Stormin Norman Rumack

So far, so good for the tough talking New York Jets, who have so far backed up their bold braggadocios behavior, with back to back playoff victories, squeaking by the Colts in the final seconds of the game 17-16, and pummeling the Patriots, 28-21, in a game that they dominated much more than the score indicates. Ben Roethlisberger rallied the Steelers from a 21-7 deficit to the Ravens, and led them to a 31-24 win. Roethlisberger is 9-2 in the postseason. The Jets are taking the high road this week, with plenty of praise for Big Ben in particular. As noted in ESPN.com, Rex Ryan remarked: “I’ve never seen a guy take the hits he can take and also make people miss the way he does and be accurate on the run.” The Jets saw the Steelers earlier this season, and beat them 22-17, with Roethlisberger averaging a season-low 6.0 yards per attempt. All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu missed that game, and is now playing with a strained Achilles’. Pittsburgh is 31-8 with him in the lineup since 2008, and 6-7 without him. Tight end Heath Miller also missed that game with a concussion. Former Steeler Santonio Holmes, now with the Jets, refers to Polamalu as the “greatest player” he has ever seen play in person. Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is 4-1 in the playoffs on the road, and his postseason passer rating is 92.2, which is 22 higher than his regular season score. The Steelers are 5-5 in conference championships at home.

Steelers 24 Jets 23.