Editors debate who will be victorious in the XLV Super Bowl
Anthony Dominguez
Besides being a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan with Wisconsin roots and having the personal experience of Lambeau field’s mystical aura, there are a number of reasons why I wholeheartedly, yet impartially, believe the Packers will win Super Bowl XLV.
Reason number 1: Aaron Rodgers is playing out of his mind. After posting the third best quarterback rating i
n the regular season, Rodgers has elevated his game when it has mattered most: the playoffs, leading all post-season quarterbacks with a rating of 109.2 and a 71 percent completion rate.
I understand that Roethlisberger has the experience with two Super Bowl wins, yet his play during this post-season has been insignificant to say the least. Roethlisberger’s quarterback rating has been the worst out of all playoff quarterbacks who have played, with a measly 75.5.
Reason number 2: The Packers receiving core is arguably the best in the league. Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones and Jordy Nelson are dynamic in combination with Rodgers and they make up a dynamic passing attack that has shredded defenses all year long. This post-season Greg Jennings leads all receivers in both catches and yards.
Balancing the effect of both reasons 1 and 2 is Reason number 3: the post-season emergence of a Green Bay running attack headed by the fresh legs of James Starks. After making his appearance and taking limited reps in the season finally, Starks has rushed for a playoff leading 263 yards, balancing the Packers’ passing attack and thus forcing defenses to no longer solely focus on the pass.
Reason number 4: All-Pro Linebacker Clay Matthews is a monster and the cornerstone of a defense that gave up the second fewest points allowed this season. He was the leading candidate for Defensive Player of the year until his play dropped off at the end of the regular season due to injury. Regardless, Matthews was still only two votes behind Steelers safety Troy Polamalu in the voting for the award. However, since the post-season began, Matthews is averaging over one sack a game.
Reason number 5: The Green Bay secondary is the best in the league. Anchored by Pro Bowler Nick Collins and sure to be Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, the Packers’ defensive backfield posted the best overall rating, 67.2, and the second most interceptions during the 2010 season. However, this post-season cornerback Tramon Williams has elevated the secondary’s play even more.
After being widely regarded as a Pro-Bowl snub with six interceptions during the regular season, Williams has snagged a league leading three interceptions this post season, returning one for a touchdown against Atlanta. Any football guru will tell you that what matters most in the playoffs are turnovers. So far, Green Bay has a turnover ratio of plus three, while the Steelers have a ratio of zero.
Reason number 6: Flow. Yes Troy Polamalu has the Head and Shoulders endorsement, however the combined flow of star linebackers Clay Matthews and A.J. Hawk easily outweighs that of Polamalu. I give the advantage to the Green Bay Packers.
Margaret Donnelly
I’m sorry, Anthony, but this Sunday the Steelers are yet again going to make history by becoming the first NFL franchise to win seven Super Bowl titles.† The Green Bay Packers may be the NFC champions, but they’re no match for the Steelers.
Before talking about why the Steelers are going to be Super Bowl champions again on Sunday, let’s talk about how they got there this season.† The Steelers’ start to the season was one of the most speculated about in the league because of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s four-game suspension.† While Roethlisberger sat on the sidelines for the first four games, paying penance for his alleged deplorable conduct at a Georgia bar in the off-season, back-up quarterbacks led the Steelers to a 3-0 start, losing the fourth game only by a field goal.
This shows the Steelers’ depth on the bench and their ability to adapt and overcome their opponents when they lose one of their key players.† Head coach Mike Tomlin encourages the development of new players and has proven to be flexible in his starting lineup from game to game.† Not only has this improved individual team members’ play-making abilities, but it has allowed the team to adjust seamlessly as players come in and out of the game.
Statistically, the Steelers have dominated their opponents this season.† During the post-season alone, the Steelers’ offense on average has 44 first down conversions per game, its defense has been able to hold its opponents to just 29, giving the Steelers almost one third more opportunities per game to score.† The Steelers have evenly distributed the number of first downs achieved by rushing and passing, but their defense has forced opponents to almost exclusively pass the ball.
The Steelers’ offense has the ability to make both rushing and passing plays to get the ball down the field.† Roethlisberger’s mobility on the field allows him extra time to see and make plays and can make last-minute decisions to run or pass, resulting in 18 Roethlisberger touchdowns this season.
Rashard Mendenhall has been imposing in the Steelers’ rushing game this season.† He leads the Steelers’ rushing statistics and has 16 touchdowns for the season.
Defensively, the Steelers’ lineup has a number of players that should put fear in the hearts of every quarterback in the league.† Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor, James Farrior, James Harrison and Brett Keisel are some of the most intimidating players in the league and on the same line they make an impenetrable force.
Just as the Steelers dominated the NFL in the 1970s, winning Super Bowls in ’74, ’75, ’78 and ’79, in recent years Pittsburgh has yet again dominated the league, winning Super Bowls in ’05 and ’08, when they made history by becoming the first team to win six Super Bowls.† It seems as though the stars aligned for the team in the past few years with the right coaching staff and great players at every position.
Furthermore, the Steelers are one of the most popular teams in the league.† The number one jersey sold this season was Troy Polamalu, and the number one team to sell jerseys was the Steelers.† In the NFL’s modern era, Pittsburgh has the most NFL Hall of Fame inductees with nine players.† And let’s not forget, they have the most Super Bowl rings of any team.
The Steelers represent a blue-collar city without the glamour and of other teams.† They prefer to shine on the field every Sunday and let their performance speak for itself. And that’s what they’re going to do this Sunday when they beat the Packers for their seventh Super Bowl title.