The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to be without Pro Bowl rookie center Maurkice Pouncey for the Super Bowl due to injury.  They will be starting 24-year old Doug Legursky who has played in 24 games in his first two years for the Steelers but he has only started 4 games.  This sets up 24-year old NT B.J. Raji to have another big game in the Super Bowl.  The 6’2″, 337 pound Raji will likely be a bully in the middle of the D for the Packers opening up A.J. Hawk and Desmond Bishop to make plays.  Raji has 5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 passes defensed and a interception (which he returned 18 yards for a TD).  He played in 16 games during the regular season for the Packers and he had 39 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks and 3 passes defensed.  Mark it down, B.J. Raji is going to have a big game this Sunday in the Super Bowl.

24-year old outside linebacker Clay Matthews has been a force to reckon with for opposing offenses since the day he arrived in the NFL.  He has played in 3 games so far during the playoffs and he has 13 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss and a fumble recovery.  The Steelers have big time problems with pass protection setting up Matthews for a huge game against the team his dad hates.  His dad was a long time linebacker for the Cleveland Browns, arch enemy of the Steelers.  Clay Matthews Sr. never got to the Super Bowl but I’m sure he’s not jealous of his son.  Jr. also had a great regular season for the Packers as he had 60 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss, 4 passes defensed, 1 interception (he returned it 62 yards for a TD) and he forced 2 fumbles.  He is going to be in Ben Roethlisberger’s face all day next Sunday and “Big Ben” won’t be able to break one of his tackles.

The Steelers have an outstanding run defense but they are vulnerable in the secondary, especially with multiple WR sets.  That is great news for the Packers as they have the receivers to both exploit the Steelers’ weakness and make them pay dearly for blitzing.  Greg Jennings (17 rec, 239 yards), Jordy Nelson (12 rec, 146 yards, TD), Donald Driver (12 rec, 141 yards) and James Jones (6 rec, 94 yards, 2 TD grabs) have all been very productive so far this post-season.  Look for Aaron Rodgers to get rid of the ball quickly trying to hit on short passes and let his receivers do the hard work.

Packers’ GM Ted Thompson was under a lot of heat when he traded Brett Favre to the Jets and replaced him with Aaron Rodgers.  If Rodgers can win next Sunday’s Super Bowl he will tie Favre for Super Bowl wins as a Packer.  In his last three seasons, Rodgers has clearly outplayed Brett Favre.  Rodgers has played in 47 games (all starts) in his last three years in which he has completed 1,003 of 1,552 passes (64.6%) for 12,394 yards with 86 TD passes and 31 INTs.  He has also carried the ball 178 times for 879 yards (4.9 ypc) with 13 TD runs.  Rodgers also has been very consistent as he has had 3 great years in a row for the Packers.

Brett Favre has played in 45 games (all starts) in his last three years in which he has completed 923 of 1,411 passes (65.4%) for 10,183 yards with 66 TD passes and 48 INTs.  He also carried the ball 47 times for 58 yards (1.2 ypc) with a TD run in his last 3 seasons.  Favre was outstanding in 2009 for the Vikings but he showed his age in both 2008 and 2010.  Ted Thompson made the right choice and he deserves kudos for it because it was not an easy decision.

The Packers played a solid all around game to beat the Bears yesterday in the NFC Championship Game.  Aaron Rodgers completed 17 of 30 passes for 244 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs.  His best play might have been a tackle when he stopped Brian Urlacher with only the goal line between the men.  Rodgers also carried the ball 7 times for 39 yards (5.6 ypc) with 1 TD run yesterday.  Rookie RB James Starks had another workmanlike day with 74 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.4 ypc) with a TD run.  WRs Greg Jennings (8 rec, 130 yards) and Jordy Nelson (4 rec, 67 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Packers yesterday.  The Packers finished up with 120 yards rushing on 32 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 30 passes for 236 yards as they had possession of the ball for 34:04.

The defense made huge plays in this game at critical times.  NT B.J. Raji picked off a Caleb Hanie pass in the 4th quarter and he returned it 18 yards for a TD!  Rookie CB Sam Shields finished up with 4 tackles, 1 sack, 2 passes defensed and 2 interceptions (0ne sealed the win late in the 4th quarter also off Caleb Hanie).  LB Desmond Bishop (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and safety Nick Collins (7 tackles) also had solid games for the Packers yesterday.  The Bears finished up with 83 yards rushing on 24 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 38 passes for 218 yards in this game.

The Packers have won the NFC and they will travel to Dallas in two weeks to play in the SUPER BOWL against the Pittsburgh Steelers!

This could wind up being an epic football game at Soldier Field tomorrow afternoon in blustery cold weather.  I would have it no other way.  The Packers and Bears split this season with each team winning on their home field.  That would seem to favor the Bears but the Packers are super hot right now.  The Packers have already slain the Falcons and Eagles on the road during the playoffs so they will go for the trifecta tomorrow afternoon in Chicago.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  Make no mistake, the Packers are going to come out throwing the ball tomorrow.  If the Packers’ O-Line can keep DEs Julius Peppers & Israel Idonije out of the backfield, Rodgers will torch the Bears’ secondary.  The Packers will likely run a lot of 4 WR sets with Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson and James Jones spreading out the Bears’ secondary which will give Rodgers a lot of options.  The Packers will also challenge the Bears’ front seven on the ground by giving the rock to rookie RB James Starks just enough to keep the Bears’ D honest.

