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Fear factors for Jets, Steelers, Bears, Packers
Published: 1/22/2011 5:03 PM
Last Modified: 1/22/2011 5:03 PM

If the Pittsburgh Steelers lose the AFC title game, it will be because of special teams. If the Green Bay Packers lose the NFL title game, it will be because of yellow flags.

Both championship games are rematches from regular season games (the Packers and Bears, of course, met twice in the regular season because they are division rivals).

NFC Championship Game breakdown:

The Packers outgained the Bears in both regular season meetings, but each team won on its homefield.

--Reason to be scared if you are a Bears fan:

Despite committing 18 penalties for 152 yards, Green Bay lost by “only” three points in Chicago.

--Reason to be scared if you are a Packers fan:

The NFC title game participants met in the last game of the regular season, when the Bears had clinched a first-round bye and had nothing to play for. The Packers had to win in order to secure a playoff spot. Desperation should have brought out the best in Green Bay. Instead, the score was tied 3-3 entering the fourth quarter and the Pack had to sweat to salvage a 10-3 victory.

AFC Championship Game breakdown:

The Jets beat the Steelers 22-17 during the regular season despite being outgained by 102 yards and despite three New York possessions being three-and-outs.

How did it happen? The Jets won the special teams battle. Brad Smith returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and New York special teamers killed three punts inside the Pittsburgh 10. One of those punt kills was converted into a safety, giving the Jets a five-point fourth-quarter cushion -- and that proved huge.

At game’s end, Pittsburgh drove to the New York 10 and Big Ben fired two incompletions to the end zone before time expired. If not for the safety, the Steelers could have attempted a potential overtime-forcing field goal.

--Reason to be scared if you are a Jets fan:

The Steelers have a better playmaker at quarterback and they got a big psychological boost last weekend when the franchise (Patriots) that has given them fits for a decade was bounced out of the playoffs. It’s like the Jets gave the Steelers a get-out-of-jail-free card, not to mention homefield advantage in the AFC title contest. Game-changing safety Troy Polamalu did not play in the regular season game against the Jets. Last week, he helped the Steelers limit the Ravens to 126 yards. Only once in Pittsburgh’s postseason history (Super Bowl IX against the Vikings) have the Steelers held an opponent to fewer yards.

--Reason to be scared if you are a Steelers fan:

Ben Roethlisberger’s touchdown-to-interception ratio (19-5) has been remarkable since returning from a four-game suspension. He has had six consecutive interception-free games and only one interception in the last nine games, which probably means he is due for a bad throw. The Steelers scored only three times in the regular season game against the Jets and two of the scores came when Big Ben was going no-huddle. Stay tuned to see how much no-huddle is used Sunday.


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Tulsa World sports writer Jimmie Tramel is a former class president at Locust Grove High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern State University with a journalism degree and, while attending college, was sports editor of the Pryor Daily Times. He joined the Tulsa World on Oct. 17, 1989, the same day an earthquake struck the World Series. He is the OSU basketball beat writer and a columnist and feature writer during football season. In 2007, he wrote a book about Oklahoma State football with former Cowboy coach Pat Jones.

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