Super Bowl Prediction

The last time the Packers and Steelers played it was their one meeting in 2009, during the regular season at Heinz Field on December 20th.

The game featured a total of 52 big plays that were nicely sprinkled around just under 900 yards passing by Aaron Rodgers (383) and Ben Roethlisberger (503) to 7 receivers each!

But we saw this past weekend in the NFL's Conference Championship Games that while Green Bay is still about making big plays, Pittsburgh is content to grind out long, clock-eating drives. The Steelers' 14 big plays against the Jets this past weekend pale to the 29 they had against Green Bay's 23 a year ago. But the Packers' 36 big plays against the Bears last weekend shows a team that is ramping up their firepower both offensively and defensively.

So that's what this Super Bowl is going to be about: A Mike Tomlin strategy to instead of winning a barn burner of a shootout against Mike McCarthy like he did with his 37-36 victory last season, grinding out a victory with methodically executed extended offensive drives captained by his reliable quarterback. After all, Pittsburgh's defense, though diminished in their impact by an achilles' heel injury-hampered Troy Polamalu, will not have to worry about stopping the firepower of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense if they are not on the field.

So, while Aaron Rodgers and his arsenal of offensive weaponry are capable of amazing productivity, look to the Steelers to do what is necessary to keep them on the sidelines. In a Super Bowl that all but Pittsburgh fans will call one of the most boring in recent memory, the Packers will fall to the Steelers 23 - 10.