NFL playoffs: Steelers, Eagles roll past opponents to advance to conference championship games
Pittsburgh plays a hit tune
Suffocating Steelers too much for Chargers
PITTSBURGH — Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley couldn’t help it. He really wanted to watch.
So with his body turned away from the line of scrimmage during a TV timeout in the fourth quarter Sunday, Woodley tilted his head back to watch as a highlight reel of the season’s hardest hits played on the scoreboard at Heinz Field.
“I always look forward to that,” said Woodley, as if he enjoyed the musical montage as much as any other fan. “You see some big-time hits on there.”
As a result of the Steelers’ latest dominating performance — a 35-24 victory against the San Diego Chargers in an AFC divisional playoff — the team’s video department will have plenty of more highlights to add in time for next week’s AFC Championship Game.
Don’t forget about Woodley’s two bone-crushing sacks. Then again, don’t forget about the other tough plays that turned this game into a trademark victory by the Steelers.
"We played our kind of football," Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said.
Yes, they did. On offense, defense and even special teams.
The performance, which was led by running back Willie Parker's 146 yards on 27 carries, sets up a blue-collar championship game between the Steelers and rival Ravens in Pittsburgh next Sunday. The winner plays in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa.
The Steelers defeated the Ravens in each of their two meetings this season.
"We have a tough, tough, tough team coming in here," defensive end Brett Keisel said.
"They know us, we know them. It's going to be a big challenge, but we're one step away."
The Ravens couldn't have liked what they saw from the Steelers on Sunday.
Aside from a hot start by San Diego (quarterback Philip Rivers threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson on the fourth play of the game), Pittsburgh's defense was suffocating.
It started soon after that initial touchdown.
When the Chargers were forced into a three-and-out on their next possession, wide receiver Santonio Holmes returned a punt 53 yards for a touchdown by breaking one tackle, outrunning another defender and finally hurdling the only player who stood between him and the Steelers' first points of the game.
"The field was kind of sloppy, so I knew their guys weren't going to be able to stop and cut and make the tackle like they're supposed to," Holmes said. "It just opened up for me."
Soon after, it also opened up for the rest of the team, specifically in a strange third quarter in which any chance for a Chargers comeback was eliminated.
Pittsburgh opened the second half with an eight-minute touchdown drive … only to see San Diego running back Darren Sproles return the ensuing kick 63 yards. On the next play, though, linebacker Larry Foote intercepted a defected pass thrown by Rivers.
When the Steelers punted after another eight-play drive, the ball bounced off the helmet of Chargers safety Eric Weddle, resulting in a fumble that was recovered by Pittsburgh.
By the time the quarter ended, San Diego's offense had the ball for 17 seconds, wearing down its defense while allowing Pittsburgh to go to the ground.
"It was such a weird third quarter," Rivers said. "It had a huge impact on the game. But those crazy plays aren't the only reason we didn't come out on top. Pittsburgh is a heck of a team."
Rivers had a solid performance, going 21 of 35 for 308 yards and three touchdowns. But he found out the hard way why the Steelers could become the favorite to win the Super Bowl.
Near the start of the fourth quarter, just two minutes before that video montage played on the scoreboard, Woodley wrapped up Rivers in the backfield and slammed him to the ground for his second sack.
When Rivers stood up, he wobbled before catching his balance like a boxer who had been knocked to the mat. It provided the perfect moment to a game defined by one beating after another.
This, no doubt, was a knockout.
"He was doing a lot of trash talking," Woodley said. "Once that score went up a little bit, he quieted down. Now, he's got a long flight back to San Diego."
This will be the Steelers’ seventh AFC title game, and sixth in Pittsburgh, in 15 seasons. They were 2-4 in the previous six, with an unprecedented four losses in five tries at home during the 1994-2004 seasons.
The Steelers had the worst offense of any playoff team coming in, only to put up 35 points to support the NFL’s top-ranked defense. Now, it’s time for Ravens versus Steelers Part III next Sunday — the third and most intriguing matchup this season between the can’t-stand-each other AFC North rivals.
“What else would you expect, us and the Ravens,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “It would be big if it was a scrimmage. This is for the AFC championship.”
Pittsburgh won the earlier two games, 23-20, in overtime in Pittsburgh — when the Ravens supposedly put bounties on several Steelers players — and, 13-9, during the Dec. 14 rematch in Baltimore that secured the divisional title.
There was much to like for the Steelers in this one as they made certain that the Chargers’ stars from their 23-17 wild card upset of the Colts didn’t repeat their performances.
Sproles, coming off his all-around 328-yard game against the Colts, wasn’t much of a factor despite a 63-yard kickoff return and a 62-yard TD catch in the game’s final two minutes after Pittsburgh had opened a 35-17 lead.
Sproles was held to 15 yards on 11 carries after rushing for 105 the week before and. He had 91 yards on five catches and 164 yards on five kickoff returns.
“I don’t think he ever broke one [run]. We contained him pretty good,” the Steelers’ LaMarr Woodley said.
The Steelers weren’t as dominant defensively as they were while holding eight teams to 10 or fewer points during the season, but they also now are 13-4.
The Chargers ended 9-9, following an unlikely five-game winning streak that came after they looked to be out of playoff contention at 4-8.
Ben Roethlisberger, again looking like the can’t-shake-me quarterback who led three road playoff wins in three weeks as the Steelers won the Super Bowl three years ago, converted three times on third-down plays of 8 yards to go or longer ahead of his TD pass to Heath Miller.
He went 17 of 26 for 181 yards as the Steelers outgained the Chargers, 342-290.
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