Not so Super Bowl

Watching the Pittsburgh Steelers make their run through the AFC playoffs, knocking off the Bengals, Colts, and Broncos on the road, I just couldn't shake the thought that the Steelers were destined to win it all this year. To be cliche, the ball seemed to always bounce their way. The more I think about last night's game, the more that is reaffirmed.

The Seahawks had more yards, fewer turnovers, and more time of posssession. Roethlisberger only threw for 123 yards and had a passer rating in the twenties. Yet, Pittsburgh still won by 11 points. The ball game pretty much boiled down to three plays by the Steelers and three calls by the referees.

The Steelers made the big plays to win the game. Roethlisberger's Hail Mary-like pass (one of several ducks he threw and it should have been picked off or at least defended) led to the first touchdown. Willie Parker busted loose for a 75 yard touchdown run. Later, Randle El hit Ward for a touchdown pass on a trick play. That's 21 points.

Then there were the three calls against the Seahawks. The offensive pass interference call against Darrell Jackson was pretty weak. He extended his arm out, but didn't push off the defender. The referee bought in to the defender's acting after the catch. The Seahawks settled for a field goal rather than 7.

In the second half, the momentum had turned, and Seatle was mounting a comeback. Hassleback hit Stevens for an 18 yard gain that put Seattle on the 1 yard line. But the refs called holding on the Seahwks, bringing the ball back. Even in the slow motion replay, it didn't look close to a hold.

Three plays after the holding call, Hassleback threw an interception to the Steelers. Hassleback made the tackle himself, but the refs called him for a 15 yard yard penalty for a low block. Since when is a tackle a block? That helped set up Pittsburgh for a touchdown four plays later on the trick play.

Those penalties resulted in an 11 (maybe even 18) point swing and the Steelers won 21-10. Now, I am not naive enough to say that if the calls weren't made, the Seahawks would have won. Without those calls, Pittsburgh may have shown even more resilience and determination and still won the game. It was just frustrating to me to see a game decided by just 6 plays. Maybe it was the Steelers' destiny.