Super Bowl 2011: The Pittsburgh Steelers' Experience Will Lead Them To a Win

Well folks, I went zero-for-two with the Championship Game picks. Still, guess who’s back to give his boldest prediction yet for Super Bowl XLV?

The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Green Bay Packers…two storied teams with so much history. Both have won multiple championships and both were defensive stalwarts this season. That being said, let’s jump right in.

Record

Let’s start with the record of the AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. To refresh everyone’s memories, Mike Tomlin’s squad finished with a 12-4 record as they captured the AFC North Division title. Now, we analyze the wins.

Of those 12 wins, only two came against teams that made the playoffs. All four losses came against playoff teams. Still, let’s not write off the Steelers just yet.

This postseason, the Steelers showed that they could overcome anything. They staged an epic comeback victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round, and put an end to what would have been a miracle run for the New York Jets.

The fact is, they’re a tough group of individuals who know how to win and aren’t ready to let another team stand in their way of another championship.

The Packers went 10-6 in 2010. Of all of their wins, three came against playoff teams and half of their losses came against teams that did not make the postseason. Still, like the Steelers, they proved in the offseason that they are a young, tough squad.

In their three playoff games, the opposing defenses the Packers have faced have gotten tougher and tougher. Come Super Bowl Sunday, they will face their toughest task yet in a Pittsburgh Steelers team that has already won two rings together.

Regarding record, on playoff performance and momentum alone, I like the Cheeseheads.

Edge: Packers

Quarterback

We have two gunslingers matched up against each other in Super Bowl XLV. We have a two-time champion in Steelers veteran Ben Roethlisberger, and possibly the next great NFL quarterback in Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers. Let’s analyze them both.

Now, as I’ve mentioned before, Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for the first four games of the season and still managed to put up amazing numbers. He threw for 3,200 yards and 17 touchdown passes, only five of his passes being intercepted. His passer rating was an incredible 97 and, especially this postseason, he proved to be even more dangerous under pressure.

I have to say, there is no quarterback better out of the pocket than Ben Roethlisberger.

Against the Ravens, he worked his way around the blitzing linebackers and managed to find the open receivers downfield. His performance against the Jets was not exactly amazing, but he still managed to complete enough passes to set up Rashard Mendenhall and the running game for touchdown runs.

Rodgers, on the other hand, is what makes this comparison so tough. His 2010 was an MVP-caliber season as he finished with 3.922 yards and 28 touchdowns with an incredible passer rating of 101.2!

He has continued to put up impressive stats in the playoffs, throwing for 790 yards and six touchdowns. 

Like Roethlisberger, his performance in the conference championship game wasn’t incredible, yet he still completed enough passes to take the wind out of Chicago’s sails.  As Troy Aikman pointed out, Rodgers exhibited great patience in the pocket.

However, despite this great quarterback matchup, I have to give the advantage to Roethlisberger. This is his third trip to the Super Bowl and he’s been playing with the key members of his offense for quite a while. I believe he will improve upon his last Super Bowl performance and be a factor for a trophy-hungry Steelers squad.

Edge: Steelers

Running Game

Again, the running game offers us an interesting matchup. Pittsburgh has a tough power-runner in Rashard Mendenhall and Green Bay has a young surprise in James Starks.

This postseason, Mendenhall has been nothing short of incredible. This past Sunday, against the Jets’ third-ranked rushing defense, he managed to accumulate 121 yards and one touchdown. On February 6, he will be running against a defense that was ranked fifth overall, but only 18^th in run defense. 

Needless to say, I have a feeling he’ll be just fine.

Yet, let’s not automatically give this to the Steelers. The Packers, despite being without top running back Ryan Grant for most of the season, have exhibited a tremendous effort running the ball in the playoffs. This is largely due to rookie James Starks coming through with amazing performances against tough defenses.

Last Sunday, against the second-ranked run defense of the Chicago Bears, Starks ran for 74 yards and a touchdown in a game most experts believed would leave him silenced. At the end of the game, it was Starks who had silenced these critics as he was instrumental in punching his team a ticket to Dallas. Once there, he’ll have his toughest challenge yet in Pittsburgh’s top-ranked rushing defense.

Still, I have to give the edge to Mendenhall. Starks has been great, but Pittsburgh’s defense is just plain dangerous. Unlike Mendenhall, he just isn’t the type of back who will consistently plow through the defensive line and manage to pick up yards.

Edge: Steelers

Passing Offense

If there’s one thing Aaron Rodgers and the Packers passing offense exhibited last Sunday, it was depth at wide receiver. With Pro-Bowler Greg Jennings leading the way, Rodgers used his patience and accuracy to get the secondary targets such as Jordy Nelson and James Jones involved in key plays.

The Steelers have exhibited just as much depth at wide receiver this postseason.  Rather than veteran players like Hines Ward and Heath Miller making most of the catches, unknowns including Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown have stepped up to make clutch catches.

On stats alone, I’d give this advantage to the Packers. Yet, this is the Super Bowl and thus we cannot rely on numbers alone.

While the Packers do have a lot of options at receiver, it’s still Greg Jennings who shoulders most of the load. With Troy Polamalu patrolling that Pittsburgh secondary, I anticipate Jennings will have a hard time getting open.

The Steelers, on the other hand, are good at sharing the ball on receiving. Game by game, there’s no telling who will have the most catches or the most yards, let alone the touchdowns. With this strategy combined with the Super Bowl experience of Roethlisberger and some of the key receivers, I give the edge to the Steelers.

Edge: Steelers

Defense

Well, here it is.  We are upon the closest matchup this Super Bowl has to offer. Time to break down Pittsburgh’s No. 2 defense against Green Bay’s No. 5 defense.

Both the Steelers and Packers use 3-4 formations on defense and I’m going to say this right now; you can say whatever you want about Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger and the offenses of both teams, but the outcome of Super Bowl XLV will be decided by defense.

Each team has tremendous talent on the front line, with men creating pressure on quarterbacks and giving pass-rushers openings to cause some damage. Even Packers nose tackle BJ Raji has shown some talent at fullback, providing amazing blocking on goal-line plays.

At linebacker, each team has four dangerous men. The Packers have an elite pass-rusher in Clay Mathews and great coverage men in AJ Hawk and Desmond Bishop.  The Steelers have a great linebacking corps headlined by James Harrison, possibly the hardest hitter in the NFL.

Each squad’s secondary is loaded with talent. Nick Collins and Charles Woodson make games difficult for any and all receivers. On Pittsburgh’s end, we can count on a fully healthy Troy Polamalu stepping up and potentially shutting down the Green Bay passing game all by himself.

Simply put, both teams have incredible defenses. To say one is better than the other would be an injustice. I hate to say it, but this matchup is too close to call.

Edge: Even

There you have it, folks. My final playoff prediction for the NFL postseason. I anticipate one of the closest games in Super Bowl history, so let’s get to the scoring prediction!

Score Prediction: Steelers 20, Packers 14