Results tagged “benroethlisberger”

Bye weeks can do wonders for football teams. Time off certainly helped the Jets. They held their own against the Pittsburgh Steelers and then secured a 19-16 win in overtime after trailing by three with two minutes, 23 seconds to go in regulation. For the second straight game, Kellen Clemens engineered a game-tying drive capped by a Mike Nugent field goal -- although this drive probably should won the game. The Jets finished the job...

Seattle’s defense dominated the first half of the game, holding Pittsburgh to only 93 yards, but they could not stop them on third and 28 when Ben Roethlisberger connected on a 37-yard strike to Hines Ward to setup Pittsburgh’s first touchdown. It was one of the few highlights for Roethlisberger who had a game to forget, going 9-21 and throwing two interceptions.

It’s the most over-hyped event in sports so it is fitting that this year it is known as Super Bowl XL. Pittsburgh and Seattle took different routes to get to Detroit, but both teams present a compelling case for why they can win the game.

The Jets (11-6) visit top-seeded Pittsburgh (15-1) (Saturday, 4:30 p.m., TV: CBS, Radio: 1050 ESPN) in an AFC Divisional Playoff game. For those who haven't been paying attention, Pittsburgh has a rookie quarterback named Ben Roethlisberger (pictured impersonating Stevie Wonder - OK, a joke) who has yet to lose in his first 13 starts,an NFL record. Yes, last year the Giants could have easily drafted him rather than giving up an arm and a leg to trade for the top pic, but hindsight is 20/20 and the jury is still out on Eli. But curmudgeony critics point out he hasn't had any truly "big games" and "is due to lose".

The Giants got off to an early start as Willie Ponder took the opening kickoff for a touchdown and jolt of early momentum. Manning and the Giants offense put up 30 points on a Pittsburgh defense that had allowed 30 only once before this season. Manning looked far better on the day than he has in any other game this season. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 182 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Twice his receivers were stopped short of the goal line or he may have had four touchdowns on the day. His only interception came on the Giants’ final drive on a controversial no-call on Amani Toomer.

Last week Manning had a quarterback rating of zero. That’s actually harder to do than one might think. For instance, Giants punter Jeff Feagles, who is 0 for 1 with no interceptions on the season, actually has a passing rating of 39.2.

One way or another Sunday marks the beginning of the end for the Jets (at least as in the final quarter of the season), as the team travels to face the league's hottest team - the Steelers (11-1), and the league's hottest quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger (Sunday, 4:05 p.m., TV: CBS; RADIO: 1050AM ESPN). The rookie has been nothing short of immortal, off to an unheard of 10-0 start, only a few months after graduating from Miami University.

Let's just be honest with ourselves for a second and say that these losses have not exclusively been the fault of Warner. He's been running for his life as opposing defenses have commited to stopping the run and pressuring the quarterback. That being said, we at Gothamist are holding out hope that Eli will be able to quickly get rid of the ball and help the Giants put some points on the board. New York is 3-0 when scoring more than 26 points.

There is much talk about who the Giants might take with their pick. While the fourth pick is great, they are in a position where players that would really fit a need will no longer be there, or can be drafted later in the round. Everybody is talking about Eli Manning and Robert Gallery. Eli Manning, the younger brother of Colts QB Peyton Manning and son of Archie Manning, starred at Ole Miss. His father wants him to join the Giants, and he could be a great replacement for Kerry Collins who is in the final year of his contract. Robert Gallery is a huge (6'7", 320 pounds) offensive tackle from Iowa. One of his negatives, according to NFL.com reads, "because of his height and girth, he does not always sink his pads properly." Despite his height and girth, franchise tackles like Gallery are hard to come by, which is why there is also tremendous interest in Gallery, who is apparently awe inspiring to those that see him. Should the Giants trade up to the first pick to take Manning or Gallery? Or do they take Ben Roethlisberger with the 4th pick?