Super Bowl 2011: The 10 Biggest Obstacles Green Bay Has Overcome
All season it seemed as if Green Bay had to fight an uphill battle. Whether it be the resurgent Chicago Bears, or the mountain of injuries that hit them, at times it seemed as if the Packers would never be healthy enough to even make the playoffs.
But the Packers rebounded, winning three consecutive playoff road games (against the top three seeds in the NFC), and became the first sixth seed from the NFC ever to make the Super Bowl.
Here we review the ten biggest obstacles the Packers have overcome this season.
Injury to Atari Bigby
1 of 10
While everybody loves talking about the Packers offense, it's been the defense that has carried the team to the Super Bowl. But an injury to safety Atari Bigby weakened a secondary that could be one of the best of all-time (Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, and Nick Collins as well).
Bigby was limited to four games and six tackles all season, way less than the 49 tackles and four interceptions he had in 2009. Bigby, who went undrafted out of UCF, was seventh in tackles, tied for third in interceptions and fifth in pass deflections last season.
Brett Favre
2 of 10
Even without Brett Favre in Green Bay anymore, his "aura" still looms large.
Any big game by Rodgers is immediately compared to a bigger game that Favre had. Every ding to Rodgers is a reminder of Favre's incredible consecutive games streak. And despite Rodger's huge season, Favre has one thing that Rodgers doesn't: a ring.
And until he gets one, he'll never be able to win over the fans of Green Bay like Favre did. A win Sunday will quiet the constant comparisons.
Chicago Bears
3 of 10
Three times the Bears and Packers met, and three times the game was decided by one score.
The Bears edged out the Packers for the NFC North crown, and held a second-half lead in Green Bay in the final game of the season that could have knocked the Packers out from making the playoffs. In the playoffs, Bears third-string QB Caleb Hanie nearly lead an improbable second-half comeback to knock the Packers out of the NFC Championship game.
The physicality of the games has worn on the Packers, but provides them with a good barometer of just how physical the Steelers will be come Sunday.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Injury to Mark Tauscher
4 of 10
While the Packers' troubles with the running game has been noted, most of the blame has been placed on their pass-happy offense and the injury to starting running back Ryan Grant.
But an injury to tackle Mark Tauscher has also hurt. Tauscher has been a rock of consistency since joining the Packers in 2000, and a hometown favorite growing up and going to school in Wisconsin.
Close Games
5 of 10
The mark of a great team is usually how they play in close games, especially in a league like the NFL where the difference in a win or loss is so slim.
But the Packers are 2-6 in games decided by four points or less, 11-0 (including playoffs) in games decided by four points or more. While some of this can be attributed to bad luck (injuries to Aaron Rodgers forced him out of two of the six losses), a lot of the blame can be put on....
Mike McCarthy's Decision-Making
6 of 10
Yes, even a coach who makes the Super Bowl has his faults. For McCarthy, it's been time-management.
For years, McCarthy has caught the heat of fans and media for some of his late-game decisions, and the Packers poor record in close games is a reflection of the coaching staff. With that said, McCarthy does have to be given credit for helping right the ship at the end of the season and finding ways to overcome so much lost offense to this team.
Injury to Aaron Rodgers
7 of 10
Rodgers missed only one full game, but was knocked out of another.
The Packers record in those games? 0-2. They lost at Detroit, a game that many thought would be the beginning of the end, and then a week later at New England.
But since then, Rodgers and the Packers haven't lost. Rodgers' willingness to scramble has made him susceptible to big hits, as he's suffered two concussions this season already.
Injury to Jermichael Finley
8 of 10
It's tough to judge how important Finley is to this offense. While he put up a nice 2009 campaign (55 catches, 676 yards, 1 TD), this season was supposed to be his breakout campaign.
But he only made it through five games before suffering a right knee injury that ended his season. Finley's size (6'5", 247) created matchup problems for opposing safeties, and his speed was too much for opposing linebackers.
Injury to Nick Barnett
9 of 10
Barnett's injury can't be summed up in stats alone. While it's tough to replace his 106 tackles and four sacks from last season, Barnett's leadership absence may have hurt the team even more.
With such a young front seven, Barnett was the veteran leader of the defense. After missing only two games in his first five seasons, Barnett missed seven games in 2008, and only made it through four games this season before going on IR with a broken wrist.
Injury to Ryan Grant
10 of 10
The Packers found out last year in their first-round match-up with the Arizona Cardinals that a great passing game isn't enough to win in the playoffs.
Grant, who's had back-to-back 1200-yard seasons, is one of the top young running backs in the game. But a broken ankle in Week 1 knocked him out for the season. The back-ups have hardly picked up the slack for Grant, as Brandon Jackson struggled to fill Grant's shoes. While James Starks has been a welcome addition in recent weeks, he hasn't made up for Grant's consistency (11 touchdowns, 1 fumble last season).
Finally, Grant's first playoff game as a rookie? He went for 27 carries, 201 yards, 3 TD's in a blowout win over Seattle.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")