AFC Championship: Baltimore Ravens travel to face Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff time: 6:43pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For Pittsburgh Steelers, the home crowd at Heinz Field is asked to be a player; for Baltimore Ravens, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Heinz Field with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
Baltimore Ravens versus Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 11-5 | W5 |
| New England Patriots | 11-5 | W4 |
| New York Jets | 9-7 | L2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-9 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 12-4 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 11-5 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4-11-1 | W3 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-12 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans | 13-3 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 12-4 | W9 |
| Houston Texans | 8-8 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 5-11 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | L3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8-8 | W4 |
| Oakland Raiders | 5-11 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2-14 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 9-7 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7-9 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4-12 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 2-14 | L10 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 12-4 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9-6-1 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9-7 | L2 |
| Washington Redskins | 8-8 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 10-6 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 9-7 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 6-10 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 0-16 | L16 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 12-4 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 11-5 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-7 | L4 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8-8 | L1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0771414 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 613162323 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Jeff Reed 34 yard field goal | 0-3 |
| Steelers | Jeff Reed 42 yard field goal | 0-6 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Santonio Holmes 65 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick) | 0-13 |
| Ravens | Willis McGahee 3 yard rush ( Matt Stover kick) | 7-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Jeff Reed 46 yard field goal | 7-16 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ravens | Willis McGahee 1 yard rush ( Matt Stover kick) | 14-16 |
| Steelers | Troy Polamalu 40 yard interception return ( Jeff Reed kick) | 14-23 |
| Ravens | Steelers | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 13 | 11 |
| Total Yards | 198 | 275 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 13/30 | 16/33 |
| Pass yards | 141 | 255 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 3 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 3 | 4 |
| Sack yards lost | 16 | 32 |
| Net pass yards | 125 | 223 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 25 | 28 |
| Rush yards | 73 | 52 |
| Rush TD | 2 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 3 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 6 | 6 |
| Penalty yards | 53 | 67 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL | |||||
| Joe Flacco | 13/30 | 141 | 0 | 3 | |
| PIT | |||||
| Ben Roethlisberger | 16/33 | 255 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL | ||||
| Willis McGahee | 20 | 60 | 2 | 14 |
| Mark Clayton | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Jameel McClain | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Le'Ron McClain | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Ray Rice | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Joe Flacco | 2 | -8 | 0 | 0 |
| PIT | ||||
| Willie Parker | 24 | 47 | 0 | 7 |
| Mewelde Moore | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Nate Washington | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | 2 | -2 | 0 | -1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL | ||||
| Ray Rice | 3 | 43 | 0 | 22 |
| Derrick Mason | 3 | 41 | 0 | 16 |
| Todd Heap | 3 | 26 | 0 | 20 |
| Mark Clayton | 2 | 18 | 0 | 15 |
| Willis McGahee | 2 | 13 | 0 | 11 |
| PIT | ||||
| Santonio Holmes | 2 | 70 | 1 | 65 |
| Heath Miller | 3 | 62 | 0 | 30 |
| Hines Ward | 3 | 55 | 0 | 45 |
| Nate Washington | 3 | 21 | 0 | 8 |
| Limas Sweed | 2 | 20 | 0 | 14 |
| Carey Davis | 1 | 20 | 0 | 20 |
| Mewelde Moore | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Willie Parker | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
Pittsburgh Steelers defeated Baltimore Ravens 23-14 at Heinz Field in the AFC Championship. The final scoring play was Steelers: Troy Polamalu 40 yard interception return ( Jeff Reed kick). Top line of the day: Ben Roethlisberger: 255 pass yards on 16-of-33, 1 TD, 0 INT. Pittsburgh Steelers advance to the Super Bowl.
Pittsburgh Steelers walked out of Heinz Field as the team that survived an AFC Championship Baltimore Ravens will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 23-14. The final scoring play came from Steelers: Troy Polamalu 40 yard interception return ( Jeff Reed kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Pittsburgh Steelers are bound for the Super Bowl.
Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Baltimore Ravens 14. Round: AFC Championship. Attendance: 65350. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 1 scoring play. Q4: 2 scoring plays. Top performers: - Ben Roethlisberger: 255 pass yards on 16-of-33, 1 TD, 0 INT - Willis McGahee: 60 rush yards on 20 carries - Santonio Holmes: 2 catches for 70 yards
AFC Championship, played at Heinz Field. Final: Baltimore Ravens 14, Pittsburgh Steelers 23, with Pittsburgh Steelers taking the result by 9. **First quarter**
- Steelers: Jeff Reed 34 yard field goal - Steelers: Jeff Reed 42 yard field goal
**Second quarter**
- Steelers: Santonio Holmes 65 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick) - Ravens: Willis McGahee 3 yard rush ( Matt Stover kick)
**Third quarter**
- Steelers: Jeff Reed 46 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Ravens: Willis McGahee 1 yard rush ( Matt Stover kick) - Steelers: Troy Polamalu 40 yard interception return ( Jeff Reed kick)
**Top performers**
- Ben Roethlisberger: 255 pass yards on 16-of-33, 1 TD, 0 INT - Willis McGahee: 60 rush yards on 20 carries - Santonio Holmes: 2 catches for 70 yards