Green Bay Packers: 5 Reasons Their Super Bowl 2011 Run Was One of the Best
Super Bowl XLV finished much more exciting than it began, as the Green Bay Packers fended off a Pittsburgh Steelers rally to win the game by a final score of 31-25.
Though it started off as a rout with the Packers taking an early 18-point lead, it became a battle for field position as the two defenses duked it out.
There's no denying the Packers had one of the best runs to the Super Bowl of the decade. That's coming from a Patriots fan, too.
But what made the Packers' run to the Super Bowl so great?
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Injuries
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From Week 1, the odds were against the Packers. After losing Ryan Grant, the team's No. 1 running back the last few years, the Packers were delivered a big blow to their roster early.
But the offense became Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood, and the Packers quarterback had a great season. This even after losing one of his favorite targets in tight end Jermichael Finley, who had 55 receptions last year.
The laundry list of injuries would be nauseating. By the time Super Bowl XLV kicked off, the Packers had already placed 15 players on injured reserve. But that wouldn't be all...
More Injuries
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In the first half of Super Bowl XLV, the team's No. 1 receiver and cornerback both went down to injury. Neither Donald Driver nor Charles Woodson returned to the field.
It gave Mike McCarthy an opportunity to do what he had done all season long and on the biggest stage of the year. The Packers kept with their game plan and just plugged new guys in.
Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings responded by hooking up four times for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Jordy Nelson stepped up big, too, hauling in nine passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.
Opponent
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Okay, so their opponent may not have been tougher than the one the New York Giants faced in Super Bowl XLII, but the Pittsburgh Steelers featured the best defense in the league.
Their offense was no small order, either. With Ben Roethlisberger at the helm, Mike Wallace racing down the sideline and Rashard Mendenhall ready to pound the rock, the Steelers are a threat every time they get the ball.
Did I mention the Steelers had the best defense in the league? They sacked opposing quarterbacks the most times, held opposing running attacks to the fewest yards and, most importantly, held opposing teams to the fewest points.
But the Packers had their way, hanging 31 on the Steelers and becoming only the second team to score more than 30 in a game this season.
Fought Off The Comeback
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With the Steelers finding their bearings after coming back from down 18 to just four, Fox Sports' statisticians seemed to slay the Packers with one of their patented "stat jinxes." This time, they felt it necessary to note that the largest deficit a team had ever overcome to win a Super Bowl was 10.
A back-and-forth game finally came down to that key pivotal moment, which came on the first snap of the fourth quarter on a fumble by Rashard Mendenhall with the Steelers driving to take the lead.
The Steelers had opportunities down the stretch, but couldn't take advantage.
Six Straight
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Many teams talk about the playoffs from the perspective that every team starts off 0-0.
From that perspective, the Packers started off 0-negative-2 after having to win their final two regular-season games to even make the playoffs. They walloped the Giants and snuck past the NFC's second seed in the Bears to make the playoffs.
Then, it was Michael Vick and the Eagles' red-hot offense, Matt Ryan and No. 1-seeded Hot-Lanta and finally their NFC North rival Chicago Bears one final time.
Of course, tonight was the cherry on top of the whipped cream on top of the icing on top of the cake.
Six of the league's best teams fell to the Packers on their way to the Super Bowl XLV title and the Lombardi Trophy.
Don't Forget The Other Ones
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The New England Patriots holding the high-powered St. Louis Rams offense to just 17 points in Super Bowl XXXVI is on par with hanging 31 points on the No. 1 defense in the league.
Also, it's hard to argue that the Packers' run to the Lombardi Trophy was as improbable as the Patriots in 2001 or the Giants in 2007, among others. Many analysts picked Green Bay as their Super Bowl team in the preseason.
But these factors and more certainly make the Packers' Super Bowl win a lot sweeter.
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