Aaron Rodgers was named Super Bowl MVP after throwing three touchdowns.
They faced some tough opponents on the way to winning the 45th Superbowl. They started out by traveling to the city of brotherly love and beat a very good Philadelphia Eagles team, which many experts were picking to win the Superbowl. After defeating the high flying eagles they traveled to the hostile Georgia Dome to face the Falcons. Matt Ryan and his falcons the #1 seed were very comfortable playing at home due to their almost impeccable record with Ryan at QB. This would soon change as the young QB looked inexperienced and the Packers pounded the Falcons badly. They then made it to the championship game, where they would face the storied franchise #2 seed Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Even with this amazing rivalry which goes back to the early 20′s this was only the 2nd time that these teams met in the post-season. The Packers took care of the Bears with no problem and booked their ticket to the big game in Dallas, Texas.
Superbowl 45: The biggest news story following the game was that Christina Aguilera messed up the National Anthem. Or it was the commercials that did not receive the great credibility from the twitter fiends. But it was not the fact that Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy and the Packers won a title. The game started out slow with the Packers and Steelers trading failed drives to start the game. The Pack finally broke the dead lock with a pass from Rodgers to Jordy Nelson for the score. When the Steelers had the ball they committed one of their first costly turnovers. Nick Collins picked off a pass that was going to Mike Wallace but was no where near him and Collins picked it off easily. He managed to take it to the house for a score to make it a quick 14-0. Going into the half the Packers added more points to their total to make the score 21-10 going into the half.
The 3rd quarter was dominated by the Steelers. They may have not dominated on the score but they dominated on the defensive side of the ball as they finally started getting to Rodgers. They were also to establish a running game which was led by Mendenhall. They managed to put up 7 points on the board to close the lead to 4. Rodgers and company snapped back into the game by driving down the field and putting up another score on a pass to Greg Jennings. That was Jennings 2nd touchdown of the night. The Steelers answered back with a touchdown drive of their own. Roethlisberger threw to Mike Wallace for a score, they went for the 2 point conversion and converted making the Packer lead only 3 points. The Packers knowing what they need to do, went out and did it. They drove down field, taking time off the clock and getting a crucial field goal. The Steelers had one chance to score with a drive, but failed on 4th down and lost the ball and the game.
Injuries were a huge part of this game as both teams lost crucial players through out the game. From the Steelers Emmanuel Sanders hurt his knee when he was slammed down on the tackle. He tried playing the following play, but came off and threw his helmet in frustration. He threw it because he knew it was serious, and he was carted off. The other big injury was McFadden who was pulled out, Nelson managed to score when William Gay was covering him. On the other side, Donald Driver was as he hurt his ankle and was taken out and never came back in. Sam Shields was another one who was injured but came back in the 2nd half after receiving treatment in the locker room. The most important injury during the game was Charles Woodson. He broke his collarbone during the 2nd quarter on a diving play to attempt the interception. At half time Woodson tried to address his teammates and tell them that he would not be able to continue on, but he was filled with emotion and was unable to finish.
What the Steelers did wrong: Turnovers killed the Steelers in this game. That was probably the biggest mistake that the Steelers made during this game and cost them the game. Big Ben made too many bad throws and had 2 INT’s, you rarely win a Superbowl game when you throw 2 INT’s. Also when the Steelers were driving down the field Mendenhall coughed up a huge fumble when the tide seemed to be favouring the Steelers. Their inability to hold onto the ball was crucial and made a big difference as the Packers capitalized on their turnovers. Going deep with Mike Wallace? Although Mike Wallace had 9 catches 89 yards and 1 TD he was not used as much as he should have been. When Sanders went down early, they relied heavily on him for short throws which did not do much. In the past few games they had thrown it deep to Wallace who is electric quick. This lack of going deep, caused little openings over the middle for the intermediate receivers who make their money when the middle is less crowded with the deep threat. Their inexperienced receiving core also made a difference in the end. Troy Polamalu? The defensive player of the year was very quiet. Usually Polamalu causes QB’s headaches trying to avoid him, but in this game he was quiet with only 3 tackles. Thats not really defensive POY play is it? Defensive Pressure anyone? The Steelers managed to get 3 sacks all game but had trouble getting to Rodgers in 3 of the 4 quarters. Rodgers is not a QB you want to have all day to pick you apart, cause he will. Stupid Penalties. The Steelers committed only 6 penalties for 55 yards, but it was the timing of these penalties which killed them. On their final drive the decent return back was cancelled because of a stupid push after the play was over. Silly penalties causes them problems as they continued to shoot themselves in the feet.
What the Packers did right: Aaron Rodgers, what more can I say about Rodgers. 304 yards passing, and 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Rodgers continued to pick apart the Steelers all night and remained calm through out as the game got close. Offensive Line. The Packers offensive line was key only allowing 3 sacks all game and giving Rodgers enough time to stand in the pocket. They did let Rodgers get hit a few times through out the game but against the Steelers defense its going to happen. Who needs the starters to win games? The Packers have been faced with injuries all year and this game was nothing different. They lost key players through out the game and plugged in players to go in a preform, and guess what they did. They were in fact key in the victory forcing big plays at key times and that is what wins games. Turnovers. Their ability to force turnovers was key in this game as they continued to force Big Ben into mistakes. Lets face it, if you turn over the ball you just can’t win games, plain and simple. Quick Start. Their quick start against a slow starting Steelers team was the difference. Their 14-0 first quarter start was huge because the Steelers brought the game back and without that they would have been in trouble.
Superbowl 45 will be in the record books as its now passed and the Packers are cemented in history as the Superbowl Champs. The Steelers had a great season, and fell one game short of ultimate glory for a 3rd time in 6 years. The Steelers could have won this game had they not committed so many turnovers, but that is still up for debate. Superbowl MVP went to Rodgers and now is a ‘winner’ and has emerged from the shadows of Brett Favre. Now that the season is done, its time to look forward to the CBA deal getting done or their will not be a season next year. Also coming up is the NFL draft which features some interesting talent.
