Super Bowl XLV: Why This Will Be The Year Of The Green Bay Packers

The Super Bowl is a cultural phenomenon in the United States.  An unofficial holiday where the country shuts down and all eyes are turned in the same direction.  Even those people who don't watch football during the rest of the year take time out to enjoy the spectacle that is the Super Bowl.

This year, we're going to be treated to another fantastic game.  Not only will we have two fantastic football teams, but we've go two teams with some of the proudest history in the sport.  The Steelers are searching for their seventh Super Bowl championship, while the Packers are looking for their fourth.  The Packers also had nine NFL championships prior to the invention of the Super Bowl.

There are a lot of story lines to follow in this game.  The one that I think is going to make the biggest difference in the game, especially in deciding who wins this game, is going to be how the Packers defense does against Roethlisberger. 

Everybody is always talking about the Steelers defense, as they rightfully should.  The Steelers almost always produce one of the top defensive units in the NFL, year in and year out.  On the other hand, the Packer's defense is recognized as being good, but rarely gets the full credit it deserves.  Just look at some of their rankings.  Second in the league for points allowed per game.  Fifth in the league for yards allowed per game.  Second in the league for interceptions.  Second in the league for sacks.  Fourth in the league for defensive touchdowns.  The Packers defense is among the elite in the NFL.

To win this game, the Packer defense will have to do several things. 

Tackle Big Ben!

The Steelers offensive line will give up some pressure, that is nothing new.  What makes Ben so good is his ability to elude that pressure for just long enough to get something out of the play.  If they can prevent him from getting out of the pocket, and force him to take the sack or just throw it away, that will go a long way towards keeping the Steelers offense off of the field.

Get Turnovers

Big Ben is the type of quarterback who will go for that high risk, high reward style pass.  An aggressive defense like the Packer defense will get their chances to make a huge difference in the outcome of a game.  The Steelers were quite prone to turnovers in their playoff games.  If not for their superb second half against Baltimore, there is a great chance this team isn't even in the Super Bowl because of all the turnovers.

Solid Tackling

I was watching Sports Center earlier today when they were showing how many yards after contact the Steelers got against the Jets.  It was quite a huge difference that you don't really notice just watching the game.  The Packers really have to make certain that they wrap up any Steeler that has the ball and not allow any extra yards after contact.  That's the difference between 4th and 3 and a brand new set of downs.

Make the Steelers One Dimensional

The bread and butter of the Packer defense is in the secondary.  Everybody knows that the Steelers like to run the ball, and they will do it whether or not it has been working throughout the game.  That being said, if you keep that run game in control, then you force long third downs where you know they have to pass.  If the Packers are able to get more third and six to third and tens, I'd have to think that they would take that any day of the week.  If that does happen, the advantage definitely goes to the Packers.

This Packer defense is one that is very advanced, and can confuse quarterbacks.  I think that turnovers are going to play a huge part in this game, and that the Packers will be on the winning side of that battle.  The Steelers won't give up, and the game will be close right until the end, but in the end, the Packers defense will be the difference that give Green Bay their fourth Super Bowl.