An unlikely tear through the rest of the NFL's elite ended in an unusually messy victory for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who overcame their own mistakes to grind out a 21-10 win over the equally inconsistent Seattle Seahawks. The difference, as I had a feeling it might be, was the strength of Pittsburgh's key play-makers.

What I didn't expect was the amount of mistakes made by both teams. Dominant, poised, and consistent throughout the playoffs, the two teams showed their Super Bowl-rookie status tonight, as neither team ever seemed comfortable in the glaring light of this big game. Of the two, it was Pittsburgh who managed the most big plays--notably a record-setting 75-yard run by Willie Parker and a trick-play TD throw from receiver Antwaan Randle El to fellow receiver Hines Ward. But much of the game was dominated by stumbling offense, 3-and-out ball which seemed as much a product of simple mistakes as good defense.

Despite the lopsided score, Seattle played well in many situations, and was a credible threat throughout most of the game. After the dust settles, that might be one of the most interesting takeaways from this game--that despite the AFC's superior overall quality, the best of the NFC is capable of going toe-to-toe with them. Seattle made a truly perplexing number of mistakes tonight, especially considering that the Pittsburgh defensive secondary didn't seem to be doing anything exceptional. They leave this game in perhaps the most frustrating state--knowing that they were good enough to win, but repeatedly sputtered and stalled at the key moments.

Kudos to the Steelers--I was happy to see them win, and in this post-season having fought their way past Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Denver, and now Seattle, they've truly earned the distinction of being the best team in all of football this year. It's a satisfying end to many storylines for them, and with any luck they'll be back to make things interesting next year.

Oh, and the commercials all sucked. The only exceptions being the one with the little Clydesdale and the Benny Hill-themed cell phone ad. The former was cloying but sweet, and the latter must have been completely nonsensical for anyone, well, younger than me.

Labels: Sport