Super Bowl XLV Preview

Aaron Rodgers stepped out from behind the green curtains with his hands gripped firmly on his belt, proudly showing off his shiny buckle. To match, the Green Bay Packers’ star quarterback sported a black sport coat, bolo tie, black cowboy hat and a handlebar moustache that Chuck Norris would be proud of.

Rodgers and a number of other Packers players showed up to the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Welcome Packers luncheon with their best Texas gear two weeks before the first game of the season with the belief that making it to Super Bowl XLV in Arlinton, TX was an attainable goal.

During the same week that the Packers were embracing their hype, the Pittsburgh Steelers were dealing with media attention of a different nature. After racy pictures and dodgy stories from club witnesses surfaced, Quarterback Ben Roethilisberger met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss his involvement in a rape charge. In the end the final meeting reduced Roethlisberger’s six-game suspension down to four to start the season.

Fast-forward 16 regular season games and three post-season games later, and two of the most historically prestigious teams in the league are set to go head-to-head Monday Feb. 7.

The Packers organisation has won three Super Bowls, including the first two, and the Steelers are the only team in the NFL with six title rings, not to mention two of the last five. It was only right for them to create history by becoming the first teams with the top two defences in the league to meet in the big game. Both teams have used stellar defensive play and their talented young gunslingers to climb to the pinnacle of the American sports world.

Backed by a defence that allowed just 15 points per game, Rodgers continues to gain confidence with every throw he completes; not that he needs any more. The sixth-year flamethrower has shown time after time that he doesn’t need anybody’s approval to know he can compete with the best. Rodgers endured a gut-wrenching plummet on his draft day, overcame perhaps the tallest shadow ever cast when Brett Favre left town, and most recently was left out of the Pro Bowl behind one quarterback who started only 11 games this season. Rodgers’ response? Thirteen total touchdowns and 1,213 yards in four career post-season games.

While Rodgers is sitting pretty as America’s new golden boy, Roethlisberger has become one of the NFL’s newest villains. This new perception comes partially because he has an uncanny knack for making the against-all-odds plays to win games, and partially because of his recent less than flattering run-in with the law. When he returned from his suspension, Big Ben provided a much-needed offensive boost on his way one of his best statistical seasons with 3,200 yards, 17 touchdowns and a measly five interceptions over 12 games. The kid flat out knows how to win.

The Miami of Ohio graduate has been blessed with a strong defence since the start of his career, and this year is no different. The Steelers have AP Defensive Player of the Year Troy Polamalu and, one of the hardest hitting pass rushers in the league in linebacker James Harrison (he was fined a total of $100,000 this year for his nasty hits) to spearhead a defence that totalled 48 sacks, 24 forced fumbles, 21 interceptions and lead the league in allowing only 62.8 rushing yards per game.

The last time these two teams met in 2009, fans witnessed a high-traffic aerial assault. Rodgers and Roethlisberger combined for a total of 886 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions and the Steelers squeaked by with a 37-26 home victory. Viewers shouldn’t expect this game to be a repeat, but these two are sure to put on a show.

Three keys for a Steelers victory…

They will need to contain Rodgers on the ground. Their game plan will likely include heavy blitzing, but they need to make sure he doesn’t get into the open field. Rodgers is deadly accurate when rolling to his right, and used his deceptive speed to rush for the second most yards behind Mike Vick.

Establish a running game. Rashard Mendenhall may have single-handedly saved the Steelers season during the four games that Roethlisberger was suspended. If they can get a rushing attack going, the corners and safeties will be forced to creep in a bit, bettering the chance for deep threat Mike Wallace to break free.

Force the Packers’ younger receivers to make plays. Everybody knows the huge plays Greg Jennings can open up and what kind of situations the durable veteran Donald Driver can create after the catch, so make rookie tight end Andrew Quarless and shaky-handed James Jones catch the ball.

Three keys to a Packers victory…

They need to stop the run. Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall didn’t get a lot of talk this year, possibly because he only had two 100-yard games, but he was a consistent scoring source for Pittsburgh with 13 touchdowns on the ground.

They’ll also need to create turnovers like they have been doing all season long. Going against a defence as stingy as the Steelers, Rodgers will need one or two big turnovers to shrink the field a bit. If AP Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Clay Matthews or 2009 AP Defensive Player of the Year Charles Woodson can get the ball in their possession, the Cheeseheads will have a good shot to win.

The offensive line has to keep the pressure off Rodgers. Yes, he is great at reading and escaping the blitz, but everybody saw in last year’s post-season loss against the Cardinals what kind of damage a loose lineman can do. With two concussions this season, any big hits will surely affect his decisions.