So much for my prediction of the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history, but at least I got the right winning team in a competitive and close game.
But it didn’t look like a close game for a while.
What happened? Some observations:
1. Injuries: The Packers lost two key members of their defensive secondary late in the second quarter, Charles Woodson to a collarbone injury and Sam Shields to a leg injury. Before both players went down, the Packers were leading 21-3, thanks to two interceptions of Ben Roethlisberger, one a 37-yard pick-6 by Nick Collins.
So what else is new? 16 members of the Packers roster ended up on injured reserve this season, and the Packers kept filling in their ranks, plugging along, and winning. Granted the defense started to buckle a bit without Woodson and Shields, allowing the Steelers to come all the way back to within 28-25 with seven minutes left in the game, but when plays needed to be made, the Packers found a way. When the Packers needed to snuff out the Steelers and hang onto a hard-fought win, they survived the war of attrition when Collins broke up a 4th and 5 pass from Roethlisberger to Mike Wallace from the Green Bay 33 yard line with less than a minute to go.
On the other hand, the Steelers managed quite well without wideout Emmanuel Sanders (2nd quarter leg injury), center Maurkice Pouncey (ankle) and even right tackle Flozell Adams, out for part of the first half with a should injury.
2. Running Game: As predicted, neither team ran for a lot of yards, but I was surprised how few times Green Bay attempted to run. The Packers rushed only 13 times for 50 yards, certainly effective enough (3.8 yards per carry) to encourage more balance by the offense. The Steelers rushed for an impressive 126 yards on 23 carries (5.5 yards per carry). But the Steelers fell behind 21-3, so Roethlisberger’s arm was needed more and more in order to get back into the game.
3. Turnovers: It’s no surprise turnovers happened. It’s surprising the Steelers were the only ones coughing up the ball. Roethlisberger tossed two first-half interceptions, and Rashard Mendenhall lost a crucial fumble early in the fourth quarter after the Steelers climbed back within 21-17. The Packers scored their third touchdown on Steelers gifts to go up 28-17.
4. Quarterbacks and Receivers: I’m not surprised Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers each put up a lot of passes. I’m a little surprised how both seemed out of rhythm for two quarterbacks completing at least 60 percent of their passes. The number of dropped passes by Green Bay’s Jordy Nelson and the Steelers Mike Wallace more than raised my eyebrows.
5. Officiating: I didn’t have too many qualms with the referees, but two calls certainly were questionable. The first was late in the third quarter facemask penalty on Green Bay’s Tom Crabtree at the end of a punt return by Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown. Looking at the replay, it looked like Crabtree got a hand on Brown’s jersey below his facemask. The penalty gave the Steelers field position at the 50 yard line. Five plays and 2:20 later, Mendenhall scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to make things 21-17.
Later on in the third quarter, Rodgers threw an apparent 3rd and 8 completion to Brett Swain, but the officials ruled it incomplete. Although instant replay confirmed the ruling on the field, it appeared Swain indeed made a clean catch and was down by contact before the ball was dislodged.
6. Scoring Drives: As predicted, neither team necessarily drove the ball consistently against each other on long sustaining drives. Two of the Packers scoring drives started around midfield. Their first-quarter touchdown drive covered 80 yards in 9 plays (capped by a 29-yard Rodgers to Nelson touchdown pass), and their fourth-quarter field goal drive covered 70 yards in 10 plays (capped by Mason Crosby’s 23-yarder with 2:07 left). Pittsburgh also started scoring drives near midfield, and also had two long drives, resulting in their first touchdown (2nd quarter, 77 yards in 7 plays, 1:45) and final touchdown (66 yards, 7 plays, 4:23). The shortest scoring play by either team was eight yards, so we never got to see any goal line plays. In fact, only five of the eight scoring drives by both teams combined involved the red zone, three by the Steelers (2 TDs and 1 FG) and two by the Packers (1 TD and 1 FG). Credit this to both defenses playing as well as possible in terms of disrupting the opposing offenses. Considering a total of 56 points were scored and 725 yards of total offense were generated, that may seem rather odd, but consider there were three Steelers turnovers, four combined sacks (3 by the Packers, 1 by the Steelers), and nine combined punts (6 by the Packers, 3 by the Steelers) to reflect the number of short-circuited drives.
7. Momentum Swings: When Collins returned Roethlisberger’s first quarter interception 37 yards for a touchdown, the Packers were up 14-0, and I started wondering if the pick-6 meant game, set, and match before the first quarter even ended. In case you didn’t know, the biggest deficit a winning team ever came back from in Super Bowl history is 10 points (Washington Redskins, winners of Super Bowl XXII, 42-10 over the Denver Broncos). Yes, the Steelers have comeback capability, but 14-0 in a Super Bowl? When the Packers went up 21-3, my concerns were: (1) are the Steelers toast? And (2) could the Steelers at least make things close in the second half? When the Steelers crept back within 21-17, I wondered if the Packers would be gasping at the end in order to hold off the Steelers like they were two weeks ago in the NFC Championship Game in Chicago. When it became 28-25, I honestly wondered if we were about to witness the biggest collapse in Super Bowl history by the Packers as Roethlisberger kept leading the comeback.
If you think about it, it seems this Super Bowl was a fitting reflection of the Packers and Steelers. During the regular season, 11 of the Packers 16 games were decided by 10 points or less. 9 of the Steelers 16 games were similarly close. Both teams were used to tight contests and dog fights headed down the stretch. The Steelers played Jekyll and Hyde type games in both AFC playoff games against the Ravens and Jets. The Packers also looked like two different teams during their NFC Championship Game win over the Bears. Watching the tide turn a few times seemed fitting.
8. Coaching Decisions: I didn’t have too many issues with either head coaches Mike McCarthy or Mike Tomlin in terms of game plan or in-game strategy. The only decision that seemed rather questionable was Tomlin sending out Shaun Suisham to attempt a 52-yard field goal with 4:30 left in the third quarter and the Steelers trailing 21-17. Suisham’s kick was so wide left it made me wonder if Suisham had any reliable range, even in a domed stadium. Considering it was 4th and 15 from the Green Bay 34, I thought the Steelers should’ve punted and pin the Packers back near their goal line, especially having turned momentum in their favor.
9. Close Shaves: If you watched the post-game interviews, did you notice how quickly several players got rid of their beards in the showers, particularly Roethlisberger? Just wondering if something can more definitively show us the football season is now officially over.
10. Halftime: Why, why, why are these shows so damn long? Was I the only one who got tired of the Black-Eyed Peas after their first song?
11. Fan Withdrawal: Now we all get to worry about the future of the NFL as March 3 and the expiration of the CBA approaches.
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