NFL PICKS: Super Bowl XLIII

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2009

Pittsburgh Steelers (-5) vs. Arizona Cardinals in Tampa, FL


The story lines don't matter. The players do. Larry Fitzgerald is not 11 players on the field at all time. He's one. Troy Polamalu sometimes is like two. Ben isn't going to play weak this Super Bowl. The defense is going to play stronger. Kurt Warner is a great guy. But he's going to do a lot of lying on his back this game. Willie Parker may make a pass at his longest Super Bowl rush record. Hines Ward will be a factor. James Harrison will end the game with the MVP.

I know picking against my sleeper hasn't been good this post-season. But one thing has been constant in the playoffs. The Pittsburgh Steelers. And there is one constant in the world. One constant that is true no matter where and no matter when and that is that the world is Steeler Country. Baltimore was no different this year. Tampa will be rampant with Terrible Towels.

I mean come on .... Arizona is Steeler Country .....

Beijing is Steeler Country ....

Egypt and the Great Pyramids are Steeler Country ....

The Great Wall of China is Steeler Country ...

Air Bases in Iraq are Steeler Country ....

London England is Steeler Country ...

Mount St. Helens is Steeler Country ....

Punxatawney is Steeler Country and Phil is a Steeler Fan ....

Sydney, Australia is Steeler Country ....

The Marine Corp is Steeler Country ....

The White House is Steeler Country and the President is a Steeler fan .....

The Vatican is Steeler Country and the Pope has blessed the Terrible Towel ....

No matter where in the world you are you remain in Steeler Country. And like I said today in Tampa it will be no different. The Steelers win today. Steelers 27-7.

Steelers -5

Besides, Jesus loves the Steelers. The below picture is courtesy of our very own Irish Road from his days in Baghdad, Iraq.

Baghdad is Steeler Country!

Football Drinking Rules: Super Bowl Update!

With Super Bowl XLIII Right around the corner we realized that we should probably revamp the Football drinking rules to be a little more relevant to the Big Game. We kept most of the
rules the same since they will still be relevant but had a few changes.

Change 1: The Manning Rule is now the Family Rule

Whenever NBC shows Larry Fitzgerald's Dad or Brenda Warner take a 5 second drink.

Change 2: The Eddie Guns rule is now 'The Boss' Rule

Whenever the announcers mention Bruce Springsteen or The Boss you have to drink for 5 seconds.

Change 3: The King Social is now The Car Commercial Social
Whenever they show a car commercial drink for 5 seconds.

Bonus Super Bowl Rule: Skyline Rule

Every time NBC shows a shot of the City of Tampa, or as we like to refer to it this week, Steeler Country-South, take a 5 second drink.

Here We Go Steelers! And Enjoy!

Groundhog's Day Drinking Rules

As everyone knows, Sunday is the Super Bowl. What may be getting overlooked is the day after the Super Bowl. No not National Pretend to be Sick and Call Off Work Day! It’s Groundhog’s Day! Naturally, drinking must accompany an occasion of this caliber. But since we will be piss drunk and hungover from the Super Bowl at 6 in the morning, we will drink to the movie Groundhog’s Day. You know the one with Bill Murray and a chick that is in desperate need of frizz control or something on her hair. They probably should of just gone with a hotter chick but can you imagine Bill Murray hitting anything hotter than this?

Ok I know you didn’t come here for my analysis of the movie. So without further ado, here are the rules.

1. Take a 3 second drink each time the day changes.

Note: Any event which implies a change of day, such as Phil Conners dying or getting slapped repeatedly counts as a day change.

2. Drink for 3 seconds when the word “Groundhog” is mentioned.

3. Finally, take a shot whenever the Groundhog is shown on screen. The shot must be rum or stronger, lest you get tagged as the bitch of the group.

The Omen

All signs point to yes this Super Bowl Sunday. Are we as Steeler Country overconfident? As I pointed out yesterday in lambasting Bob Smizik we are THE smartest fans in football. We have deep faith and belief in our Pittsburgh Steelers as we always do. But this year it's backed by one of the greatest defenses in football history, an offense that always finds a way and a fantastic coaching core. So our confidence is grounded in our great football educated ways.

