Steelers-Hated Ravens Review Take III

That was a tremendous game. The first half sucked something awful, then the second half was full of win. The Steelers won and advance, the hated Ravens lost and don't advance.

I know that I mentioned I wasn't nervous about this game, but that ended up being untrue. I didn't lie, mind you, I just said something that ended up being untrue. I was fine up until kickoff. Then I started getting nervous. The big kickoff return to open up the game -- even if it got called slightly back -- didn't help.

It was a roller coaster ride from there. When you add in the fact that I had a show that night that started at eight, well that didn't help. The show was scheduled to start at eight and I got there for call right about when Ray Rice fumbled and the game started to turn around. The game didn't end until 7:58 p.m., but luckily there were televisions in the lobby that had the game on. No one moved from the lobby to go take their seats and all the actors (and the director) were hanging out there and cheering until TJ Houshmanzedah dropped the fourth down pass to end it. At 7:58, we all got up and headed into the theater. It was a really cool experience, but I hope to God I never have another show on a night when the Steelers play.

It was a great game and was very enjoyable to watch, but... I don't think we learned anything.

We learned:

1. PLAY TO THE WHISTLE. But, we knew that. That will be fixed this week.
2. Committing turnovers is bad. Knew that, too.
3. Forcing turnovers is good! Knew that.
4. The Steelers can come back from being down two touchdowns to a great defense if they get enough breaks. Well, after watching Baltimore honk away leads to the Steelers, Patriots, Falcons, Saints, and Texans this season, we all should have known, especially the hated Ravens.

We also learned that Ben Roethlisberger is a great quarterback and doesn't necessarily need to stay upright the whole game to win. He was sacked six times against Baltimore and the Jets will bring the pressure in the AFC Championship game. We also learned that Joe Flacco has a tendency to wilt under pressure, especially against the Steelers. Until he gets over that hump -- which I hope he never, ever does -- then he's just going to be a good quarterback with a tragic unibrow.

We also learned a thing or two about Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders. I have been a big advocate of those guys all season -- more Sanders than Brown, especially because Brown has made some questionable decisions on kick returns -- and I think they're going to play a big role against New York.

After the game, Weidman e-mailed me and said: "Are we supposed to be happy that the team that beat the team we couldn't beat won? Because that scares me." A home game is better than a road game and our record in the AFC Championship game is pretty good the last decade when we haven't had to play the Patriots. I think the Jets are a fantastic team, but it's always better to play at home. Especially since Cowher is no longer coach.