the Steelers' special teams did outplay the special teams of the Jaguars. Jacksonville averaged under 20 yards per kick return, under 4 yards per punt return, and the Jags' punter had a net average of 26.6 yards -- though he did have three punts downed inside the Steelers' 20 yard line.

8. Win the physical battle, again—The Jaguars are the more physical team. This should be a given.

9. Beware Holmes—Santonio Holmes is the Steelers’ home-run hitter. He has the kind of speed and athletic talent that should be feared and respected.

10. Seize the moment—This is the Jaguars’ portal to so many good things. This is a game that could deepen the roots of professional football in Jacksonville. This is a game that could truly earn the Jaguars national respect. A win would likely send the Jaguars to New England for a chance to make history. A loss would ruin everything.

Are You Ready for Your Close-Up Mr. Essex?

UPDATE: Steelers.com offers an article assuring all Steelers fans that Mr. Essex is ready for the challenge!

Original Posting

Coaches in the National Football League, when faced with injuries to their players, are fond of saying things like "everyone with a helmet is a playmaker," or "we have the same expectations we have when (fill in the blank) is in there." With that in mind we take a look -- a refresher look, really -- at the Steelers' third-string playmaker at left offensive tackle, Trai Essex.

Upon being chosen in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft (out of Northwestern), Mr. Essex told Pittsburgh reporters that "[t]he Steelers have been my team since I was a kid. Whenever I played Nintendo, they were my team." One can only assume that his electronic version of the Steelers rarely, if ever, utilized a third string lineman. However in assessing Mr. Essex former Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm had this to say: "He can play both tackles. He can play both guards. He's an explosive-type of lineman. He fits our scheme. He's a guy we were looking for."

But things haven't really worked out. Mr. Essex hasn't started a game since December 18, 2005 (he started the final three regular season game of his rookie season), and after appearing in 15 games in 2006 he has made it onto the field in only three games in 2007. Now the Steelers are, quite literally, asking him to watch Ben Roethlisberger's back. Though there is precious little evidence to work from, we decided to evaluate the three starts that Mr. Essex has in 2005 in the hopes of getting some idea of what to expect on Saturday against Jacksonville.

Using the NFL's official game books from the final three regular season games of the 2005 season we decided to break down just where the Steelers rushed the football (i.e. rushes to the left side of the offensive line, rushes up the middle, rushes to the right side of the offensive line) and just how effective those rushing plays were (note: for our purposes we did not include quarterback scrambles). Here's how the numbers look:

Date	Opponent	Left	Yds.	Middle	Yds.	Left	Yds.
12/11/05	Cincinnati	11	47	10	25	6	27
12/11/05	Chicago	7	59	20	77	18	59
12/18/05	Minnesota	12	24	8	68	15	42

So what do these numbers mean? A look at the percentages -- i.e. what percentage of runs in any single game went left/middle/right, and what percentage of rushing yardage came from going left/middle/right -- reveals that over the course of the three games, while the Steelers remained committed to running left, the overall percentage of yards gained on such plays steadily declined.

Date	Opponent	Pct. Left	Pct. Yds.	Pct. Middle	Pct. Yds.	Pct. Left	Pct. Yds.
12/11/05	Cincinnati	40.74	47.47	37.04	25.25	22.22	27.27
12/11/05	Chicago	15.56	30.26	44.44	39.49	40.0	30.26
12/18/05	Minnesota	34.29	17.91	22.86	50.75	42.86	31.34

There is no way to say with certainty that it was Mr. Essex's performance which led directly to the decline in rushing effectiveness to the left side; however rushing effectiveness did decline, and in addition to that Mr. Essex surrendered two sacks in the game against Minnesota and was flagged for a holding call as well.

And of course there is the fact that he hasn't started a single game since.

Much has been made regarding the loss of Willie Parker, but as much as that injury hurt the Steelers offensive capabilities it is the losses of Marvel Smith and Max Starks that may is more likely to prematurely end the Steelers' season.

Jacksonville v. Steelers: Matchups, The Wild Card Edition

We don't pay a great deal of attention to point spreads, but we couldn't help but notice that Jacksonville is only giving between a point and a point-and-a-half in some of the early lines, of course the Steelers are the only home team not favored.

And for those who might want to take some encouragement away from Jacksonville's loss to Houston just remember that the the Jaguars deactivated six of their most important players.

Lastly, since the 2000 season (i.e. 2000-2006, inclusive), in the Wild Card Weekend, the home teams have a collective record of 19-9. And the Steelers are 4-1 in the last five appearances during that weekend.

It seems as though we did something like this not too long ago, but here's a look at the Jaguars' and Steelers' updated numbers.

