CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY RECAPS

January 23, 2006 12:00 PM ET

The Bus rolls on, destination Detroit, while the Seahawks cross their name off the handful of NFL squads who have never been to the Super Bowl as the table is set for XL a fortnight from now.

Sunday's early game saw the Steelers become just the second team in history to win three games en route to the Super Bowl, blemishing Denver's perfect home record with a 21-point second quarter—fourteen of them in the final two minutes of the half—as they rolled to a 34-17 win.

In the nightcap, the team that had never been to the big dance looked extremely comfortable at home, while the club that visited the Super Bowl just two years prior acted as if they'd never played together. Behind a pair of touchdowns each from Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck, the Seahawks steamed to the NFC title by drubbing Carolina 34-14.

Check out the game-by-game recaps below:

Steelers 34, Broncos 17
Panthers 14, Seahawks 34

Steelers 34, Broncos 17
Summary: In early December, the Steelers had just been snuffed by the Bengals and were a long shot to even make the playoffs. Seven consecutive wins—five of them, including the last three straight, on the road—later, the NFL's best road team is headed to Detroit.

Fantasy MVP: Remember how Tom Brady used to be thought of as a great football quarterback but a lousy fantasy quarterback, with folks only now starting to catch on? Taking Tom's place as an underappreciated fantasy entity is Ben Roethlisberger, who may only throw 20 or so times a game but makes every one of them count. Sunday he completed 21 of 29 passes for 275 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also capped the scoring with a perfectly executed naked bootleg after a play fake to Jerome Bettis. However, the real stake through the Broncos heart came at the end of the first half, when he capitalized on a Jake Plummer interception by lofting a perfect pass to Hines Ward in the back of the end zone with seven seconds left in the half.

Other studs: The stat line of Jerome Bettis doesn't tell the whole story, as it omits a touchdown jaunt at the end of the first half (on a perfect audible by Big Ben) that was negated by a penalty. As it stands, Bus rumbled 15 times for just 39 yards but scored one touchdown that did count—plus, he's heading home to Detroit to most likely cap his career by playing in the Super Bowl. Cedrick Wilson, who was almost placed on injured reserve with a wrist injury during the regular season, matched Hines Ward with five catches and a touchdown but outgained his more prominent partner 91 yards to 59. Jeff Reed took advantage of the thin air to boot a pair of field goals and four PATs.

Fantasy LVP: Those who have been waiting for Jake Plummer to play like, well, Jake Plummer weren't disappointed on Sunday. His interception at the end of the first half killed any hopes of a comeback, and he spent most of his afternoon tearing free of blitzing Steelers. "No Mistake Jake" finished with 223 passing yards and another 30 on the ground, but he completed just 18 of 30 attempts, tossed two picks, and fumbled twice. Welcome back, Jake!

Other duds: Hey, didn't the Broncos used to run the ball a lot? Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell combined for just 14 carries—20 below a typical running game for the Broncos at Invesco this season. They totaled 67 yards, never broke a run longer than 11 yards, and scored just once.

Up Next: You may hear this once or twice in the next couple of weeks, but did you know that Jerome Bettis is from Detroit? And that in his 13-year career he's never been to the Super Bowl? And that this year's Super Bowl is being played in Detroit? Yeah, wacky stuff.
(Return to Top)

Panthers 14, Seahawks 34
Summary: Tucked away in the Great Northwest is a pretty good football team, and the Seahawks demonstrated as much by jumping on top of the Panthers and never letting up. Seattle has a pretty good offense—they were up 17-0 before Carolina came out of the tunnel—but it was a smothering defense that held the Panthers' offense without a score for 54 minutes that punched the Seahawks' ticket to Detroit.

Fantasy MVP: Maybe Shaun Alexander should get concussed more often. The regular-season MVP ended a dry stretch of playoff appearances by battering the Panthers for 134 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries. Alexander, as usual, benefited from great blocking up front, but he also broke his share of tackles. In short, he had the kind of title game you should expect from an MVP… and then some.

Other studs: It was a bit surprising that the quarterback who hadn't played in an NFC title game before looked the most comfortable. Brett… er, Matt Hasselbeck (that one might be lost on you if you missed Mike Holmgren's Freudian slip in the pregame show) dissected the Panthers with a 20-for-28 performance, racking up 219 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite targets were, not surprisingly, Darrell Jackson, who caught six balls for 75 yards and a touchdown; and, surprisingly, tight end Jerramy Stevens, who also caught six balls for 66 yards and a score. And while Steve Smith didn't have the monster game the Panthers needed, he demanded the ball and did what he could, scoring on a 59-yard punt return after lobbying to be put into the game on special teams. Unfortunately, his quarterback couldn't get the ball to him any other way, as he tallied just five catches for 33 yards and ended Carolina's hopes by fumbling on his final touch.

Fantasy LVP: It was a rough day for the two Jakes, as Jake Delhomme followed Plummer by throwing too many passes to the other team. Delhomme hardly looked like a quarterback who's been to the big game, though the Seahawks helped by pressuring him relentlessly and never letting him set his feet. It didn't help that they also did what neither the Giants nor Bears were able to do: take away Steve Smith. Delhomme finished the day 15-of-35 for 196 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions.

Other duds: With Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster already on the sidelines, the beleaguered Panthers running game took another hit when Lofa Tatupu knocked Nick Goings out of the game after five carries and just two yards. Fourth-stringer Jamal Robertson kicked in 19 yards on four carries, which wasn't nearly enough.

Up Next: The Seahawks will leave the rain of Seattle behind and head for Detroit, where Mike Holmgren becomes the fifth coach to lead two different franchises to the Super Bowl. The MVP against the Steel Curtain, the Bus against Seattle's vastly underappreciated run defense, bearded Big Ben against follicly-challenged Matt… and a bunch of high-priced ads. Let the hype begin!

More Bodog Football Articles...