A four point favorite in the Super Bowl? A team that had to win their last game of the regular season to get into the playoffs is now the favorite to win the super bowl?
A number six seed over a number one seed? That basically explains the playoff run for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Three road wins later comes a trip to Detroit. Who would have thought that the Steelers would win the first week of the playoffs against the third seeded Cincinnati Bengals, let alone beating powerhouses Indianapolis and Denver.
The playoffs were very surprising this year. The Steelers beating the Colts, Panthers shutting out the Giants, and the Broncos controversial win over the Patriots. But we still have a great Super Bowl scheduled.
Pittsburgh is the first team to win all three road games on the way to the Super Bowl since the 1985 New England Patriots. That year the Patriots didn’t win it, but the Steelers could be the first team to win the Super Bowl after playing all road games. And I think they will. Why? Two words: Ben Rothlisberger. The kid has that “something” that one Mr. Tom Brady had when he was a young, second year quarterback from Michigan.
Then there is the other team in the Super Bowl, Seattle Seahawks. It is their first trip to the big game in the team’s 30 year history.
The Seahawks support one of the best offensive lines in the league with also the league’s MVP in Shaun Alexander. Let’s not forget their stingy defense, which is ranked second in the NFL this year and led the NFL in sacks.
This year’s game will be extremely exciting in all aspects.
The Steelers storybook playoff run can be completed with a win. Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger and linebacker Joey Porter have been playing out of their minds and the team is feeding off of this intensity.
The Seahawks who were the best team in the NFC this year having a 15-3 record showed me one of the best home field advantages I have seen in recent years. Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme could not get play calls from his helmet earphone because the crowd was too loud. By far one of the loudest crowds I have heard in my experience in watching sports. The crowd gave the Panthers a lot of trouble. That crowd though, won’t be there in Detroit, and partly because of that, the Seahwaks won’t come out with a victory.
Plus, history favors the side of the Steelers. They are 4-1 in the Super Bowl and also have the longest tenured coach in league, Bill Cowher, who has created a winning system in Pittsburgh. Granted, legends like Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swan working for Fox Sports and running for governor of Pennsylvania, respectively.
But that doesn’t diminish the aura that their championship teams of the 1970’s created, and it certainly doesn’t diminish the importance of their legions of fans, waving their infamous “terrible towels” that became famous in the glory days of the Black and Gold.
On Sunday in Detroit, the terrible towels will fly, the Steel Curtain will hold strong, and the Pittsburgh Steelers will be Super Bowl champions.
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