I haven't been able to follow the 2008 NBA Playoffs as closely as I would have liked, but I've watched and read enough to realize that home teams are absolutely dominating, particuarlly in the conference semifinal round. This reality had me thinking about how good the Steelers have been at Heinz Field since Big Ben took over the starting QB duties full-time in 2004. Let's take a look.
2004:
vs. Cincinnati (W. 28-17)
vs. Cleveland (W 34-23)
vs. New England (W 34-20)
vs. Philadelphia (W 27-3)
vs. Washington (W 16-7)
vs. New York Jets (W 17-6)
vs. Baltimore (W 20-7)
Overall 2004 Home Record: 7-0 (Ben didn't start Week 1 home victory vs. Oakland)
Overall 2004 Home Point Differential: 176-63
2005:
vs. Tennessee (W 34-7)
vs. New England (L 20-23)
vs. Jacksonville (L 17-23)
vs. Baltimore (W 20-19)
vs. Cleveland (W 34-21)
vs. Cincinnati (L 31-38)
vs. Chicago (W 21-9)
vs. Detroit (W 35-21)
Overall 2005 Home Record: 5-3
Overall 2005 Home Point Differential: 212-161
2006:
vs. Miami (W 28-17)
vs. Cincinnati (L 20-28)
vs. Kansas City (W 45-7)
vs. Denver (L 20-31)
vs. New Orleans (W 38-31)
vs. Tampa Bay (W 20-3)
vs. Cleveland (W 27-7)
vs. Baltimore (L 7-31)
Overall 2006 Home Record: 5-3
Overall 2006 Home Point Differential: 205-124
2007:
vs. Buffalo (W 26-3)
vs. San Francisco (W 36-17)
vs. Seattle (W 21-0)
vs. Baltimore (W 38-7)
vs. Cleveland (W 31-28)
vs. Cincinnati (W 24-10)
vs. Jacksonville (L 22-29)
Overall 2007 Home Record: 7-1
Overall 2007 Home Point Differential: 198-94
OVERALL 2004-2007 HOME RECORD: 24-7
OVERALL 2004-2007 HOME POINT DIFFERENTIAL: 791- 442
I don't have much time this afternoon to delve into any sort of analysis, but really, there's not that much that needs to be said. Even in 2005 when we won the Super Bowl, and in 2006 when Ben was hurt, we were still very, very good at home. And in 2004, we were dominant, while in 2007, despite all our flaws, we were nearly unbeatable. I'd love to get a psychologist's take on why athletes perform so much better at home than on the road. It's somewhat easy to understand why the disparity in performance exists, but the degree to which it is pronounced never ceases to amaze me.