Steelers, Panthers just as tough away from home

	The Steelers' Jerome Bettis ran for 46 yards and a touchdown in Pittsburgh's 21-18 win at Indianapolis. Bob Rosato/SI

Only two teams in the NFL this season have won every home game they've played, and largely because of that, Seattle and Denver have secured the privilege of hosting the conference title games on Sunday.

But don't be overly influenced by those gaudy 9-0 home records that the Seahawks and Broncos will put on the line this weekend. One or both of the home teams could have their perfect records blemished at the worst possible time. Because in Carolina and Pittsburgh, the Seahawks and Broncos will be drawing opponents that don't conform to the NFL's law of averages when it comes to playing on the road.

The last time both road teams won in the conference championships was 1997, when No. 4-seeded Denver won at No. 2 Pittsburgh  and No. 2 Green Bay upset No. 1 San Francisco. But it could happen again in this year's playoffs, where road teams are an eye-popping 5-3 through the first two rounds of the postseason, and two of the highest seeds (No. 1 Indianapolis and No. 2 Chicago) lost their opening games.

Sixth-seeded Pittsburgh is 8-2 on the road this season, and has gone 15-3 away from Heinz Field the past two years. Fifth-seeded Carolina also is 8-2 on the road this season, with the Panthers, like the Steelers, playing just 5-3 ball at home.

Both Carolina and Pittsburgh, with a tough, hard-nosed style of play that serves them well in hostile environments, seem to handle the underdog role better than the burden of expectation. The Steelers flopped in the playoffs last year when they were 15-1 and owners of the AFC's homefield advantage. In fact, during coach Bill Cowher's 14-year tenure, Pittsburgh has lost four out of five AFC title games it has hosted. The Steelers are also 0-4 in the Cowher era in terms of getting to the Super Bowl after they earn the AFC's top seed.

The Panthers, of course, fought their way to the Super Bowl as a No. 3 seed two years ago by winning playoff road games at St. Louis and Philadelphia. Carolina is now 4-0 on the road in the postseason under coach John Fox.

Juxtapose that against the Panthers not being able to take care of business at home, which resulted in them having to settle for a wild-card berth rather than the NFC South crown, after late-season home losses to Tampa Bay and Dallas. Even last year, with a playoff trip on the line in Week 17, Carolina lost at home to the struggling Saints, negating much of the impact of their heroic comeback from an injury-riddled 1-7 start.