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Brian Johnson's potentially perfect pairing of quarterbacks in his hometown Super Bowl crumbled Sunday, thanks to the work of Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers.
Now working as the University of Houston's offensive coordinator, the former University of Utah quarterback hoped to welcome Alex Smith or Dak Prescott to H-Town for Super Bowl LI — maybe even both of them. And it might have happened, if you can project favorable outcomes for Kansas City and Dallas in overtime Sunday and in next weekend's conference championship games.
Johnson, who grew up near Houston in Baytown, Texas, backed up Smith during the Utes' Fiesta Bowl season of 2004 and they've remained close friends during Smith's 12-year NFL career. He worked with Prescott for two seasons as Mississippi State's quarterback coach, preparing him to succeed as a fill-in starter in his rookie year in Dallas.
Smith and Prescott did a lot of good things Sunday. Roethlisberger and Rodgers were just slightly better. The result is regrets for Johnson's guys, even though they delivered in the fourth quarters of losing efforts.
Personally, I wanted a Super Bowl matchup of Smith and Rodgers. They could have reprised a memorable game in 2003, when they were just getting started as the QBs of Utah and California and Smith drove the Utes to a late touchdown in a 31-24 victory.
But Roethlisberger came through with a game-saving play after Kansas City's failed two-point conversion left Pittsburgh with an 18-16 lead. Facing a third-and-3 play from the Steelers' 12, Roethlisberger rolled to his right and tossed a 7-yard pass to Antonio Brown, enabling Pittsburgh to run out the clock.
Otherwise, the Chiefs would have taken over the ball near midfield, needing only a field goal to win. Smith had converted two fourth-down plays on Kansas City's touchdown drive. But his two-point completion was erased by a holding penalty, and his next attempt fell incomplete.
So the Chiefs scored touchdowns on their first and last possessions of the game, but couldn't overcome Pittsburgh's six field goals. Kansas City's offense "didn't hold up our end," Smith said. "We had our opportunities, regardless of what happened there at the end of the game."
Smith and the Chiefs still would have needed to win at New England to qualify for the Super Bowl, but this may have been his last, best chance to get there. Smith stood on the sideline as Colin Kaepernick's backup four years ago when San Francisco lost to Baltimore in the Super Bowl, after quarterbacking the 49ers in an overtime loss to the New York Giants in the previous year's NFC championship game.
The Chiefs have gone 43-21 in regular-season games the past four years with Smith and coach Andy Reid, a former BYU offensive lineman, but they have only one playoff victory.
Prescott presumably will have more opportunities with Dallas in the future, but the Cowboys will always wonder what would have happened in overtime Sunday. With his team once having trailed by 18 points, Prescott led drives to tie Green Bay twice in the last 4:08, only to have Rodgers top him with a phenomenal play.
Rodgers rolled left and somehow hit Jared Cook on the sideline with a 36-yard pass. The completion set up Mason Crosby's 51-yard field goal as time expired in a 34-31 victory.
So the Packers will meet Atlanta in the NFC title game, with only elite quarterbacks left in the playoff field: Rodgers, Roethlisberger, Tom Brady and Matt Ryan.
Prescott and Smith were almost worthy of displacing someone in that foursome, judging by the way they played all season and in Sunday's fourth quarters. But they couldn't quite earn that reunion with Brian Johnson in Houston next month.
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