Championship week pick 'em

01/19/12 21:35 PM

The 2012 NFL Playoffs have been quite the source of entertainment so far. They started with a record Wild Card round that solidified Tebow as the second coming and a historic output of offense by the New Orleans Saints. Last weekend proved to be no slouch either: underdogs ruled the roost in the NFC and Tom Brady helped everyone remember that a read-option doesn’t belong on the same field as the New England Patriots. With all that said, what can we fans possibly expect this week? I can’t be sure, but I’m looking forward to it. Not in my wildest dreams did I expect the possibility of a Joe Flacco vs. Alex Smith Super Bowl, but it might happen. But no Harbaugh Bowl football gods…please.  Onto the picks: AFC...

Divisional Round Pick ‘Em

01/12/12 23:32 PM

With the Steelers being sent home to the tune of a 29-23 loss in overtime at Denver, I have to keep myself occupied by picking the winners for this week’s divisional round. The “Elite Eight” matchups this week are chalked full of intriguing storylines, since once again, it looks like teams will only go as far as their quarterback takes them. Here are my picks for the second round of the NFL playoffs: NFC Divisional Round New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers, Saturday @ 4:30 p.m. Media-darling Jim Harbaugh’s first playoff game as a head coach will be against the red-hot New Orleans Saints this Saturday. While I’d like to say San Francisco has a chance, I think New Orleans’ advantage at the quarterback...

Wild Card Preview: Broncos vs. Steelers

01/08/12 18:47 PM

By Anthony Meier, Duke Blogger Final Standings Pittsburgh Steelers: Finished 2nd in the AFC North and clinched a Wild Card spot Denver Broncos: Finished 1st in the AFC West and clinched a home playoff game The Match-Up on Paper Statistically, this matchup looks to favor the Steelers heavily. The Steelers finished the season as the #1 ranked defense in the NFL, allowing only 271.8 yards per game. Not only that, but the Black and Gold rank in the top-10 in both passing and rushing defense. On the flip side, Denver’s offense has been reeling ever since the Tebow-rrific six-game winning streak ended in week 15 against the Patriots. Following that loss, Denver only managed to score 17 points total against the likes of Buffalo and Kansas City and...

Quick hits: week 14 wrap-up

12/09/11 16:17 PM

 What a hard-fought win by the Steelers last night against the Browns. While beating the Browns by only 11 is not something to be proud of, the Steelers came away with a key victory to keep pace in the AFC North with the Ravens. Some thoughts on a surprisingly difficult victory:  -Obviously, the big story to come out of this game was the ankle injury Roethlisberger sustained after being sacked in the second quarter. Roethlisberger was only sacked once all game, but the Browns made it count, because Roethlisberger’s game looked all but over. Sure enough though, Big Ben returned in the second half and continued to show everyone why he is considered one of the toughest players in the NFL. Playing on basically one leg for the second half of the game, ... 0 comment

Week 14 Preview: Steelers vs. Browns

12/07/11 14:57 PM

Where each team stands after Week 12  Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-3, second in the AFC North Cleveland Browns 4-8, fourth in the AFC North Team rankings After a week 13 beat down of the Bengals, the Steelers face the Browns on a short week this Thursday night. Even with the blowout win last week, the Steelers’ overall offense rankings didn’t go up. In fact, they dropped a spot to 11th overall in total offense and are now ninth in the league in passing. The Steeler’s rank in rushing meanwhile remained the same at 18th overall. Obviously, this isn’t a huge cause for concern, but it is interesting to note that even a 35-7 win doesn’t do much for a team’s overall rankings.  The Cleveland Browns will look to test the Steelers...