The 2011 AFC Championship Game featured the New York Jets playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers to determine which team would take the American Football Conference Championship and represent the conference in Super Bowl XLV. The Jets vs Steelers game, which was won 24-19 by the Steelers, took place on Sunday, January 23, 2011, starting at 6:30 p.m. EST. CBS aired the game live from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2011012300/2010/POST20/jets@steelers
To reach the AFC title game, the New York Jets defeated the Indianapolis Colts 17-16 in the 2011 NFL Wild Card Weekend and the New England Patriots 28-21 in the 2011 NFL Divisional Weekend. The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2010-11 NFL Playoffs with a first-round bye and topped the Baltimore Ravens 31-24 in the NFL Divisional Round to reach the AFC Championship Game.http://www.nfl.com/schedules?seasonType=POST#Week The two teams last played on December 19, 2010, with the Jets defeating the Steelers 22-17.http://www.nfl.com/teams/pittsburghsteelers/schedule?team=PIT
Jets vs Steelers Game Background
En route to earning the second seed in the American Football Conference for the postseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers completed their 2010 campaign with a 12-4 record. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led the offense as he passed for an even 3,200 yards and 17 touchdowns. Of those passes, Mike Wallace caught 60 for 1,257 yards and 10 touchdowns while Hines Ward caught 59 for 755 yards and five scores. On the rushing side, Rashard Mendenhall led the team with 324 carries for 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns.http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2011012300/2010/POST20/jets@steelers
The New York Jets went 11-5 during their 2010 season to place just behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East standings.http://www.nfl.com/standings Their top passer, quarterback Mark Sanchez, tallied 3,291 yards for 17 touchdowns and split his passes between two top receivers. Braylon Edwards caught 53 passes for 904 yards and seven touchdowns while Santonio Holmes followed with 52 receptions for 746 yards and six scores. On the ground, LaDainian Tomlinson topped the team with 219 carries for 914 yards and six touchdowns and led Shonn Greene who had 185 rushes for 766 yards and two touchdowns.http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2011012300/2010/POST20/jets@steelers
2011 AFC Championship Game Preview
ESPN NFL analysts Tom Jackson and Chris Berman preview the 2011 AFC Championship Game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets. Jackson predicts that it will be a physical and defensive game in which neither team can make any mistakes. They continue on to note that Pittsburgh could win their third Super Bowl in a short period of time without meeting what they call perhaps the team of the decade, the New England Patriots.
