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Tandrew

01-18-2006, 01:28 AM

Ok here is something I found for the AFC Championship: (It's very long!)

AFC Championship: Pittsburgh at Denver

January 17, 2006
Pittsburgh Steelers (13-5) vs. Denver Broncos (14-3) at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Sunday, 3:00 p.m. EST

Coaches' playoff records: Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh, 10-9 Mike Shanahan, Denver, 8-4

Last meeting: October 12, 2003 at Denver Jason Elam kicked a 47-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Broncos to a 17-14 victory over the Steelers. The quarterbacks then were Tommy Maddox for Pittsburgh and Steve Beuerlein for Denver. Jerome Bettis scored on a one-yard run with 2:41 left in the fourth quarter and then slid into the end zone for the two-point conversion to tie the game. Rod Smith caught an 11-yard touchdown pass for the Broncos.

Steelers playoff road: Ben Roethlisberger passed for 197 yards and two touchdowns and the Steelers recorded five sacks of Peyton Manning in a 21-18 victory over the top-seeded Indianapolis Colts in the divisional playoffs. Bettis scored on a one-yard run in the third quarter, but his fumble late in the fourth quarter nearly cost Pittsburgh the game. With 1st-and-goal at the Indianapolis 2 with 1:27 left, Bettis had the ball knocked out of his hands by linebacker Gary Brackett. Cornerback Nick Harper recovered it and returned it 35 yards. Harper could have gone all the way if not for a lunging tackle by Roethlisberger. Mike Vanderjagt then missed a potential game-tying 46-yard field goal in the final seconds.

Roethlisberger completed 14-of-19 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-17 win at Cincinnati in the wild-card round. Cedrick Wilson caught three passes for 104 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown. Safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker James Farrior each had an interception.

Broncos playoff road: Cornerback Champ Bailey returned an interception 100 yards to set up the second of Mike Anderson's touchdown runs and the Broncos forced four other turnovers in a 27-13 victory over New England, ending the Patriots' 10-game playoff winning streak. It was also the first postseason win for Denver since a 34-19 victory over Atlanta in Super Bowl XXXIII. Rod Smith caught six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.

Pittsburgh offense vs. Denver defense Key Matchups: QB Ben Roethlisberger vs. FS John Lynch and NFL's 29th-ranked pass defense RBs Willie Parker and Jerome Bettis vs. NFL's 2nd-ranked run defense WR Hines Ward vs. LCB Champ Bailey TE Heath Miller vs. SS Nick Ferguson LG Alan Faneca vs. RDT Gerard Warren C Jeff Hartings vs. MLB Al Wilson

The Steelers can't rely on their physical running game against the Broncos, who yielded just 85.2 rushing yards per game this season. They should use the pass to set up the run like last week at Indianapolis. Shanahan likely will use Bailey to shadow Ward, Pittsburgh's leading receiver with 69 catches for 975 yards and 11 touchdowns. That means Miller and wide receiver Antwaan Randle, who matches up against rookie cornerback Domonique Foxworth, will have to make big plays for Pittsburgh. Faneca and Hartings, the Steelers' best run-blockers, are matched up against Denver's best run defenders - Warren and Wilson. They may run more often behind right guard Kendall Simmons, who is matched up against left defensive tackle Michael Myers.

Denver offense vs. Pittsburgh defense Key Matchups: QB Jake Plummer vs. FS Chris Hope and NFL's 16th-ranked pass defense RBs Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell vs. NFL's 3rd-ranked run defense WR Rod Smith vs. RCB Deshea Townsend TEs Stephen Alexander and Jeb Putzier vs. SS Polamalu C Tom Nalen vs. NT Casey Hampton LT Matt Lepsis vs. RE Kimo von Oelhoffen and ROLB Joey Porter

The Steelers ranked just behind Denver in run defense, yielding 85.5 yards per game. The Broncos led the AFC with 158.7 yards per game on the ground, but were held to 96 yards by New England. The Steelers should have similar success. Denver's ability to run will likely hinge on the Nalen-Hampton matchup. Pittsburgh recorded 47 sacks this season and dumped Peyton Manning five times last week. Shanahan will likely use Plummer on rollouts away from Porter, the Steelers' best blitzing linebacker. Polamalu often blitzes from the safety position, but the Broncos may try to make him pay with short passes over the middle to Alexander and Putzier. Look for Plummer to exploit the matchup with Smith against Townsend. Shanahan also likes to go deep with wide receiver Ashley Lelie, who drew a 39-yard pass interference penalty last week.