PITTSBURGH - The NFL's two best safeties were on display last night, and it was the Pittsburgh Steelers' Troy Polamalu who made the game's biggest play.
Polamalu intercepted a pass by Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown with 4:24 left in the AFC championship game.
That play gave the Steelers a 23-14 lead and pretty much sealed the game.
It was the kind of play Ravens safety Ed Reed has been making all season. Flacco stared down his best receiver, Derrick Mason, on a third-and-13 from the Ravens' 29. As Mason started to come back, Polamalu jumped the route, reversed his field on the interception and scored the biggest touchdown of the game.
Could have been worse
The Ravens made it close until late in the game, but they didn't deserve to win this one. In fact, they should have been blown out.
The Steelers shut down the Ravens' running game, and Flacco didn't have a good game. When he was on target, his receivers dropped numerous passes.
The game was similar to the Tennessee Titans game Jan. 10, in which the Ravens were dominated on the field but forced enough turnovers to win.
The bottom line, though, is that coach John Harbaugh and his staff got as much as possible out of this team. Most teams that rely on a starting rookie quarterback and first-year head coach finish around 6-10.
Biggest hits
The best hit of the game was Steelers safety Ryan Clark on Ravens running back Willis McGahee late in the fourth quarter. McGahee was taken off on a cart, and Clark was wobbly as he was helped to the sideline.
Among other big hits in this physical contest: Pittsburgh receiver Limas Sweed cracking back on Ravens cornerback Corey Ivy with 23 seconds left in the first half. That was nasty.
Another good shot was Pittsburgh's Carey Davis running over the Ravens' Daren Stone on the opening kickoff as Stone sprinted downfield. Stone got rocked (pun intended).
Missed opportunities
The Steelers led 13-7 at the half but should have been ahead 24-7.
Pittsburgh running back Willie Parker dropped a possible touchdown pass down the right sideline in the first quarter, and Sweed dropped a possible 50-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline late in the second quarter.
The Ravens were low on cornerbacks, but they didn't really need any.
The Steelers couldn't catch.
Hands of stone
