Two days from the AFC and NFC title games, and the 5-at-10 is calling in the big guns. After a rocky 2-3 showing with the picks last weekend (the 5-at-10 is a sluggish, but not overly expensive 5-5 through two playoff rounds), we tried to imagine how Al Davis would pick these games. Here we go (with some extra analysis this time, and it’s all for the same price as always)
Jets-Steelers
In this Dec. 19, 2010, file photo, New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, left, scrambles as Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Farrior (51) chases during the first quarter of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh. In pursuit is . The Steelers are scheduled to host the Jets in the AFC Championship game on Sunday. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)Regular-season meeting: Jets won 22-17 at Pittsburgh in December
Does that tell us anything: Not really – not since safety Troy Polamalu and tight end Heath Miller missed that game for the Steelers, who had the ball at the Jets’ 10 for the game’s last two plays.
Quarterbacks: Huge edge for the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger. Two quick points here: 1. Steeler Fan, who is one of the original fans of the show sent along an interesting link to a New York Times story on Big Ben’s penchant for pump faking. 2. Who has more to gain in the next three weeks than Roethlisberger? He wins out, he has three rings – as many as Brady and two more than Manning – and with the sound structure the Steelers have around him, the 28-year-old Roethlisberger could challenge the record for most Super Bowls for a quarterback. Think about that. Plus, if he leads the Steelers to their seventh title, who had a bigger turnaround in 10 months considering the sordid memories and allegations and overall gross-ness of the offseason charges of sexual assault? Seriously, a Super Bowl title for Big Ben means he went from being in legal hot water to potentially being on the trading block to possibly being cut by the tradition-proud Steelers to serving a four-game NFL timeout to start the season to jumping on the short list of starting QBs with three Super Bowl titles. (That list by the way is Bradshaw, Montana, Aikman and that’s it.)