Football - Surprise for the Finals!

Well, life is full of surprises, not many sports fans would have thought that neither New England nor Indianapolis will be playing for the AFC crown, instead we have the Steelers visiting Denver. It does not take away any merit from any of these teams and they well deserve to be here. The Steelers became the first sixth seed to advance to a conference title game, and it’s their sixth AFC Championship Game appearance in 14 seasons under Bill Cowher. The Broncos won for the first time in the postseason since Super Bowl XXXIII and now the pressure is on Jake Plummer since he finally won a playoff game and now he's one step away from a Super Bowl. If he doesn't play well here, he's still going to take a lot of heat as an inconsistent player. The running game will be vital for the Broncos to win this one and without a doubt th is is what they will try and do. The Steelers are outstanding against the run. They will try and force the game onto Plummer's arm. How the Broncos run it should definitely decide this game. While the Seahawks had the expectation to still be playing this stage of the playoffs being the number one seed, for most is a surprise that their rival, the Carolina Panthers, would make it this far considering they had to beat the second-seeded Bears in the divisional playoff round. Many think that Carolina has the most balanced team in this match up, however the challenge ahead for them is very tough. They will have to win three road games to make it to the Super Bowl, something only one team has ever done, that being the 1985 New England Patriots. The Panthers are a motivated team, and they were impressive on offense in beating the Bears. The Seahawks played most of their game against Washington without Shaun Alexander, but he is expected to play this weekend. They are the home team and the pressure is on them.

Source: Betplatinum