Packers Weekly: SUPER BOWL XLV

‘Twas the night before the Super Bowl, And all through Green Bay

The players were anxious And ready to play

The helmets were hung in the locker room with care

In hopes that the Super Bowl soon would be theirs

The players were settled in their hotel rooms that night

While they had visions of Steelers and the soon to be fight

And McCarthy had the plays set and practiced them well

While the players ready to go give it hell

When out on the field there arose such a sound

100,000 strong that shook the earth to the ground

With all due apologies to Clement Clarke Moore it’s the last minute before this year version of hell on earth is unleashed. The Packers and the Steelers are finally on the eve of the big one, and Super Bowl XLV is shaping up to be a classic matchup that could be one for the ages.

Steelers on their "Stairway to Seven" oddysey

In either case a proud franchise is going to add to its impressive arsenal of hardware. The Packers have 12 NFL Titles and 3 Super Bowl trophies while Pittsburgh is on a quest for has been termed “The Stairway to Seven”. While the Eagles and Lions and Chargers of the world struggle for inclusion the Packers and Steelers march on after very impressive playoff runs.

The Packers Hall of Fame

No one took the harder path than the Packers. Faced with being shut out of the playoffs entirely the Pack reached down, and found their game, and themselves as they have been torrid, winning 5 ‘Must Win’ games in a row without the benefit of a stiff or patsy along the way. The Giants were bombed, the Bears took it on the chin – twice - rendering them to second citizen status, the Eagles also dropped two to Green bay and the mighty Atlanta Falcons, only the #1 seed in the NFC were thoroughly trounced. Last on the agenda- the Steelers

The Steelers earned the #2 seed and dispatched Baltimore after damn near giving the game away early. The Steelers, while a formidable team, have shown a proclivity for last second heroics by playing so up and down that they appear to be part of a Saturday morning serial cliff hanger. While danger lurks at every corner the Steelers do just enough to win. They repeated a theme against New York, piling up a 24 – 0 mountain of a lead only to watch it evaporate to a 24 – 19 win that never should have been that close. In both instances the Steelers had the advantage of playing against up and coming but nowhere near proven 2^nd year QB’s in Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez. While both are solid QB’s neither one is in the class of a Brady, Brees, Rivers, or Roethlisberger.

Or Aaron Rodgers.

RB James Starks carries the rock now

The Steelers will have no such luxury against the Packers. Rodgers is the man, and the one player the Steelers must contain to have any hope. The Packers are now a diverse team with rookie RB James Starks handling the running back duties. Brandon Jackson is now where he plays best as a # 2 or 3 back how can block, catch the ball out of the backfield and break the draw wide open maximizing his talents.

Against the Ravens the Steelers caught a break when T.J. Houshmanzadeh dropped a 4^th down easy grab that would have extended the game. The Ravens dropped far too many balls in that game that helped the Steelers immensely. While the Packers have had the dropsies throughout the year Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson have dialed up their games and are serious threats. This is another area the Steelers will not have the same courtesy. The Packers wideouts seem to play better when under a microscope in a big game. They can disappear into thin air against Detroit or Washington, but when the light shines brightest they do seem to step up.

LB James Harrison doing his thing
on Drew Brees

The Steelers suffered an enormous blow when C Maurkice Pouncey was scratched from the game day lineup due to his high ankle sprain. DE Aaron Smith is also out as predicted. The job of handling the Packers massive NT B.J. Raji now falls to backup C Doug Legursky who has never started an NFL game and now will need a lot of help to contain the raging bull. The Steelers ability to run the ball will be hampered immensely and with Dom Capers having enough time to really prepare his troops the Packers may be able to stand up to Pittsburgh’s ground game. The Steelers have been playing well with their front 3, and while Smith makes them better the trio of Casey Hampton, Brett Keisel and Ziggy Hood has to do more than try to get to Rodgers. Keeping Starks in check and pressuring the hottest QB on the planet just might be a tough order to fill. All World S Troy Polamalu has been bothered by a nagging Achilles tendon injury that has slowed him down. In the game vs. the Jets Polamalu was decidedly un-Polamalu-like as he was barely noticeable. Rodgers will need to keep a sharp eye on him.

Clay Matthews III introducing himself to
Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger

Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger is making his bones in big game comebacks. His last second toss to Santonio Holmes to win Super Bowl XLIII over Arizona and his methodical dissection of the Ravens this year are testaments to Big Bens knack for winning big games. The Packers will bring pressure, and if Rashard Mendenhall cannot get some early traction the Steelers will be forced to rely on Ben’s big arm to pull one more out, and he has the talent to pull it off.

This will be a close one. Both defenses are too good to give up massive points and are playing too well. The matchup of the Packers WR’s against the Steelers secondary is the one most feared by the Steelers. While the Steelers will no doubt blitz and blitz often from multiple positions it will be up to Rodgers to get rid of the ball early. Rodgers can ill afford another head high shot as he took against the Bears when Julius Peppers rang his bell, rendering him ineffective from that point.

WR Greg Jennings getting hot at the right time

While Ike Taylor will no doubt draw Greg Jennings in a matchup of #1’s, the bigger duel will be between Donald Driver and/ or Jordy Nelson against Bryant McFadden and William Gay. McFadden is aging and was burnt by Rodgers last year in the desert battle in Arizona while Gay is the most inconsistent CB on the Steelers. Rodgers will get some zip and the Packers will gain some yardage in this confrontation.

S Troy Polamalu changing the Steelers fortunes
against Joe Flacco and the Ravens

It will be up to James Harrison, James Farrior, LaMarr Woodley and Polamalu to get to Rodgers. Pressure won’t be enough. Getting to and knocking down Rodgers is a must. The Steelers earn their paychecks and playoff bonuses on their defenses ability to give the offense one more shot.

In a closed dome perfect climate stadium both QB’s will look impressive. There will be points scored but in the end, it will be another 60 minutes of football and in a close game a trophy case will have to make room for one more.

In a memorable back and forth game that will go down as the highest rated, most watched game, in history, history will be made – again.