by JM Van Horn

Created on: January 18, 2011

The 2010 AFC Championship game will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers as they play host to the upstart New York Jets who continue to find a way to win.

Can the Pittsburgh Steelers maintain some of their second half magic and put together a complete game this weekend or will they need another comeback to earn a trip to Super Bowl XLV?

Will the New York Jets be able to use quarterback Mark Sanchez effectively and protect him from the destructive pass rush of the Steelers?

To say the Steelers’ defense stepped up last week would be an understatement. They held a potentially dominant Ravens’ offense to 125 yards through the air and only 35 yards on the ground.  That is right. The Ravens who were averaging 322.9 total yards per game were only able to muster 160 yards of offense.

The key to their victory in this AFC championship game will come down to the Steelers’ defense and how well they can perform against the Jets’ offense that looked surprisingly efficient against the New England Patriots.

The Jets have managed to work their way past two teams, the Colts and Patriots, and have done so thanks to a solid performance from their defense and have played with the mantra of bend but do not break.

The Jets have done an amazing job of keeping two efficient offense teams from converting their third down opportunities. The Colts and Patriots combined converted 11 of their 26 chances or 42% conversion rate.

The key to a Jets victory and a chance to play in Super Bowl XLV relies upon on the legs of running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Shone Greene. If these two can help the Jets maintain control of the ball and gather over 110 combined yards on the ground, Rex Ryan will become a God in New York.

This game has the chance to be something special if both defenses play like we expect them too. Just like a heavyweight fit, both teams will take their time and follow their strategy to keep this game close through four quarters.

In the end, one team will make one too many mistakes and find themselves watching Super Bowl XLV from home. The Steelers will find a way and advance to the final game with the chance to win the sixth one in the history of the franchise.

Prediction – Steelers 24     Jets 13

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