One thing that has been established this season is that under no circumstances as an opponent of the Steelers should you EVER disrespect the Terrible Towel. It's just come back to haunt that team every time. So of course Mayor Gordon of Phoenix, AZ just had to go and use it as a Kleenex before stomping on it a little. Good move chump! Let's call it stupidity. Let's call misguided enthusiasm for your team. Let's call it the Curse of Myron Cope!

You think the legendary broadcaster and one of the most beloved man in Steeler history is going to let you do that without getting you back? Good luck dodging that wave of the Towel!

Speaking of Cope everybody has been trying to figure out the rallying point of the Steelers this Super Bowl. In 2005 we had Bettis in his final season and playing in his hometown. In 2006 we saw the Colts try to win one for Dungy and Peyton Manning. 2007 the Giants used an injured military vet as locker room motivation and won for him and linebacker Michael Strahan. This season the answer seems so obvious: Do it for Cope! When Myron Cope, our favorite football broadcaster, passed it was one of the saddest days in Steeler Country. But we have been playing with an unprecedented fire this year and part of me believes that God's newest broadcaster is having a watchful eye from above for this. So let's win it for Myron Cope and pray that we see this image on Sunday night:

But as I said before, all signs point to yes! Thirty years ago a dominant defense played it's division rival for a third time that season in the AFC title game. That team was the 12-4 Pittsburgh Steelers. Their opponent was the 11-5 Houston Oilers. They prevailed in a 27-13 victory to advance to the Super Bowl against an upstart 9-7 NFC team.

This year the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 12-4 record faced off against their division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, for a third time also. The Ravens like the Oilers were 11-5 during the regular season. The Steelers prevailed 23-14 and will face an upstart Arizona Cardinals who also bring a 9-7 record. These my friends are Good Omens.

The 1979 Steelers prevailed in the Super Bowl to claim their, then NFL record, 4th Super Bowl title. History often repeats itself. And for the Steelers that means another ring, another Lombardi Trophy, and another notch above the rest of the National Football League.

My prediction? Like that Superbowl long ago, another close 3 quarters with the greater defense and ultimately the greater team, the Steelers, pulling away in the 4th.

Steelers 30-17.

MVP: Troy Polamalu.

It's the F#@*-ing Snuggie, Bitch!

I love making fun of infomercials as much as the next guy but some people are just more clever than others when they do it. Earlier today on Sports Illustrated's Hot Clicks I found this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h05ZQ7WHw8Y& which led to this video which dubs some guy's genius over the Snuggie infomercial.

Freakin' hilarious as hell!!! I don't know about you but I laughed my ass off for the whole two minutes! As a Bonus I'll include the Sham-wow parodies yours for just 3 easy payments of $19.99! Wow!!!

Jag-Off(s) of the Day: Bob Smizik, The Mayor of Phoenix, and Sports Illustrated's Jacob E. Osterhout

Bob Smizik

Let's start with one of the originator's of the Jag-Off posts Mr. Bob Smizik. We hated on Mr. Smizik when we named him #8 on our Top Ten Pittsburgh Jag-Off list after he called us knuckleheads for booing that mercenary Marion Hossa. Then a week later Runhigh smashes the hell out of the 'Man with pubic hair on his head' after Smizik made a pre-season prediction that the Steelers D was over the hill and running on fumes. He then said that they'd only win 9 games and that would win the division. Good call idiot.

We thought that we saw the last of that moron when he retired (got pushed out) a few weeks ago. Unfortunately they still let him blog for the Post Gazette. This time he instantly calls out Pittsburgh fans as uneducated and says that the majority of us have already ruled the Cardinals out of the Super Bowl. He doesn't neglect to add his own superior opinion to the blog saying he is unlike all Pittsburghers and knows better. Well there Bobby we know of your vast genius and knowledge of football thanks to those early season predictions. Unfortunately you forgot that Pittsburghers are THE smartest fans in football. We know how hot teams can get and how they can make impressive runs come playoff time thanks to our very own '05 Steelers and last year's Super Bowl Champions, the Giants. We understand the realities of not underestimating a 9-7 team because we know our history and remember the 1980 Super Bowl team that had to make a late comeback to beat the 9-7 Rams. To think that we don't remember our own Steeler Super Bowl history is asinine. Seriously, we of all fans know that any team can claim victory on any given Sunday. Like I said, Pittsburghers are THE smartest fans in football. There is no debate. So trust us, we aren't under estimating the Cardinals. We're just confident that our team, our 'over the hill running on fumes' defense, can pull off the victory and bring home a record 6th Lombardi Trophy. Mr. Smizik you are officially a grade A Jag-Off.