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears are likely going to try to feed the ball to Matt Forte both on the ground and out of the backfield in the passing game.  ILBs Desmond Bishop, A.J. Hawk and NT B.J. Raji will be the guys most responsible for trying to stop Forte.  If they can stop Forte and force the Bears to pass the ball, the Packers are going to be in business.  WRs Devin Hester, Johnny Knox & Earl Bennett don’t scare Packers’ corners Tramon Williams, Charles Woodson and Sam Shields one bit.  The Bears have been throwing more to the TEs as of late so safeties Charlie Peprah and Nick Collins are going to get challenged.  If Clay Matthews can get in Jay Cutler’s face, he will make some big mistakes tomorrow.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 20, BEARS 14

The Packers have been an offensive machine so far in the playoffs and 27-year old QB Aaron Rodgers has a huge hand in that.  Rodgers has completed 49 of 63 passes (77.8%) for 546 yards with 6 TD passes and 0 INTs (134.5 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 17  yards (3.4 ypc)  so far this post season.  The Packers hope that Rodgers will continue to roll tomorrow afternoon at Soldier Field.  It won’t be easy though as the Packers only scored 27 points in two games against the Bears with each team winning one game.  Rodgers completed 53 of 73 passes (72.6%) for 545 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs against the Bears during the regular season.  He also carried the ball 9 times for 41 yards (4.6 ypc) with a TD run against the Bears.  The Packers need Aaron Rodgers to rise up and thump the Bears tomorrow to get them to the Super Bowl in Dallas.

The Packers have an outstanding trio of corners and they are all bringing their A-Games during the post season.  It all starts with 34-year old, future Hall of Famer, Charles Woodson.  Woodson has 12 tackles and a sack in two playoff games.  He was the spy who dealt with Michael Vick against the Eagles and the Falcons just didn’t want to challenge him at all.  Woodson is still on top of his game and he might just get a pick against Jay Cutler tomorrow.  27-year old CB Tramon Williams is taking his game to a brand new level of greatness in the playoffs.  He has 5 tackles, 3 interceptions (79 return yards) and he has scored on a pick six.  Williams intercepted Michael Vick’s last pass to seal the deal against the Eagles.  23-year old, undrafted rookie CB Sam Shields (Miami, Florida) has been the nickel back for the Packers this year and he has been outstanding too.  He has 7 tackles and 1 pass defensed in his first two playoff games.  He has outstanding speed and he plays like he thinks the ball is his any time it’s in the air.  This trio of CBs is likely to give Bears’ QB Jay Cutler fits tomorrow as he completed 37 of 66 passes (56.1%) for 389 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 INTs against the Packers this year.

24-year old ro0kie RB James Starks got off to a very late start to his rookie year due to injury.  He played in only 3 games during the regular season for the Packers in which he carried the ball 29 times for 101 yards (3.5 ypc).  Starks also caught 2 passes for 15 yards (7.5 avg) during the regular season.  But in the playoffs Starks has been a workhorse for the Packers.  In the Packers’ first two playoff games, Starks has carried the ball 48 times for 189 yards (3.9 ypc) and he also has caught 2 passes for 9 yards (4.5 avg).  The 6th round pick out of Buffalo appears to have fresh legs right now and he’s giving the Packers more balance on offense, making them even more difficult to deal with.  The Packers hope that Starks has a good game tomorrow, because if he does, the Packers will be in the Super Bowl.

27-year old Aaron Rodgers has been outstanding since pretty much pushing Brett Favre out the door in Green Bay.  Rodgers played in 15 games this year and he completed 312 of 475 passes  (65.7%) for 3,922 yards with 28 TD passes and 11 INTs (101.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 64 times for 356 yards (5.6 ypc) with 4 TD runs this year.  He has now played in 54 games in his career with the Packers and he has completed 1,038 of 1,611 passes (64.4%) for 12,723 yards with 87 TD passes and only 32 INTs (98.4 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 189 times for 926 yards (4.9 ypc) with 13 TD runs so far in his career.  Rodgers keeps getting better which should scare the bejesus out of the rest of the NFC North and the NFL in general.

25-year old Matt Flynn stepped in for Rodgers when he missed a game due to a concussion and he played solid.  Flynn played in 6 games for the Packers this year and he completed 40 of 66 passes (60.6%) for 433 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 INTs (82.4 QB Rating).  Flynn also carried the ball 9 times for 26 yards (2.9 ypc) this year.  He has now played in 28 games in his NFL career and he has completed 49 of 83 (59%) passes for 497 yards with 3 TD passes and 3  INTs (73.2 QB Rating).  Flynn has also carried the ball 18 times for 25 yards (1.4 ypc) so far in his career.

VERDICT:  The Packers are probably very comfortable with going with Aaron Rodgers & Matt Flynn at QB for the future.