Steelers
Super Bowl XLV is a match-up of two of the most historic franchises in the NFL.
Both the Steelers and Packers have huge fan bases and a tradition of winning dating back almost 40 years.
But come Sunday, the Steelers will be crowned Super Bowl champs yet again.
This game will ultimately come down to one thing – Green Bay’s inability to run the ball.
The Pittsburgh defense is too good to be shredded by the Packers’ passing game and with a ball-hawking safety like Troy Polamalu the Steelers can create turnovers.
If Green Bay finds a way to make its running game a threat, they have a chance because Aaron Rodgers is, hands down, one of the best quarterbacks in the game. But he can’t do it by himself.
The Steelers have been here three times in the last six years; they have the experience, the toughness, and they know what it takes to win the biggest game of them all.
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is a great quarterback. He finds a way to make plays when his team needs it most.
On Sunday, Roethlisberger will make more plays than Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers will win their record seventh Super Bowl in franchise history.
-Alex Ross
Packers
Over the past few years, the NFL has shape shifted from a running league into a pass-happy league that makes every other team look like “Air Coryell.”
Of course you need a great quarterback-wide receiver tandem to do this properly. The Green Bay Packers have all the right ingredients to pass their way to the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl victory.
While the Steelers have a good QB of their own in Ben Roethlisberger, it isn’t their offense that will let them down.
The vaunted Steeler defense has only faced two elite QBs this year, Tom Brady and Drew Brees. Both times, the Steelers’ defense served up losses. Add in all the other games, and the Steelers have a pass defense that is ranked a mediocre 15 in the NFL.
Aaron Rodgers is far from mediocre. Whether it’s 122.5 QB rating against the Eagles or one of the greatest QB playoff performances ever against the Falcons, Rodgers has been sautéing the most vaunted NFC teams in the playoffs.
Throw in the fact that the Packers have out-rushed every team they have played in the playoffs, and their offense seems a whole heck of a lot more balanced then they were in the regular season.
If the Steelers aren’t able to run the ball down their throats, the cheese-head offense will be roasting the Steelers defense over an open fire.
-Zach Berg
