Will the Packers and Steelers Meet in Super Bowl Repeat?

The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers are both having excellent seasons, and as recently as three weeks ago, it looked like they could be headed for a rematch in this year's Super Bowl. But thanks to a major injury, those plans look to have been completely derailed. 

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a left ankle injury during the team's 14-3 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 14, and looked incredibly shaky during a 20-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. Now we know that Charlie Batch will replace Big Ben this week against the Rams, and the Steelers have almost no shot at earning a first-round bye in the playoffs. That has made their road to repeat as AFC champions much more difficult.

While the 13-1 Packers look to be in good shape and should be able to bounce back from their Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, I'm not so sure about Pittsburgh.

Against the 49er,s Roethlisberger looked terrible, completing 25 of 44 passes (56.8 percent) for 330 yards, with no touchdowns, three interceptions and a fumble lost. If he doesn't heal quickly, the Steelers' playoff hopes look considerably more dim.

While the 10-4 Steelers enter Week 16 with the NFL's top defense (allowing just 276.9 yards per game), that won't help them unless their running game gets on track. The Steelers boast the league's eight-best passing offense (260.5 yards per game), but rank just 17th in rushing offense (112.4 yards per game). Without their starting quarterback healthy, the Steelers will have a very tough time moving the football in the postseason.

While Roethlisberger could make a miraculous recover, I'm not convinced he can get back near 100 percent by the playoffs. If that's the case, Pittsburgh will be incredibly vulnerable and I don't see the team getting back to the Super Bowl.