Jacksonville Offense v. Steelers Defense
Average total yards per game: Jacksonville offense 7th (357.4) v. Steelers defense 1st (266.4)

Average net rushing yards per game: Jacksonville offense 2nd (149.4) v. Steelers defense 3rd (89.9)

Average net passing yards per game: Jacksonville offense 17th (208.0) v. Steelers defense 3rd (176.5)

Average points per game: Jacksonville offense 6th (25.69) v. Steelers defense 2nd (16.81)

Steelers Offense v. Jacksonville Defense
Average total yards per game: Steelers offense 17th (327.4) v. Jacksonville defense 12th (313.8)

Average net rushing yards per game: Steelers offense 3rd (135.5) v. Jacksonville defense 11th (100.3)

Average net passing yards per game: Steelers offense 22nd (191.9) v. Jacksonville defense 15th (213.5)

Average points per game: Steelers offense: 9th (24.56) v. Jacksonville defense 10th (19.0)

Special Teams
Average yards per punt return: Jacksonville 8th (10.1) v. Steelers 30th (6.1)

Average yards allowed per punt return: Jacksonville 11th (7.8) v. Steelers 14th (8.6)

Average yards per kick return: Jacksonville 15th (22.7) v. Steelers 21st (22.0)

Average yards allowed per kick return: Jacksonville 4th (19.7) v. Steelers 16th (22.6)

Net yardage punting average: Jacksonville 14th (36.9) v. Steelers 9th (37.9)

Opponent net yardage punting average: Jacksonville 17th (37.3) v. Steelers 26th (38.6)

Miscellaneous
Turnover differential: Jacksonville 7th (+9) v. Steelers 12th (+3)

Time of possession: Jacksonville 3rd (32:06) v. Steelers 1st (34:41)

Red Zone touchdown efficiency: Jacksonville 9th (56.9%) v. Steelers 7th (58.2%)

Red Zone defense (touchdowns): Jacksonville 23rd (55.6%) v. Steelers 22nd (55.3%)

Sacks allowed: Jacksonville 15th (31) v. Steelers 25th (47)

Sacks: Jacksonville 9th (37) v. Steelers 13th (36)

Some Individual Numbers
Passer rating: David Garrard 3rd (102.2) v. Ben Roethlisberger 2nd (104.1)

Leading rushers: Fred Taylor 9th (1,202 yards) v. Willie Parker 4th
(1,316 yards) Note: Najeh Davenport, the Steelers' likely starter this Saturday, is 45th in the NFL in rushing, and has rushed for 499 yards.

Leading receiver: Ernest Wilford 83rd (45 catches, 518 yards, 11.5 per catch, 3 touchdowns) v. Hines Ward 26th (71 catches, 732 yards, 10.3 yards per catch, 7 touchdowns)

Steelers @ Baltimore: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

If you're a Pittsburgh Steelers player there isn't much to feel good about following the 27-21 loss to Baltimore. If you're a fan of the Steelers here's some information that will leave you shaking your head (at a minimum).

Over the last six seasons (i.e. 2002-2007, inclusive of their game this past Sunday) the Steelers and Ravens have met 12 times in the regular season. In those games:

• Both teams have a 6-6 record
• Both teams have averaged 20.08 points per game
• In the six games played in Baltimore, the Steelers have a turnover differential of -7
• In the six games played in Baltimore the Steelers have rushed for an average of 57.2 yards

With the tone properly set, here's a look at some of what went on this week.

The Good
Having warmed up for three quarters the Steelers came to life offensively, and were less putrid defensively, in the fourth quarter.

For example, in the first three quarters the Steelers' offense gained 104 net yards (47 yards of which was gained via a pass interference call against Corey Ivy). Conversely, in the fourth quarter alone the Steelers gained 197 net yards. Additionally, nearly half of all the Steelers' offensive plays for the game came in the frenetic fourth quarter (i.e. 21 of 50 -- 42%), and 25% of their non-penalty first downs (i.e. 3 of 12) occurred during that same fifteen minute period.

On the defensive side of the football, the Steelers "limited" Baltimore to 50 yards during the final quarter -- the lowest total of any of the quarters, and "only" three first downs -- also the lowest total of any quarter in the game. Finally, and most "impressive," is that the "vaunted" Steelers defense managed to keep the "explosive" Ravens offense off the scoreboard in the final period.

Also falling into the "Good" section is that nearly every single player active for the game, for the Steelers, played, indeed, the only player not to play was Brian St. Pierre. So when Mike Tomlin breaks out the "We win as a team, and lose as a team" you'll know he really means it this week.