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon

I don't know if you got the memo chief or if you just hate your city that much but disrespecting the Terrible Towel curses your team. And when you let people capture it on film you are just another Jag-Off in a pool of retards. Stomp on the symbol of Steeler Country, the symbol of our pride, love for our team and a symbol who's profits go to charity and the curse is placed upon your football squad. I know you tried to apologize but you can't take back that which is done. You are now an unclassy Jag-Off! Enjoy second place.

Sorry Bro' but the Steelers are going to kick the living piss out of your Cardinals

Jacob E. Osterhout

Okay, Okay, Okay so this one may be a bit of a stretch but I just gotta throw this one out there: Jakey, You're about two months too late with your Storm the Court article. Yours truly not only hated on people who unnecessarily storm the field/court and took it a more impressive step further by creating rules. You .... didn't. Go take your Zack Morris outfit to your local gay bar and suck it! You've been declared an Irish Road Jag-Off!

43 Greatest Beer Commercials (Part 2)

100th Post!!!

Finally! After all of the hard work on this we are pleased to bring you the top 20 of the 43 Greatest Beer Commercials. Once again for our Arizona readers we've placed the numbers in parentheses so that they may understand the corresponding Roman numeral. So to celebrate our 100th Post and Super Bowl 43 without further ado here's 20 thru 1.

XX (20) Red Stripe “Helping white people dance”



XIX (19) Bud Light Swear Jar



XVIII (18) Bud Light “70’s Night”



XVII (17) Miller Lite “Man Law – Tuck Rule”



XVI (16) Red Stripe “Take his pants”



XV (15) Bud Light “Dude”



XIV (14) Bud Light “I love you man”



XIII (13) Heineken – “Perfect Gentleman”



XII (12) Guinness “Brilliant”



XI (11) Bud Light “Pilot jumps”



X (10) Budweiser “Horse kicks field goal – use to go for two”



IX (9) Bud Light “But he has an ax”



VIII (8) Guinness “Domino”



VII (7) Carlton “Shed”



VI (6) Coors Light “Jim Mora – Playoffs”



V (5) Heineken - Me and You (Jen Aniston)



IV (4) Budweiser “Whazzup”



III (3) Budweiser “Frogs”



II (2) Miller Lite “That’s my sister”



I (1) Miller Lite “Catfight: Great taste vs. Less filling”

43 Greatest Beer Commercials

In honor of the upcoming Superbowl we've decided to bring you 43 of the greatest beer commercials ever created. Much time and effort went into narrowing down quite a few commercials into the 43 that we've posted. Many friends and co-workers were consulted to bring this list so enjoy! It wasn't just funny commercials but clever and well thought out ones that also made it. Oh ... and for those of you reading from Arizona fear not ... we've put the numbers in parentheses so that you can figure out which Roman numeral stands for which one you're at. Here is 43-21!

XLIII (43) Bud Light “Who’s Todd Schizzler”



XLII (42) Green King IPA “Cheating Death”



XLI (41) Carlton Beer “It’s a Big Ad”



XL (40) Miller Lite “Kung Fu”



XXXIX (39) Miller Lite “I think we’ve got a fourth”



XXXVIII (38) Guiness “Rhythem of Life” (evolution)



XXXVII(37) Budweiser “Lizards”



XXXVI (36) Bud Light “Cut the Cheese”



XXXV (35) Bud Light “Magic Fridge”



XXXIV (34) Bud Light “Wardrobe Malfunction”



XXXIII (33) Keystone Light “Blue Tooth”



XXXII (32) Bud Light “Ability to talk to animals”



XXXI (31) Budweiser “Streaker”



XXX (30) Coors Light “Jim Mora Random Triangles



XXIX (29) Bud Light “What would Carlos Do”



XXVIII (28) Bud Light “Wasabi”



XXVII (27) Red Stripe “Beautiful man”



XXVI (26) Bud Light “Bad Dog”



XXV (25) Carling Beer “Just the two of us”



XXIV (24) Bud Light “Rock, Paper, Scissors”



XXIII (23) Pure Blonde Beer “From a place much more pure than yours”



XXII (22) Guinness “Share one with a friend”



XXI (21) Heineken “I love your sister”

Part 2 (1-20) http://onirishroad.blogspot.com/2009/01/43-greatest-beer-commercials-part-2.html

Jag-Off of the Day: Southerners and Snow

This post is dedicated to all the Southerners who fear snow like:

Superman fears Kryptonite
Sarah Palin fears Katie Couric
Tony Kornheiser fears Airplanes
an 8 year old fears Things That Go Bump in the Night.

