The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only remaining team that received a bye in the playoffs that has survived through to the AFC Championship, as they topped with Chargers 35-24.
Sports Photos: Check out new pics of everything going on today in the world of sports!
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Willie Parker rushed for a game-best 146 yards with two touchdowns on 27 carries as the Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to the AFC title game with a convincing 35-24 victory over the San Diego Chargers in an AFC Divisional matchup from Heinz Field.
Ben Roethlisberger completed 17-of-26 passes for 181 yards and a score for the Steelers (13-4), who will host the AFC Championship game next Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens at 6:30 p.m. (et).
It will be Pittsburgh's first trip to the contest since January, 2006, when it topped the Broncos in Denver en route to taking home the franchise's fifth Super Bowl.
"It's good to move from the field of eight to the field of four in the fashion that we desired to do it," said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. "I think we played our kind of football today. I think our big people on both sides of the football did a nice job, special teams was an asset. It was a great team effort."
Santonio Holmes returned a punt for a touchdown, while Hines Ward led the receiving corps with 70 yards on four receptions. Heath Miller added a TD catch for the Steelers, who will be hosting the conference title meeting for the first time since dropping a 41-27 decision to the New England Patriots in January, 2005.
Philip Rivers threw for 308 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on 21-of-35 passing for the Chargers (9-9), who finished the season by having their five-game win streak snapped.
San Diego could not establish a ground game while playing without running back LaDainian Tomlinson who was sidelined with a nagging groin injury, picking up just 15 net yards -- all by Tomlinson's sub Darren Sproles, who did so on 11 carries. Sproles did manage five catches for 91 yards and one touchdown in the loss.
Vincent Jackson added another TD reception, and Antonio Gates recorded five receptions for 59 yards for the Chargers, who mounted a late-season charge to win the AFC West with an 8-8 mark then clipped the Colts in overtime last week in an AFC wild card tilt.
The Steelers opened the second half with a monster 13-play, 77-yard drive taking up nearly eight minutes. Miller concluded the stretch with an eight- yard TD reception, pushing the Pittsburgh lead to 21-10.
Sproles came up with a 63-yard kick return to the Pittsburgh 23, but on the next play, a Rivers pass was tipped and picked off by Larry Foote. The home team couldn't muster offense, then were robbed of a special teams score on the punt after the pigskin landed on the head of San Diego's Eric Weddle -- invoking the muff rule.
Roethlisberger was able to lead his team 76 yards to the Chargers' one, but the visitors defense held on a 4th-and-goal from there early in the fourth as Carey Davis came up short of the goal-line.
Following a defensive stop, the Steelers went up 28-10 on Gary Russell's one- yard plunge. The score was set up by a pass interference call on the previous down, an incomplete pass to Nate Washington in the end zone.
Legedu Naanee hauled in a four-yard pass from Rivers with 9:09 to play for a 28-17 contest, but Parker added his second TD of the game, a 16-yard dash, for a 35-17 contest with 4:11 left.
Rivers wasn't finished, though, and hit Sproles in stride for a 62-yard strike and a 35-24 game with 1:53 to go. An onsides kick failed and Byron Leftwich took a knee on three final plays to kill the remaining time.
"We're kind of a band of brothers," said Roethlisberger. "The offense picks the defense up, the defense picks the offense up. Special teams picks us all up. We say nothing can come between us. We're a close group and we really feel that way."
The Chargers made the most of the first possession of the contest, as Jackson made a leaping grab with a Pittsburgh defender draped all over him for a 41- yard touchdown reception. San Diego moved 75 yards in only four plays in a little more than two minutes.
The Steelers failed on their first drive, then stopped San Diego deep in its own territory. After a booming punt from Mike Scifres, Holmes dashed around several tacklers for a 67-yard score.
Late in the half, the Steelers failed to convert on a fake punt on 4th-and-1 from their own 48, and San Diego took advantage and a 10-7 lead on Nate Kaeding's 42-yard boot on the first play after the two-minute warning.
Pittsburgh responded with a quick 66-yard march, ending on Parker's three-yard run for a 14-10 game with 40 seconds to play until halftime.
"We knew it was going to be a back-and-forth game, but it was such a weird third quarter that it really changed the whole flow," said Rivers. "It was kind of smash-mouth, in your face game where we were down 14-10 at the half and it's going to go either way. It was such a weird third quarter. We got behind and could never overcome it."
Game Notes
Pittsburgh outgained San Diego 342-290...The Chargers were held to one offensive snap in the third quarter which saw the Steelers run off 24 plays...The last playoff matchup between the teams occurred in January, 1995, as the Chargers shocked the Steelers, 17-13, in the AFC Championship game at Three Rivers Stadium.
© 2009
