PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania - Big Ben saved his best pass for last.

Ben Roethlisberger tiptoed around the backfield, hurried by Jets defenders on a third-and-6 from the New York 40.

No problem. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback rolled right and hit Antonio Brown for a 14-yard gain with less than two minutes left to seal a 24-19 victory and win the AFC title. A trip to Dallas to play the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl is next.

"That's us. It's not always pretty, but somehow we find a way to get it done," Roethlisberger said.

The Jets were out of timeouts. Three kneel-downs after Big Ben's big play, the quarterback raised an arm in the air and got mobbed by teammates as the Heinz Field stands rocked.

"This one was for Steelers fans," Roethlisberger said.

Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers holds up the Lamar Hunt Trophy after the Steelers defeated the New York Jets 24-19 in the AFC Championship game at Heinz Field on Sunday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Al Bello / AFP

The season began with No 7 on the sideline for the first four games after the NFL said he had violated the league's personal conduct policy. He was accused in March of the sexual assault of a 20-year-old college student, but a prosecutor in Georgia declined to bring charges.

It will end on a very familiar stage - at the Super Bowl.

"I don't. I don't. I'll stop you now," he said when asked about looking back to September. "Not at all".

He finished 10 of 19 for 133 yards and two interceptions, though his mobility did give the Jets trouble much of the night. He had 11 carries for 21 yards and a 2-yard scramble into the end zone to give the Steelers a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter.

But things got dicey for Pittsburgh in the second half. The Jets defense pitched a second-half shutout on what had been a dominating Steelers offense.

Pittsburgh controlled the line of scrimmage in the first half, even after rookie center Maurkice Pouncey left with a sprained left ankle. Running back Rashard Mendenhall gained 95 of his 121 yards in the first half, twisting his way out of tackles.

Pouncey was on crutches after the game with his left ankle wrapped. He was replaced by Doug Legursky.

"I am sure we will have more information that will be debated here in the next couple of weeks. But it's a great debate to have, isn't it?" coach Mike Tomlin said.

New York stiffened against the run after halftime. Roethlisberger was tackled for a safety after a bad snap exchange at the 1 with 7:38 left.

"We shot ourselves in the foot with mental errors. We jumped out on them so early ... some of the guys may have lowered some of their energy a little bit," receiver Hines Ward said.

On the next drive, Jerricho Cotchery's 4-yard TD catch cut the lead to five, and the Jets kicked the ball back to the Steelers hoping for a big defensive stand.

It wasn't to be, not with Roethlisberger at the controls. He connected with Miller for a first down on a 14-yard completion on second-and-9.

"They were stacked against the run. We knew if we ran the ball three times it was going to be tough sledding to get 10 yards and get a first down," Miller said.

The Steelers gained just four yards on the next two plays, both runs. Then, Roethlisberger's last pass turned out to be the most important of the night.

"We weren't going to play not to lose," Tomlin said about throwing on the final drive.

Roethlisberger is now 10-2 in the postseason. Entering Sunday he had completed 61 percent of his postseason passes, with 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

"Here we go," Steelers fans yelled in unison after the game as they furiously waved their Terrible Towels.

All the way to their third Super Bowl in six seasons.

Associated Press

(China Daily 01/25/2011 page24)