Pittsburgh rolls past San Diego

PITTSBURGH -- 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 until a late, inconsequential score and returned some normalcy to the postseason by beating the San

Diego Chargers 35-24 in an AFC divisional game yesterday.

With a now-healthy Willie Parker running for 146 yards and two touchdowns, Ben Roethlisberger ignoring his late-season concussion to throw for a score and lead an efficient offense, the Steelers (13-4) did what the favored Titans, Panthers and Giants couldn't do by winning at home.

It was the first time since 1971 that three road teams won during a single playoff weekend, and the Steelers made certain that road teams didn't go 4 for 4.

The Steelers had the worst offense of any playoff team coming in, only to put up 35 points to support the NFL's top-ranked defense. Now, it's time for Ravens vs. Steelers Part III on Sunday -- the third and most intriguing matchup this season between the can't-stand-each other AFC North rivals.

"What else would you expect, us and the Ravens," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "It would be big if it was a scrimmage. This is for the AFC championship."

The Steelers have never beaten the Ravens three times in a season although they've never had the chance, but they did beat Baltimore's forerunners, the old Cleveland Browns, three times during the 1994 season. Pittsburgh won the earlier two games, 23-20 in overtime in Pittsburgh -- when the Ravens supposedly put bounties on several Steelers players -- and 13-9 during the Dec. 14 rematch in Baltimore that secured the divisional title for Pittsburgh.

They were two of the NFL's most physical games this season, with injuries all around, and playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl will only ratchet up the intensity, physicality and, no doubt, the dislike.

The Steelers spotted San Diego a 7-0 lead on Vincent Jackson's acrobatic 41-yard catch of Philip Rivers' pass four plays into the game, but, like San Diego's 7-0 lead in its bizarre 11-10 loss in Pittsburgh on Nov. 16, the Chargers (9-9) couldn't make it stand up as 1,100-yard rusher LaDainian Tomlinson sat out with a groin injury.

Sproles, coming off his all-around 328-yard game against the Colts, wasn't a factor despite a 63-yard kickoff return and a 62-yard TD catch in the final two minutes after Pittsburgh had opened a 35-17 lead. He was held to 15 yards on 11 carries after rushing for 105 the week before.

San Diego......................... 7 3 0 14--24 Pittsburgh......................... 7 7 7 14--35 First Quarter

SD--Jackson 41 pass from Rivers (Kaeding kick), 12:59.

Pit--Holmes 67 punt return (Reed kick), 7:41. Second Quarter

SD--FG Kaeding 42, 1:56.

Pit--Parker 3 run (Reed kick), :40. Third Quarter

Pit--Miller 8 pass from Roethlisberger (Reed kick), 7:04. Fourth Quarter

Pit--Russell 1 run (Reed kick), 12:52.

SD--Naanee 4 pass from Rivers (Kaeding kick), 9:09.

Pit--Parker 16 run (Reed kick), 4:11.

SD--Sproles 62 pass from Rivers (Kaeding kick), 1:53.

A--63,899. SD

Pit First downs.........................15

22 Total Net Yards.........290

342 Rushes-yards......................12-15

42-165 Passing yards.........................275

177 Passes.........................21-35-1

17-27-0 Sacked-yards lost.........................4-33

1-4 Punt returns-yards.........................3-4

2-73 Kickoff ret.-yards.........................6-171

4-63 Interceptions Ret..........................0-0

1-0 Punts.........................6-47.2

5-43.4 Fumbles-lost.........................1-1

0-0 Penalties-yards.....8-104

7-44 Time of possession.........................23:30

36:30 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- San Diego, Sproles 11-15, Bennett 1-0. Pittsburgh, Parker 27-146, Moore 3-13, Holmes 2-7, Russell 4-5, Ca.Davis 1-0, Leftwich 4-(minus 2), R.Clark 1-(minus 4).

PASSING -- San Diego, Rivers 21-35-1-308. Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger 17-26-0-181, Leftwich 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING -- San Diego, Sproles 5-91, Gates 5-59, Chambers 4-72, Jackson 2-49, Hester 2-13, Manumaleuna 1-14, Bennett 1-6, Naanee 1-4. Pittsburgh, Ward 4-70, Miller 3-37, Washington 3-30, Ca.Davis 3-7, Holmes 2-25, Moore 2-12.