NEXT STOP. . .DETROIT!!!

Following one of the most improbable playoff runs in NFL history, the Pittsburgh Steelers are headed for Super Bowl XL! Most people thought the Steelers were done after losing to Cincinnati on December 4, as that loss (their third straight) dropped the team to 7-5. With their season on the line each week, the Steelers roared back to win their last four regular season games by a combined score of 115-33 and earn the AFC's final playoff spot. In the playoffs, Pittsburgh went on the road and defeated the top three teams in the AFC---the 11-5 Cincinnati Bengals, the 14-2 Indianapolis Colts, and the 13-3 Denver Broncos. The wins over the Bengals and Colts avenged regular season losses, while the victory at Denver was more remarkable because the Broncos had been unbeaten at home this season and had never lost an AFC Championship game in Denver.



Despite being the AFC's number six seed, the Steelers opened as a four point favorite over the Seattle Seahawks, the top seed from the NFC. This is one of the closest spreads I can recall in the Super Bowl. Seattle will be a formidable challenge, but if the Steelers continue to play like they have in the playoffs so far, they will win decisively.