NFL Divisional Playoff Recap
San Diego Chargers 24 - Pittsburgh Steelers 35

Steelers put the home hammer down and defeat the Chargers 35-24 to advance to Championship game.

Fittingly enough, the Pittsburgh Steelers brought back the home-field advantage to the NFL playoffs. Now they get to stay at home for the AFC championship game, and against the rival they dislike more than any other.

The team with the NFL’s best home-field record since the 1970 NFL merger shook off a 7-0 deficit barely two minutes into the game, shut down pint-sized playmaker Darren Sproles and returned some normalcy to the NFL postseason by beating the San Diego Chargers 35-24 in an AFC divisional game Sunday...more

Prediction: On Nov. 16 in Pittsburgh, the Steelers beat the Chargers 11-10 on Jeff Reed's 32-yard field goal with seconds left in the first NFL game to end with an 11-10 score. The temperature at kickoff is forecasted at 21 degrees with a 30% chance of snow which seriously favors the home team here, as Darren Sproles is not a power runner and if the weather is bad, the Chargers will be in serious trouble. We are waiting until closer to gametime to make our actual bet, if the weather is bad, the Steelers should cover, if its decent then take the 6 and San Diego to cover.
Steelers 17 - Chargers 13

 The Game Plans:

Defensively the Chargers will try to pester QB Ben Roethlisberger to see just how quickly he has been able to rebound from his concussion. That means defensive coordinator Ron Rivera will likely dial up more blitzes or figure out other ways for Roethlisberger to feel the pressure.

The Steelers hope to strike a balance on offense, the way they did Nov. 16 against San Diego, when they had a 300-yard passer, 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver. Defensively, their priority is to control RB Darren Sproles and the ground game of the Chargers, and get a rush on Philip Rivers without too many exotic blitzes.

Watch out for this:

San Diego is 2-13 all-time in Pittsburgh with both those victories coming in the postseason

Ben Roethlisberger was knocked out of the Steelers? Week 17 win over the Bengals with a concussion, but is expected to be under center to start against the Chargers Sunday. Including the playoffs, Big Ben is 29-10 all-time at home

Video Preview: The Chargers may be 2-14 in Pittsburgh, but those two wins came in the postseason. Charley Casserly and Jason Horowitz take an in depth look at this intriguing playoff matchup

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Statistically Speaking:

Head to Head Chargers Average Team Rankings Steelers 10.2 Total Offense 19.6 22.8 Total Defense 6.3 8.3 Passing Offense 20.4 26.6 Passing Defense 5.8 17.5 Rushing Offense 17.7 14.8 Rushing Defense 7.2 7.7 Receiving Offense 17.8 22.5 Receiving Defense 9.2 22.5 Punting 25.7 19.0 Return 23.0 21.2 Kicking 24.8

Team Rankings Chargers Rankings OFFENSE Rush Yds/Gm 107.9 (20th) Pass Yds/Gm 241.1 (7th) Total Yds/Gm 349.0 (11th) DEFENSE Rush Yds/Gm 102.6 (11th) Pass Yds/Gm 247.4 (31st) Total Yds/Gm 349.9 (25th)   Steelers Rankings OFFENSE Rush Yds/Gm 105.6 (23rd) Pass Yds/Gm 206.3 (17th) Total Yds/Gm 311.9 (22nd) DEFENSE Rush Yds/Gm 80.3 (2nd) Pass Yds/Gm 156.9 (1st) Total Yds/Gm 237.2 (1st)

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