A Football Week

 

Almost a week has passed since the Steelers amazing 26-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night clinched the AFC North for Pittsburgh and secured a home game for them in the first round of the NFL Playoffs.   I know that the Ravens kicker went wide right on a field goal attempt as the clock ran out that would have given the Ravens the win, but I lay the credit for this win squarely at the feet - or more likely, the arm and brain -  of QB Aaron Rodgers.  

With the Steelers trailing 13-17 deep into the fourth quarter, Rodgers calmly led the team on a 60 yard drive that resulted in a two yard TD run by Kenneth Gainwell.  Then, after the Ravens scored in only three plays (terrible lapse in the Steelers secondary), Rodgers did it again.  This time it was a six play, 65 yard drive that culminated in a Rodgers to Calvin Austin 26 yard TD pass.  Chris Boswell then missed the extra point (!!), which set up the excruciating last 55 seconds of the game,  wherein Lamar Jackson brought the Ravens downfield to set up a 44 yard FG with :02 remaining, but......WIDE RIGHT!

Rodgers leading not one but two fourth quarter comeback drives to win the games with time running out can be said to be truly heroic in the sporting sense of the word, but equally heroic was  the Ravens Lamar Jackson, who did the same thing: led two fourth quarter comeback drives that to win the game, but for the missed FG.

It was truly one of he great Steelers games ever, and for Rodgers his best game as a Steeler: 31-for-47, 294 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int.  As Mike Tomlin said, it was for games like this that the Steelers brought him to Pittsburgh. 

Oh, and lest anyone remind me, here is something I wrote this space a mere 12 days ago:

• The Steelers desperately need a quarterback.....it sure isn't....42 year old Aaron Rodgers, and I say that with all due respect to Rodgers, who has played heroically at times this season.  The team took a shot to go all in with Rodgers for the season, and at times it looked like it was going to work, but in the end, it just isn't going to work out as everybody had hoped.

I now take those words back, and I will stick to them, regardless of the outcome of the game with the Texans on Monday night. And I will summarize Aaron Rodgers-as-a-Steeler with the words of singer Toby Keith:

"I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once

As I ever was"

********

Elsewhere in football, the semi-finals of the College Football Playoffs took place with a positively thrilling 31-27 win by Miami over Mississippi on Thursday, and a simply overwhelming 56-22 win by Indiana over Oregon.

It is hard to imagine that Indiana will not win the championship come Monday night, and it is hard to imagine that Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza will not be the number one pick in the NFL Draft in April.

Yes, this were his numbers against Oregon last night. in fact, in his two CFP games, he has thrown more TD passes than he has thrown incomplete passes.

********

It is Wild Card Weekend in the NFL playoffs, and just for $hit$ and giggles, I'm predicting the following:

• Rams over Panthers
• Bears over Packers
• Jaguars over Bills
• Eagles over 49ers
• Patriots over Chargers
• Steelers over Texans

I've already bet on Rams -10.5 and Bears +1.5 for today, and yes, I know that ten and a half points is an awful lot of points to be laying in a Playoff game.