Text message summary from me and a friend from Jacksonville, NC:

Displaced Northerner in the South: Snow Day!
Runhigh: How much snow did you get?
Displaced Northerner in the South: Only an inch or so.
Runhigh: lol ... I've drove drunk in more snow than that.
Displaced Northerner in the South: I don't think drunk driving is funny.
Runhigh: No, but Southerners who panic over one inch of snow are.

She then went on to defend them because they don't salt the roads. What she forgets is that most rural Pennsylvania towns don't salt the roads and we both attended school in shithole rural towns and managed to avoid crashing our cars in actual blizzards.

FYI ... I checked CNN Weather ... it says Jacksonville, NC is 20 degrees and sunny. Sounds like a great excuse to cancel school. Children in Pennsylvania wouldn't have to go from December through March.

I don't even know where to start my commentary.

First ... for a part of the country that prides itself so much on driving and racing ... your complete unwillingness to do it in what people in Pittsburgh would consider a dusting is laughable.

Second ... I've been to the South ... most of you people have 4WD Trucks ... use them. My company car is a Chevy Cavalier with over 100,000 miles on it, yet I've managed to make several trips to Buffalo this winter for work without incident.

Third ... I'm not even sure you are all that afraid of the snow. It's probably just a lame excuse to stay home and drink Busch Ice while watching the Maury Show, The Price is Right and Judge Judy.

Fourth ... the South prides itself on its strong military heritage and tradition. I find this difficult to take seriously if I know you'll go running for the hills as soon as flurries come falling from the sky.

Here's to you, oh Southern Man cowering in his shanty terrified of a few snow flurries, you have become the newest Jag-Off of the Day!

AFC CHAMPS!!!!

So I am writing this after midnight and after about 20 beers today and like 6 shots ... so take whatever I say within that context. Oh yeah ... and I have a beer in hand drinking this ... go ahead and call Alcoholics Anoyomous ... I don't care. They wrote me off as a lost cause a long time ago.

First of all ... great game by the Penguins today .... goals by Sykora, Kennedy and Minard, totally made my afternoon. Fleury stopping everything sent his way reminded me of a Mormon girl turning down sexual advances on prom night. Great job by the Pens to claw their way back into playoff contention. This could be a huge turning point for them.

So Nighthawk comes down around 3:10 today and told me he picked against his sleeper pick again. I told him he was stupid. I was later vindicated. He is stupid. I am smart. Well smarter than him. Which ain't saying too much but I'll take it. He had to go to work and missed most of both the games. I had a 4 day weekend. Who sounds smarter to you?

On to Larry Fitzgerald. The Steelers are going to have a hard time covering him. Yes the Steelers defense is great but they have no one who can match his leaping ability. The Steelers will have to get to Kurt Warner and hit him hard. If that happens Warner will either fumble or throw picks.

For the game today ... I went to Jackman's Bar in Avalon. It's a shithole bar off of Rt. 65. But more importantly ... they have 2 dollar yuengling drafts. YES. At first I was dissapointed upon hearing they had no specials ... then i realized 2 dollar Yuenglings are quite special themselves. First of all you may wonder what type of bar "Jackman's" is. I will tell you. It is populated by the drunken blue collar idiot. Otherwise known as the backbone of the Pittsburgh Steeler Fan Base. Would I trust anyone at that bar to do my taxes, handle my 401k or even make me a Big Mac? Probably not. But they sure are fun to drink with. My throat is still sore from yelling at the top of my lungs for 4 hours.

On to the game. First of all ... props to Tomlin for getting to the Super Bowl in his second season as head coach., far surpassing the career trajectories of Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll. What would seem more unlikely? A rookie QB getting to the Super Bowl or a black man being inaugurated as President? Well thanks to the Steelers, one is going to happen this week ... the other isn't.

