Indy/Pitt and Denver/NE (1 Viewer)

[BassNBrew]

Not a fan of any of these teams, but dang I can't wait to see these games. I can't ever recall two better or more anticipated round 2 games in a conference before.

 

[Garts]

No...it would have been better if Palmer and the Bengals beat Pitt and Cinci played at Den and NE palyed at Indy.NOW THERE"S THE BEST MATCH-UPS.

 

[BassNBrew]

No...it would have been better if Palmer and the Bengals beat Pitt and Cinci played at Den and NE palyed at Indy.

NOW THERE"S THE BEST MATCH-UPS.

Disagree...Pitt has more history and experience. Pitt/Indy will be a whale of a game.

 

[jwvdcw]

Not a fan of any of these teams, but dang I can't wait to see these games. I can't ever recall two better or more anticipated round 2 games in a conference before.

Indy is a 9 pt favorite and could easily blow out Pitt. I don't think that will end up being a great game, although I've been wrong before.

 

[jwvdcw]

Not a fan of any of these teams, but dang I can't wait to see these games.  I can't ever recall two better or more anticipated round 2 games in a conference before.

2003 divisional round:Tennessee Titans 14, New England Patriots 17

Indianapolis Colts 38, Kansas City Chiefs 31

Carolina Panthers 29, St. Louis Rams 23 (2OT)

Green Bay Packers 17, Philadelphia Eagles 20 (OT)

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

No...it would have been better if Palmer and the Bengals beat Pitt and Cinci played at Den and NE palyed at Indy.

NOW THERE"S THE BEST MATCH-UPS.

Disagree...Pitt has more history and experience. Pitt/Indy will be a whale of a game.

I agree. Looking forward to both games - but especially Indy-Pitt.

 

[purestrength]

Not a fan of any of these teams, but dang I can't wait to see these games. I can't ever recall two better or more anticipated round 2 games in a conference before.

2003 divisional round:Tennessee Titans 14, New England Patriots 17

Indianapolis Colts 38, Kansas City Chiefs 31

Carolina Panthers 29, St. Louis Rams 23 (2OT)

Green Bay Packers 17, Philadelphia Eagles 20 (OT)

All four of those games were great. It will be hard to top those, but we could have some very good games next weekend.I'm a Colts fan, but I'm also looking forward to the Carolina-Chicago rematch in the NFC.

 

[GotFingNoDukes]

Not a fan of any of these teams, but dang I can't wait to see these games.  I can't ever recall two better or more anticipated round 2 games in a conference before.

2003 divisional round:Tennessee Titans 14, New England Patriots 17

Indianapolis Colts 38, Kansas City Chiefs 31

Carolina Panthers 29, St. Louis Rams 23 (2OT)

Green Bay Packers 17, Philadelphia Eagles 20 (OT)

All four of those games were great. It will be hard to top those, but we could have some very good games next weekend.I'm a Colts fan, but I'm also looking forward to the Carolina-Chicago rematch in the NFC.

The Chi-Car game should be a bloodbath.

 

[Santa Fe Trail]

The 1986 Division round was likely the peak of the NFC's decade of dominance. The games weren't barnburners but the star power and quality of teams was off the charts.San Francisco (10 - 5 - 1) '81 and '84 ChampsatNew York (14 - 2)Montana and Rice vs Lawrence Taylor and 7 total NY pro bowlers. Ronnie Lott cuts off a fingertip in the days before the game in order to play.Washington (12 - 4) '82 Champs and '83 SB loserat Chicago (14 - 2) '85 ChampsPayton had run for over 1300 yards and the Bears #1 D gave up even less points than the SB '85 squad. The Skins had the Clark, Monk, and Sanders trio, 7 pro bowlers, and Darrell Green who would make the signature play of his career.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

BNB is absolutely right. The AFC was very top-heavy this year and the 4 best teams (some might say 4 of the 5 best in the NFL) are playing next weekend - should be phenomenal. The Steelers are not blowing the Colts out, everyone knows that, so if the Colts don't nuke them off the field early, that one should prove to be a great game. Patriots/Broncos is the best divisional matchup I can imagine - Patriots, who are maybe playing the best football in the league right now, against a Broncos team which has been unbeatable at home. What a game.

 

[Maulers]

No offense to the Steelers. They are a very good team. However, the Colts are head and shoulders above the rest of the field this year. The Colts will take an early lead and will pull away somewhere in the 3rd quarter.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

No offense to the Steelers. They are a very good team. However, the Colts are head and shoulders above the rest of the field this year. The Colts will take an early lead and will pull away somewhere in the 3rd quarter.

