That's all she wrote...

3 interceptions and a blown kick coverage led to an 18 point deficit in the second half for the Steelers, but even then the game came down to just a single play. A 4th-and-2 with less than 2 minutes left after 2 David Garrard picks(even Ike Taylor managed to not drop an interception, but destiny was only teasing us) allowed the Steeelers to take 29-28 lead. A stop here and the game is over. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, the Jags line opened a big hole(with the help of some pretty blatant holding I might add) and Garrard went 32 yards for the first down to set up a Josh Scobee field goal that gave them the lead with just 37 seconds left. A Big Ben sack and fumble removed any chance for another 4th quarter comeback and for the first time in team history, the Steelers lost twice at home to the same team in the same season, in a gut-wrenchingly similar game to the one they lost to the Jags 29-22 just a few short weeks ago. With the victory, the Jaguars earned a date with destiny as they travel to Foxboro to take on the Patriots next week.

Despite the early and disappointing end to the Steelers season, they did manage to claim their fist AFC North title in 3 years. Pretty impressive for Mike Tomlin's first season as a head coach at any level of the game. Especially considering they also lost their offensive coordinator(Ken Whisenhunt) and offensive line coach(Russ Grimm) to Arizona. There were plenty of bright spots though, especially on offense. Like Ben's resurgence as a franchise quarterback despite 47 sacks(I guess we could've used ole Russ Grimm back) in the regular season. And Wille Parker leading the league in rushing before breaking his leg in week 16. They will need to address some serious concerns with the offensive line(likely about to get worse with the departure of Alan Faneca to free agency) in the offseason. The pass rush will also need some work, although they do have two promising rookie linebackers in LaMar Woodley and Lawrence Timmons who will only get better.

In the other playoff games, the Seattle defense almost blew the game as they let the Redskins erase a 13 point 4th quarter lead. Luckily they got the two touchdowns back with the help of a couple pick-sixes from Todd Collins and the Seahawks won 35-14(Did the Redskins lost by 21 points to honor Sean Taylor? we may never know) to stay alive in the race to Super Bowl XLII. They'll have to get past the Packers on the frozen tundra next week to do it though. The Giants picked up a win on the road behind a solid Eli Manning performance(I never thought I'd hear those words spoken about a playoff game) and will travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys. Do you realize that Eli is 8-1 on the road this year? Maybe the Giants should build their home stadium somewhere else. In other "wait...they won it behind their quarterback?" news, the Chargers beat the Titans 17-6 despite only 42 yards rushing from Tomlinson. Philip Rivers 292 yards thru the air gave the Chargers their first postseason victory in 13 years.

If there is any bright spot to the weekend, it's that I went 3-1 in the picks, with the only loss coming from the Titans losing by 11 on a 10 point spread. Even the Steelers were able to cover the spread despite losing. We even won our money pick despite betting on Eli Manning in the playoffs.