Once again ... the Steelers defense rose to the occasion. Even before a defensive touchdown by Polamalu to seal the game the defense held Flaccid Flacco to only 13 completions and 3 interceptions. Also, Ryan Clark almost decapitated Willis McGahee. Chalk up another likely fine for a Steelers defender. I think these fines are becoming a badge of honor for Steelers defenders. Note to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin: You are both awesome recievers, but let your guard down and you may be on a one way trip to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. On the plus side: the food ain't half bad ... trust me .... I know. Oh, and what are the odds the Ravens have a bounty on Clark's head next time they play?

Hines Ward looked great in the first half before he was hurt. I can only presume he will be fine in two weeks. His replacement: Limas Sweed turned in a typical performance by dropping a couple of key passes. On the plus side he did deliver a block that resembled a Hines Ward on Bart Scott hit. If it turns up on youtube I may post it. But for now you are on your own. Plus you should of watched the game yourself.

Edit: here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiK5JQU8SW8

Chalk up another Steeler with a bounty on his head.

Parker averaged about 2 yards per carry tonite ... big surprise. Parker having trouble against the Ravens is like Superman struggling with Kryptonite. Wait until the Super Bowl when he is facing the Cardinals. It will look like the Harlem Globetrotters versus the Washington Generals. Note to the stupid people: Parker is not the Washington Generals in this matchup.

Is Jeff Reed possibly the most underrated kicker in the league? He is tough enough to go without long sleeves in freezing weather and make two long field goals. Even David Akers ... the supposed Patron Saint of postseason field goals missed one on Sunday. Oh and Matt Stover? Hated him on the Browns, hate him even more on the Ravens.

Did anyone else think of the Lavar Leap when Polamalu stopped Flaccid Flacco on 4th down? For those of you who don't know what the Lavar Leap is here is a refresher course:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4GoBoY7DdA&NR=1

Here is Polamalu doing it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4yvC_6Etf8

Oh yeah, and here he is retiring Troy Aikman, just because I fucking hate the Cowboys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BynBZNiE9EA&feature=related

The Steelers held Baltimore to 198 total yards of offense. In 18 games so far only Tennessee has gained over 300. Just saying.

Big Ben is now 7-2 in the post season. I guess we can put those Flaccid Flacco parades on hold for now. Seriously, its probably best we don't have fireworks in Baltimore anytime soon. Last time that happened all we got was a National Anthem which no one can sing properly. Now don't get me wrong. I love my country and everything about it. But let's get a better national anthem. A converted poem does not suffice. My suggestion:

The theme song from Team America: World Police:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swcjg4WmoXk&feature=PlayList&p=55994A743E920EE2&index=0&playnext=1

My early prediction for the Super Bowl:

Steelers 27 Cardinals 20

But remember this is being written at 1 am after I've drank some 20 beers and several shots. So don't forget ... the margin could be much wider.

NFL PICKS: Conference Finals

It's been a busy week here for us On Irish Road. It seems like me and the boys are working non-stop and haven't had too much time to put up good posts for you the readers. Our New Years Resolution is to bring you the greatest of posts. Look forward for one from Irish Road soon to celebrate our 100th post. Me? I'm just going to make sure that the old reliable NFL picks are up. I'll promise to tell you less and less to bet the house on the Panthers. We all know how well that worked last week. We get to look forward to a Super Bowl that may possibly contain nothing but the Keystone State. Pittsburgh took the last Battle for PA last year when the Flyers were demolished by the Pens. Lets hope that Pittsburgh trend will continue if the two cities square off in the Super Bowl. On to the Picks!

SUNDAY JANUARY 18th

Philadelphia Eagles (-1) at Arizona Cardinals

First thing out of Runhigh's mouth last week after the Panthers-Cards game: "How could you pick against your sleeper?!?" I don't know dude .... the same way the entire nation (outside of Phoenix) picked against them. Seriously ... where did that effort come from? I hate to say this ... but they aren't winning this week. It's been a surprisingly impressive run for them but the Eagles are going to win this game. And if not .... Hey .... they're my sleeper!