Probably. I have no delusions surrounding this game, but I will always hold out a shred of hope that the Steelers can pull it out. The Steelers are actually one of the few teams I feel CAN beat the Colts, for one reason. They are almost impossible to beat if they can get an early lead and can pound you on the ground all day long. They need to force mistakes early and jump on top by 2 scores, then bludgeon the Colts into submission with Bettis and Parker.Of course the odds of being able to do that are very, very slim, which is why I am not optimistic. It CAN be done however, no matter how remote the odds are, and that is what I will be hoping for.

 

[Steelers4Life]

No offense to the Steelers. They are a very good team. However, the Colts are head and shoulders above the rest of the field this year. The Colts will take an early lead and will pull away somewhere in the 3rd quarter.

Probably. I have no delusions surrounding this game, but I will always hold out a shred of hope that the Steelers can pull it out. The Steelers are actually one of the few teams I feel CAN beat the Colts, for one reason. They are almost impossible to beat if they can get an early lead and can pound you on the ground all day long. They need to force mistakes early and jump on top by 2 scores, then bludgeon the Colts into submission with Bettis and Parker.Of course the odds of being able to do that are very, very slim, which is why I am not optimistic. It CAN be done however, no matter how remote the odds are, and that is what I will be hoping for.

Agreed. No Steelers fan is going to be overly optimistic this week, but the Monday night game during the regular season was close until halftime and the game swung on a few key plays... Reed's missed game tying field goal, Roethlisberger's INT just before half, the failed onside kick to start the 2nd half.A key to me is that in the 1st matchup, the Colts stacked the line and Roethlisberger was really too rusty to take advantage. This time around, he's playing excellent football and I think the Colts' defense will face much more of a challenge.

Another minor point is that in the first matchup, Trai Essex was forced into action for Marvel Smith, and at Indy isn't the place I want a rookie with little experience playing left tackle against Dwight Freeney. Smith is healthy this time around, and the OL is playing much better as a result.

Unless the Colts jump out to a big early lead, it should be a great game.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

No offense to the Steelers. They are a very good team. However, the Colts are head and shoulders above the rest of the field this year. The Colts will take an early lead and will pull away somewhere in the 3rd quarter.

Probably. I have no delusions surrounding this game, but I will always hold out a shred of hope that the Steelers can pull it out. The Steelers are actually one of the few teams I feel CAN beat the Colts, for one reason. They are almost impossible to beat if they can get an early lead and can pound you on the ground all day long. They need to force mistakes early and jump on top by 2 scores, then bludgeon the Colts into submission with Bettis and Parker.Of course the odds of being able to do that are very, very slim, which is why I am not optimistic. It CAN be done however, no matter how remote the odds are, and that is what I will be hoping for.

Agreed. No Steelers fan is going to be overly optimistic this week, but the Monday night game during the regular season was close until halftime and the game swung on a few key plays... Reed's missed game tying field goal, Roethlisberger's INT just before half, the failed onside kick to start the 2nd half.A key to me is that in the 1st matchup, the Colts stacked the line and Roethlisberger was really too rusty to take advantage. This time around, he's playing excellent football and I think the Colts' defense will face much more of a challenge.

Another minor point is that in the first matchup, Trai Essex was forced into action for Marvel Smith, and at Indy isn't the place I want a rookie with little experience playing left tackle against Dwight Freeney. Smith is healthy this time around, and the OL is playing much better as a result.

Unless the Colts jump out to a big early lead, it should be a great game.

Good points all. I need more of this, fuel my homerism, and make me believe this can happen !

 

[Chase Stuart]

This is the first time in a long, long time that Cowher and the Steelers have a very talented team with no pressure. They're heavy underdogs, and the high expectations, overconfidence and pressure that's doomed recent Steelers teams won't come into play here.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

This is the first time in a long, long time that Cowher and the Steelers have a very talented team with no pressure. They're heavy underdogs, and the high expectations, overconfidence and pressure that's doomed recent Steelers teams won't come into play here.

That's why I was not disappointed with the 6 seed this year, despite the murderer's row of road games they have to get through to get to Detroit. This year, they have played much better, more focused football on the road, and this is the first time in a while that they've already exceeded expectations and are being given almost no chance to win. It can only help.