Super Bowl XLV: 10 Records the Steelers and Packers Won't Break
With theĀ Pittsburgh Steelers andĀ Green Bay Packers squaring off inĀ Dallas onĀ February 6 in Super Bowl XLV, the football-watching world anticipates a classic battle between two exceptional teams.
Green Bay comes into the game with the No. 5 passing offense from the regular season.
Pittsburgh will counter with this year's No. 2 defense.
While no one knows who will emerge as the most outstanding players on either team, certain Super BowlĀ marks are likely to be safe.
The following are 10 all-timeĀ recordsĀ that are not likely to be broken in this year's Super Bowl:
Most Points Scored in the Game by Both Teams: 75
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In Super Bowl XXIX, the San Francisco 49ersĀ beat theĀ San Diego Chargers in a wide-open, high-scoring affair,Ā 49-26.Ā
It is not likely that either team is going to be able to run up big point totals on their opponent's defense.
The Steelers had the No. 1 scoring defense only allowing 14.5 points per game.
Right behind them were the Packers, whoĀ had the No. 2 scoring defense (15 ppg).
Depending on where you look, the over-under for the game (combined point total for the two teams)Ā is 45 points.
Most Total Yards from Scrimmage by One Team: 602
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The Washington Redskins, led by QB Doug Williams (pictured) putĀ up an amazing 602 yards offense against the Denver BroncosĀ in Super Bowl XXII.
As much as many people talk about theĀ Steelers defense (No. 2, 276 ypg), the Packers defenders (309 ypg)Ā were awfully tough in 2010, too. They ended up being the No. 5 team in total defense.
It is possible the two offenses won't have 600 combined yards, let alone one team being able to roll up that kind of insaneĀ yardage.
Largest Margin of Victory: 45 Points
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The most lopsided game in Super Bowl history (XXIV)Ā was won by the San Francisco Forty-Niners beating the Denver Broncos 55-10. Joe Montana completed 13 passes in aĀ row in route to a 22-for-29 passingĀ day with five TDs.
Pittsburgh beatĀ the Browns 41-9 in the last game of the 2010Ā season. Green Bay beat the Cowboys 45-7 during the middle of this season.
The possibilities of a blowout in either directionĀ are incredibly small.
The likely final scoring margin of this year's Super BowlĀ will be seven points or less. The current line is Packers by three.Ā
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Most Completions by Both Quarterbacks: 63
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In last year's Super Bowl, Drew Brees (32)Ā and Peyton Manning (31)Ā combined for 63 completions.
While both teams signal-callers are capableĀ of "airing it out," it is not likely they will bring that kind of attack to XLV.
This season, both Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and Packers QB Aaron RodgersĀ averaged 20 completions per game.Ā TheyĀ eachĀ completed 30 passes in onlyĀ one game.
For either team to deviate from their regular seasonĀ offensive play-calling patterns would be aĀ huge surprise.Ā
Most Interceptions Thrown by a QB in a Single Game: 5
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In Super Bowl XXXVII, Rich Gannon threw five interceptions in a 48-21 defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Neither of this year'sĀ starting QBs force passes, and so both of them have a very low interception count on the season.
Roethlisberger threw only five INTs in 12 games. He never threw more than one in any game this year. He had seven games where he didn't throw a single INT.
Rodgers threw 11 INTsĀ in 15 games. He did have three games where he threw two picks, but Rodgers also had six gamesĀ where he had none.
This is a key statistic. If either of these QBs gets careless with the ball, it could determine the outcome of the game.Ā
Fewest Points by the Winning Team: 14
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Super Bowl VII was the final achievement of the Miami Dolphins completing a perfect, undefeated season, as they beat the Washington Redskins 14-7 in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl game.
As was mentioned previously, these teams both score in the mid-20s. There is no reason to believe that whoever wins this game will be able to be victorious without scoring at least 20 points.
Most Passing Yards by a Team: 407
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Kurt Warner threw for 407 yards for the St. LouisĀ Rams toĀ beat the Tennessee Titans, 23-16.
Roethliberger, for his career, averages 225Ā passing ypg. In his 12 postseason games, he averagesĀ 215 passingĀ ypg.
Rodgers for his career, averages 235 passing ypg. In his four postseason starts, he averagesĀ 304 passing ypg.
It is worth noting that last year, in a playoff-gameĀ shootout with Arizona (51-45 loss), Rodgers did throw for 423Ā yards.
As was alreadyĀ discussed, this won't be aĀ shootout, and it is not likely to be a wide-open,Ā pass-happy game either.Ā Ā
Most Rushing Yards by a Single Player: 204
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Timmy Smith of the Washington Redskins gashed the Denver Broncos defense in Super Bowl XXII for 204 yards and scoring two TDs.
Rashard Mendenhall, the Steelers leading ground-gainer had three 100+ yard games, with a high game of 151 yards gained against the Bills.
The Packers regular season rushing leader, Brandon Jackson's high yardage game for the season was 115 yards against the Redskins. This was his only 100-yard rushing game.
While breakaway runs help RBs pile up the yards fast,Ā neither teams defenses give up a lot of big plays.
Most Penalty Yardage by One Team: 133 Yards
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Super Bowl V, between the Baltimore Colts and the Dallas Cowboys is sometimes called the "Blunder Bowl" or the "Stupor Bowl" because it was filled with poor play, penalties and turnovers.
The Cowboys, unusual for a Tom Landry-coached team,Ā were flagged 10 times for 133 yards.
The Steelers were eighth most penalized team in the NFL this season at 56.7 ypg.
The Packers were the 30th most penalized team at only 38.8 ypg.
Even if you add these two amounts together, you still are almost 40 yards short of the Cowboys mark.
Time of Possession: 40 Minutes, 33 Seconds
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The New York Giants controlled the ball for more than two-thirds of Super Bowl XXV, as the Giants beat the Bills 20-19. Ottis Anderson, the game's MVP carried the ball 21 times for 102 yards.
The Packers were No. 3 in the NFL in time of possession this season by controlling the ball for 32:17.
The Steelers were right behind them at No. 4 (32:08).
Both teams have the ability to chew up clock, but to hold onto it for almost three quarters of the game is insane.
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