Eagles -1

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (-2)

This is Steeler Country! This is most likely the real Super Bowl today. The two toughest teams are squaring off in Heinz Field in the cold and snow. It will be the top two defenses in the league. The toughest linebackers. The hardest hitting secondary. The most punishing wide receiver. The best tight ends. It will be a great game. And it will end with the Steelers on top in grand fashion. Steelers win 20-3.

Steelers -2

Sports Hero of the Day: Coach Ron Hunter

Ron Hunter is the coach of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). He is also one of the biggest supporters of the Charity organization Samaritan Feet who raise money and donate shoes to people who can't afford them. Last year Ron Hunter got an idea to coach a game barefoot in an attempt to raise 40,000 shoes for the charity. So January 24, 2008 before tipoff against Oakland Ron Hunter had more than achieved his goal. He had raised 110,000 pairs of shoes for the organization. When all was said and done over 200,000 pairs of shoes had been sent for him to donate to people around the world.

The story doesn't end there though. Coach Hunter and his team traveled to Lima, Peru not just to hand out shoes but personally wash feet for the children, fit them for shoes and teach them about basketball.

This year the coach is at it again. He was on Mike and Mike radio ESPN last week in order to bring attention to the organization and raise more shoes. Unknowingly to Hunter the radio hosts brought on a representative from the Croc shoe company who informed the coach that they would be donating 50,000 pairs to him and Samaritan Feet! Unbelievable! Ron Hunter just had another barefooted endeavor on January 17th against Centenary and he reports that 300 coaches across the nation have promised to coach one game this week barefoot in response to his efforts.

NFL PICKS: Divisional Playoffs

International Airspace is Steeler Country

I started the Playoffs off a dismal 2-2 but hey, My NFC Sleeper won!!! This week should provide nothing but great matchups across the board with the exception of one game. The Panthers against the Cards. Enough of that .... On to the Picks!

SATURDAY JANUARY 10th

Baltimore Ravens (-1) at Tennessee Titans

This game astounds me. Not the fact that it's two tough teams squaring off. Not the fact that the Ravens, the team with the lesser record, the team on the road, and the team with a rookie QB is favored to win. No the thing that astounds me is that this game is the early game when it's going to be a much better matchup than the later game. Is the NFL doing that well that they don't care about ratings? That all being said I really am trying to figure out what Vegas knows that they are placing the favorite tag on the Ravens. I just have a feeling that the Titan offense is going to figure out a way to beat the defense well today. And I bet the score is a little higher than the 13-10 one the Titans beat the Ravens by in week 5. Good matchup ... plenty of big moments. Titans win 21-17.

Titans +1

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers (-5.5)

There is no way the Cardinals win this one. Bet the house. I repeat there is no way the Cardinals win this one. Now that I've got this out of the way let me tell you why they will win. Boldin is hurt and Larry Fitzgerald is going to line up in his place. The Panthers don't have anyone that can effectively cover him. This will lead to at least 3 TD's by Warner and Co. Outside of that though they have nothing. So I'll tell you why the Panthers are the lock to actually win. Steve Smith. Enough said. He will be the game changer. The Panthers offense will look like the '99 Rams Greatest Show on turf. I believe the Cards have never won on the East Coast. There's some crazy stat like that. This one is for Carolina, 38-24.

Panthers -5.5

SUNDAY JANUARY 11th

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants (-1.5)

I don't know what you can say about this one. The third meeting between these two teams this season. The Giants won the first meeting in a high scoring affair. The Eagles won the last one post-Plaxico in a lower scoring contest. The Giants have looked like an offense without a great weapon. I don't think they're capable of putting up much more than 20 against the Eagles who have been the hottest team in the NFC. I like this game to be extremely close. Eagles 24-21.

Eagles +1.5

San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5)

HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO! HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!!

I've been waiting for this since the '94 AFC title match when the Steelers who were heavy favorites lost to the Chargers at home. Call this a redemption game. The Chargers are coming in to some fine Pittsburgh weather. Game Time temperature is expected to be a beautiful 25 degrees and feel like it's 15. Maybe even colder down on the field. Welcome to Steel Town! Sproles will be taken care of by the linebackers. Gates won't be a problem for the secondary and Ike Taylor will control Jackson while Harrison and Woodley make that douchebag Philip Rivers look up from his backside all game. We just need a little help from the offense (and receiving core will come through in this big game) and all will be well. The Steelers win 24-10.

Steelers -2.5