Steelers Keys to Win

The Steelers defense needs to play like the #1 defense they've been all season. If they let Larry Fitzgerald go what he did to the Panthers, the Cardinals will pull away, and not come back. Pittsburgh also needs Willie Parker to take control of the game against the #19 defense in the NFL. Hines Ward, even though he is not at full strength, will still be a factor, and Ben Roethlisberger will need to get him the ball.

Cardinals Keys to Win

To beat Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLIII, Arizona will have to get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald. He is their main offensive threat, but they also need to establish a good run game early. Fitzgerald is good, but if he is being triple-covered by Polomalu, Ike Taylor, and Deshea Townsend, the Cardinals need other options. Their defense needs to play the way they did against Carolina, or they don't stand a chance against Willie Parker and Hines Ward.

Divisional Weekend

Ok, so this weekend is divisional playoff weekend, and the 1st game, Tennessee vs Baltimore is tied 10-10 with 1:09 left in the 4th quarter, but Baltimore is driving, and is in Tennessee territory. Sorry, I had to eat dinner, Baltimore won 13-10. The Panthers and Cardinals play in about 5 minutes

Stupid Linebacker

In the Meineke Car Care Bowl on the 27th, Carolina lost to West Virginia 31-30. It was a good game, unless you were a Carolina fan and you were watching the last two minutes, when WVU scored a touchdown to make it 31-30, and T.J. Yates threw an interception that basiclly erased his pretty good game. Pat Lazear, the linebacker who intercepted Yates, is now hated among the Carolina faithful, and loved among the Mountianeer fan club. Hakeem Nicks had 3 touchdowns in the 1st half, but was shut down by double coverage in the 2nd half of what might have been his last game in Carolina blue. Nicks is only a junior, but he has had a great year this year, and got the attention of many NFL scouts.

Now THAT'S a Football Game!

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl- Southern Miss vs. Troy

Motor City Bowl- Central Michagan vs. Florida Atlantic

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl- Houston vs. Air Force

Texas Bowl- Western Michigan vs. Rice

Independence Bowl- Northern Illinois vs. Louisana Tech

International Bowl- Buffalo vs. UConn ( This would be a good game if UConn hadn't been blown out by Carolina and Rutgers)

Some of these games have been played, and others are still to come, but they aren't really filled with great teams. I think a lot of them were 6-6 in the regular season, which means they just barely made a bowl.

Monday Night Football

Last night, the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears met in Chicago on Monday night for the season finale of MNF on ESPN. The Bears trailed 14-3 at halftime, mostly because neither the offense or the defense were awake. The Packers scored their two touchdowns in the 1st half, one on a rocket pass from Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings, and the other on a screen pass to Ryan Grant that was taken all the way. On the Bears 1st drive in the 2nd half, they had to punt, but it bounced off a Green Bay player and it was recovered by the Bears. Eventually, the Bears tied it at 17, and a last second field goal attempt by the Packers was blocked, and the game went into OT. The coin toss bounced off Brian Urlacher's helmet, and Chicago won it. 3 and a half minutes later, Robbie Gould kicked a game-winning field goal for the 2nd straight week to keep the Bears playoff hopes alive.