The Packers’ offense shredded the Steelers’ secondary tonight and the defense made just enough big plays to help the Packers win the Super Bowl and bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay where it rightfully belongs!  Aaron Rodgers was the MVP of the Super Bowl as he was magnificent in this game!  Rodgers completed 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs against the supposedly tough Steelers’ D!  James Starks pitched in with 52 yards rushing on 11 carries (4.7 ypc) as he had some nice runs in this game.  Jordy Nelson might have dropped some passes but he still made a lot of big plays as he caught 9 passes for 140 yards (15.6 avg) with a TD grab.  Greg Jennings also had a HUGE game with 4 catches for 64 yards (16.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs in this game.  James Jones pitched in with 5 grabs for 50 yards (10.0 avg).  The Packers only had possession of the ball for 26:35 in this game but they still rushed for 50 yards on 13 carries (3.8 ypc) and they completed 24 of 39 passes for 288 yards.

The defense gave up a lot of yards but they also had some game altering plays.  Safety Nick Collins only had 4 tackles and 1 pass defensed but he also got a pick six when he returned a Roethlisberger pickoff 37 yards for a TD!  Back up cornerback Jarrett Bush also had a big game with 5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  Safety Charlie Peprah (10 tackles), LB Desmond Bishop (8 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss and 1 fumble recovery) and LB Frank Zombo (5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) also had solid games for the Packers in this game.  The Steelers finished up with 126 yards rushing on 23 carries (5.5 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 40 passes for 261 yards.  The Packers are now the WORLD CHAMPIONS for the 13th time in franshise history.  This was their 4th Super Bowl win.

This could be an epic battle this Sunday.  The Steelers are 2-0 at home during the post season while the Packers were 3-0 on the road.  That lends to the field possibly favoring the Packers along with the fact that the people that live in the MetroPlex (Dallas, Irving, Ft. Worth and Arlington) hate the Steelers.  The Steelers do have more Super Bowl experience on the roster which should even things out a little bit.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Packers have the ball:  The big key for the Packers in this game is going to be the play of the OTs.  If Chad Clifton and Bryan Bulaga can handle LaMarr Woodley & James Harrison and keep them out of the backfield, Aaron Rodgers and his WRs are going to have big games.  The last time Rodgers played against the Steelers he completed 26 of 48 passes for 383 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 22 yards (7.3 ypc) with a TD run in the last meeting.  If the Packers split out Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones and Jordy Nelson…..the Steelers don’t have the corners to deal with them.  I look for John Kuhn to play a lot more in this game than he has in the first three games in the playoffs because he knows the Steelers’ D from playing with them for a couple years.  His blocking will be important in this game.  Rookie James Starks might also have a big game if he is the lone RB with the Packers spreading out the field.

When the Steelers have the ball:  Ben Roethlisberger had a monster game last year against the Packers.  He completed 29 of 46 passes for 503 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  I don’t think he’ll be so lucky this time around because of the awful offensive line in front of him.  The Packers will try to stop Rashard Mendenhall early in this game and force the Steelers to pass against them.  CBs Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams and Sam Shields will be up to the challenge this Sunday as long as the Packers are getting good pressure on Roehlisberger.  Clay Matthews is going to be living in the Steelers’ backfield this Sunday and there is nothing they will be able to do to slow him down.  I also think that NT B.J. Raji is going to have a huge game pushing backup center Doug Legursky around all day long!

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 31, STEELERS 20

47-year old head coach Mike McCarthy really has the Packers rolling right now.  He has a 48-32 (60%) record during his first five years during the regular season.  He is also 4-2 (66.7%) during the post-season.  McCarthy has gotten the Packers to Super Bowl by winning three road games which is an amazing feat in it’s own.  Whacking the Falcons, Eagles and Bears on the road is impressive but the biggest task will be beating the Steelers in Dallas this weekend.  His legacy as the next great Green Bay head coach hinges on him winning in the Super Bowl.  The Packers have the most NFL Championships in NFL history with 12.

Everyone talks about Brett Favre being the greatest QB in Packers’ history, but count me as one who doesn’t think so.  Bart Starr was the man for the Packers.  He played 16 years for the Packers in which he played in 196 games (158 starts) and completed 1,808 of 3,149 passes (57.4%) for 24,718 yards with 152 TD passes and 138 INTs (80.5 QB Rating).  Starr also carried the ball 247 times for 1,308 yards (5.3 ypc) with 15 TD runs.  When Starr played the NFL was more of a running league which made his numbers stand out more.  His coaching stint with the Packers didn’t go too well as he was 52-76-3 (40.6%) during the regular season and 1-1 in the post season (1975-83).  It will be very interesting to see if Aaron Rodgers can put his name on the Packers’ Mt. Rushmore of QBs that already has Brett Favre & Bart Starr on it.  Rodgers can get a good start on climbing that ladder with a win this weekend over the Steelers in the Super Bowl.

Vince Lombardi became the head coach of the Green Bay Packers for nine seasons (1958-67) in which he won 5 NFL Championships which is downright amazing!  He led the Packers to three NFL Championships (before the Super Bowl was played) and he led the Packers to wins in the first two Super Bowls.  The Packers were 89-29-4 (75.4%) during the regular seasons in Lombardi’s nine years in charge and they were an amazing 9-1 (90%) during the post season.  Lombardi’s motivational speeches were legendary and my favorite was quote was, “Winning Isn’t Everything, It’s the Only Thing!”  I have used that many times coaching young kids trying to get them riled up.

It seems as though the Packers were under some kind of curse after Lombardi left until Mike Holmgren took over.  Phil Bengston (20-21, .488), Dan Devine (25-27-4, .481), Bart Starr (52-76-3, .406), Forrest Gregg (25-37-1, .403) and Lindy Infante (24-40, .375) all had issues coaching the Packers.  So for the 24 years between Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren, the Packers went 146-201-8 (42.1%) during the regular season and 1-2 in the post season.  With that in mind the Packers should bask in the glow of being one of the best organizations in football right now because their are no guarantees of long term success in the NFL.  They do have a nice trio though with Mike McCarthy, Ted Thompson and Aaron Rodgers.

Anyone who watched the Steelers play the Jets in the AFC Championship saw that the Steelers gameplan was to run the ball with Rashard Mendenhall.  He is a very physical inside runner so inside linebackers A.J. Hawk & Desmond Bishop are going to be challenged a lot in the Super Bowl.  27-year old A.J. Hawk played in all 16 games for the Packers this year and he had 111 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1/2 sack, 10 passes defensed, 3 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery.  He has 11 tackles in his first 3 playoff games but he hasn’t made any really big plays.  The Packers need him to step up in the Super Bowl.  After Nick Barnett was injured early this year, 26-year old Desmond Bishop moved into the starting lineup and he played well.  Bishop played in 15 games during the regular season for the Packers and he had 103 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3 sacks, 8 passes defensed, 1 interception (he returned it 32 yards for a TD) and 2 forced fumbles.  Bishop has 15 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery during the Packers first three post season games.  Hawk & Bishop are big keys to stopping Rashard Mendenhall and forcing the Steelers to pass.