Following the conference championship games of last weekend, two dominant teams stand alone among the ranks of the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who have won the most Super Bowls of any franchise with six, look to secure a seventh against another storied team, the Green Bay Packers.
The Steelers, champions of the AFC, will hope to ride their relentless defense led by safety Troy Polamalu, linebackers Lamarr Woodley, James Farrior, and James Harrison as well as durable and rotund quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to the victory.
The defense has been a mainstay for Pittsburgh throughout the team's existence and definitely throughout the 2010-2011 playoffs. The offense is where the Steelers may be a bit vulnerable as they have sputtered a time or two in the past few weeks on that side of the ball. One bright spot has been the play of running back Rashard Mendenhall, who has channeled his inner Jerome Bettis and plowed over opposing AFC defenses in January.
An offense that seems to be having no problem is that of the NFC champion Green Bay Packers. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has established himself as one of the best in the league and a Super Bowl ring would only farther cement that. Rodgers has a lethal receiving corps to chuck it to in Pro-Bowlers Donald Driver and Greg Jennings.
The "cheesehead" fans have also been enjoying the "man off the milk carton," James Starks. Starks, an unheard of running back out of the University of Buffalo went undrafted but has been so stellar that he has been not only a part of the Green Bay attack, but integral in the offensive game plan down the stretch.
Green Bay also boasts a defense that is not too shabby as reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, cornerback Charles Woodson anchors the secondary along with upstart ballhawking safety Tramon Williams. The likely new NFL Defensive Player of the Year also wears green and yellow, in the person of linebacker Clay Matthews.
Matthews is a force and along worth solid linebackers A.J. Hawk and Dezmon Briscoe attacking an injury ravaged Steeler offensive line, it should be interesting to see how Pittsburgh fairs against the rush.
More will follow on a daily basis, but I guess it wouldn't be a preview without a prediction, so here goes...... I have it going this way.... Green Bay 24, Pittsburgh 17 with Rodgers as the MVP. Stay tuned for more Super Bowl coverage folks.
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