Behind a terrific performance by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the Pittsburgh Steelers outplayed the Denver Broncos in Sunday's AFC championship game, becoming the first No. 6 seed to ever advance to the Super Bowl and the first team in 20 years to win three road playoff games in getting there. Roethlisberger, often on the run, threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for a score as well, as the Steelers manhandled the Broncos in a convincing 34-17 victory.
Denver quarterback Jake Plummer, who had done such a good job during the '05 season of protecting the football, was picked off twice and fumbled twice. Pittsburgh didn't turn the ball over although the Broncos appeared to have their chances to come up with a turnover or two in the early going that might have shifted momentum in their favor.
Destiny seemed to be on the Steelers' side, however, as the team escaped disaster several times midway through the first quarter. The first came as Roethlisberger threw off his back foot toward the right sideline where Broncos' cornerback Champ Bailey jumped the route run by wide receiver Hines Ward and had his hands on what might have been six points going back the other way. Instead, he let it slip through his grasp and the ball bounded into Ward's arms for a five-yard gain. Two plays later, Willie Parker appeared to have turned the ball over to the Broncos on a fumble, but a replay challenge by head coach Bill Cowher showed Parker's forearm had touched the ground before the ball was knocked loose, so the Steelers again maintained possession.
Later in the drive, on third-and-six from the Broncos' 29-yard line, Domonique Foxworth missed a chance at an interception in the end zone. On the following play, Jeff Reed connected on a 47-yard field goal attempt to open the scoring at 3-0.
Late in the first quarter, the Steelers capitalized where the Broncos could not when Plummer was sacked by linebacker Joey Porter, forcing a fumble which was recovered by nose tackle Casey Hampton at the Denver 39-yard line. Five plays later, Roethlisberger hit Cedric Wilson in the back-right corner of the endzone on the first play of the second quarter, stretching the lead to ten.
The ensuing kickoff sailed out of bounds, giving the Broncos excellent field position to start their drive. They methodically moved the ball to the Steelers' 5-yard line, where the drive stalled, but a Jason Elam field goal from 23 yards out cut the lead to a touchdown with 9:23 left in the half.
Pittsburgh's offense ground out most of the rest of second quarter with a 15-play 80-yard drive, and in the final two minutes of the first half, took control of the game. Future Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis capped the time-consuming drive with a three-yard touchdown run to make the score 17-3 with 1:55 remaining in the second quarter.
Then, on the first play of the Broncos' following drive, Plummer was intercepted at the Denver 39-yard line by cornerback Ike Taylor, who was pushed out of bounds at the 38. Four plays later, Bettis appeared to have run for another touchdown, this time from the 12-yard line. But the Steelers were flagged for an illegal formation because wide receiver Hines Ward had lined up on the line of scrimmage, covering up the tight end. However, Ward redeemed himself on the next play by hauling in a 17-yard TD reception, opening up a commanding three-touchdown lead entering halftime.
The Steelers failed to capitalize on good field position early in the second half, and the Broncos cut the lead to 24-10 on a 30-yard pass from Plummer to wide receiver Ashley Lelie with 3:36 remaining in the third.
The Steelers answered with a 42-yard field goal on the following drive that pushed their lead to 17 points. Then, after a big runback by the Broncos' Charlie Adams that put the ball at the Steelers' 43, Plummer threw an interception to linebacker Larry Foote on the very first play of the Broncos' drive.
Denver continued to fight back on their following possession, and it was Plummer buying time with his feet, escaping incredible pressure from the Steelers' defense, that led the Broncos on a 10-play drive capped by a three-yard touchdown run by Mike Anderson to cut the lead to 10 points.
The Broncos held the Steelers on their ensuing drive, and had the opportunity to cut further into the lead, but turned the ball over on another Plummer fumble on their own 17-yard line with just 5:02 to play. Pittsburgh then proceeded to pound the ball into the endzone again, this time on a four-yard run around the left end by Roethlisberger, locking up a 34-17 victory and an AFC championship.
With the win, the Steelers advance to Super Bowl XL on February 5 in Detroit to meet the Seattle Seahawks, who knocked off the Carolina Panthers in the NFC championship game.