Also, it's good that, once that Baltimore put their third-string players in the game, the Steelers kept working hard enough (with many of their starters still in the game) to put some points on the board.

No, I'm not really buying that either but it's something.

Finally, the one group amongst the Steelers that can stand proud is special teams. Ten days after the Steelers successfully executed a fake punt, they managed to pull-off a successful onside kick against the Ravens. It was, arguably, the best executed play by Pittsburgh all day long. And Daniel Sepulveda, after a very poor first effort (25 yards), delivered kicks of 48 (net of 51), 47 (net of 47), and 29 yards (net of 29, down at the Baltimore 13).

The Bad
When discussing football it is often said that the most popular person in any town is the backup quarterback; and amongst backups no one is more well-regarded than Charlie Batch. But when Mr. Batch stinks in his annual start he's got to take the criticism just like a starter.

In the first half Mr. Batch hard numbers that, quite honestly, most of us could have turned in: 5/11, 41 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a frightening 17.6 passer rating. That his numbers improved dramatically in the second half (and particularly in the fourth quarter, as previously discussed) was as more a function of Baltimore emptying their bench than it was a genuine improvement in the play of Mr. Batch.

Also disappointing was the performance of Willie Reid. The fumble at the beginning of the game, and the subsequent inability of the defense to stop Baltimore from getting into the end zone, ended up being the difference in the score (if not entirely the difference in the game). Then, to compound that error, he fumbled another return though, in fairness, the call was challenged and reversed. During his tenure with the Steelers Mr. Reid has been more potential than performance, and unless something positive happens during these playoffs he may be looking for a new NFL home.


The Ugly
The starting defensive front seven of the Steelers went against a youthful offensive line of the Baltimore Ravens (i.e. there are two rookies in that group) and head their figurative heads kicked in. As a result Musa Smith and Cory Ross -- who had exactly zero carries in his two year career prior to today -- looked like Pro Bowlers. Specifically, these two unknown and unheralded third stringers (in fact, Cory Ross isn't even listed on the Ravens' depth chart) combined for 155 yards on 34 carries (4.56 yards per carry), and two touchdowns.

Additionally, the defense failed to capitalize on opportunities that were all but handed to them: Ike Taylor dropped an interception; and though the Ravens fumbled the football four times, the Steelers could only come up with one of those. When an opponent wants to hand you a game you have to be ready to oblige them, and the Steelers were anything but.

And over on the other side of the football, the Steelers' offensive line turned in another horrific performance -- something that is becoming routine in Baltimore. Najeh Davenport and Gary Russell combined for 47 yards on 18 carries (2.61 yards per carry). Merriam Webster's has a perfect description of the offensive line's performance: "pa•thet•ic: pitifully inferior or inadequate."

Exactly.

Conclusion
As disappointing as the Steelers' performance was, on both sides of the football, the team has earned the opportunity to turn the page and try again. And before we decide to throw dirt on the Steelers' season just remember that the twelve playoff teams went 5-7 the final weekend. And though the Steelers struggled over the final ten games of the regular season here's a look at the records of the other playoff teams over that same period:

Team	Wins	Losses	Pct.
New England	10	0	1.000
Dallas	8	2	.800
Green Bay	8	2	.800
San Diego	8	2	.800
Indianapolis	7	3	.700
Jacksonville	7	3	.700
N.Y. Giants	6	4	.600
Pittsburgh	6	4	.600
Seattle	6	4	.600
Tennessee	5	5	.500
Tampa Bay	5	5	.500
Washington	5	5	.500

So if the Steelers are entering the playoff tournament playing less than their best take solace in two indisputable facts:

1. There are playoff teams playing worse than they are.


2. Cleveland was 8-2 in their final ten games, and missed out on the playoffs by losing to Cincinnati, and then watching Kerry Collins lead Tennessee to a fourth quarter comeback on the road in Indianapolis.

Steelers' Playoff Tilt in Prime Time -- Correction/Update

Update
Kickoff is now scheduled for Saturday, January 5, 2008 at 8:00PM.

Correction/Update
So much for sources.

I went directly to an unimpeachable source -- my satellite program guide -- and their is a prime time game (on NBC), on Saturday (1/5). The Sunday games (1/6) will be at 1:00PM and 4:30PM.

At this point we're honestly not sure what to think, except that NBC would love to have the Steelers again in prime time. And given their pull, thanks to the gigantic amount of money they're paying the league, the guess now is that they'll get what they want.


Original Post
It hasn't yet been announced by the National Football League, but according to my sources the Steelers will play their first playoff game of the Mike Tomlin era on Sunday, January 6, 2008 at 8:00 PM (EST) -- the final game of Wild Card Weekend.