PETER KING'S THINGS I THINK

1 I think the NFL may well be entering the golden age of pass rushers. San Francisco's Aldon Smith, Houston's J.J. Watt and Denver's Von Miller are 1-2-3 in the sack race with a combined 45 sacks through 11 games (amazing, I think), and they have this in common: Each is 23 years old.

2 I think the Steelers should sit Ben Roethlisberger for two more weeks, then play him, if his rib injury permits, in an attempt to run the table against Dallas, Cincinnati and Cleveland and earn the AFC's sixth seed. There's too much at risk to play him before the rib is healed.

3 I think the mediocre college quarterback crop (one scout tells me he wouldn't give USC's Matt Barkley a first-round grade) means the top three potentially available NFL QBs that teams like Kansas City or Arizona or Buffalo should build an offense around are: 1. Alex Smith, San Francisco; 2. Matt Flynn, Seattle; 3. Mike Vick, Philadelphia. My choice? Smith. Easy.

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AARON M. SPRECHER/AP PHOTO (MILLER)