by: Connor K. and Luca R.
Quarterbacks-
Steelers- Ben Roethlisberger will try to lead his team to their seventh super bowl championship. The big man, at 241 pounds, can buy time by shrugging defenders off and allowing his receivers to get down field for big plays. Big Ben has been in the big game twice and won both times. He has more experience than his opponent Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs. The Steelers rank fourteenth with 225 passing yards a game.
Packers- Aaron Rodgers took over for the Green Bay Packers three years ago to replace the praised Brett Favre. He led his team to a wild card berth with a 10-6 record. In the divisional game against the number one seeded Atlanta Falcons he threw for 366yards and 3 touchdowns. He completed 31 of 36 passes for an 86% completion percentage. In the following game against the Chicago bears he looked like he may have had a mild concussion. He threw 2 interceptions to the Chicago defense. One he threw directly to Brian Urlacher who he chased down saving a touchdown. The Packers are fifth in passing with 258 yards a game.
Receivers-
Steelers- Mike Wallace leads the average Steelers receiving core. It consists of Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, Heath Miller, and Emmanuel Sanders. Only Mike Wallace has over 800 yards and 5 touchdowns (1257 yards and 10 touchdowns). One reason Roethlisberger has as many yards as he does is because he buys time for his receivers to get open. If he couldn’t buy as much time as he does he would have much less yards.
Packers- Pro Bowl receiver Greg Jennings leads the Packers high powered receiving core. The Packers have 4 wide receivers with over 500 yards and 4 touchdowns. All the Packers have the ability to create separation for Aaron Rodgers. They have two great tight ends that were both injured and are currently out. If the Packers had both of them back they would dominate.
Running Backs-
Steelers- Rashard Mendenhall compiled 1,273 yards over the course of the season. He ran for 3.9 yards a carry and 13 touchdowns. In the AFC championship game against the Jets third ranked defense he rushed for 121 yards on 27 carries. He also scored a touchdown and caught two passes for 32 yards. Against the Baltimore Ravens he only had 46 yards on 20 carries.
Packers- Leading the Packers 24th ranked rushing attack is James Stark the first year running back out of Buffalo. He played well against the Eagles running for 123 yards on 23 carries averaging 5.3 yards. He did not play as well in the next two games running for 140 yards on 47 carries. If James Starks runs fairly well then he will open up passing lanes for Aaron Rodgers.
Edge- Steelers
Special Teams-
Steelers-
Kicking- Shaun Suisham went 16/18 in his 9 games with the Steelers. However he is known for his unreliability.
Punting- Daniel Sepulveda averages a better than usual 45.5 yards per punt.
Returning- The Steelers kick returners are average and won’t have an effect on the game.
Packers-
Kicking- Mason Crosby is 78% kicking but more reliable than his counterpart Shaun Suisham.
Punting- Jeremy Kapinos is a sub par punter averaging 41.9 yards a punt.
Returning- The Packers also have an average return team.
Defensive Backs-
Steelers-
Troy Polamalu is the best Defensive back on the
Steelers. This season he pulled in 7 interceptions which is good enough for 2nd in the NFL. The Steelers Ike Taylor and Ryan Clark also brought in 2 picks during the season. The Steelers defense let up 214 passing yards per game which is good enough for 12th in the NFL.
Packers-
Charles Woodson, Nick Collins, and Sam Shields are all great defensive backs for the Green Bay Packers. Charles Woodson the reigning defensive player of the year has had a good season recording 2 interceptions and forcing 5 fumbles. Nick Collins has had an outstanding season at safety and has had 4 interceptions. Sam Shields rounds out the packers secondary.
Linebackers-
Steelers-
The Steelers have the best line backing crew in the NFL this year. James Farrior, James Harrison, and Lawrence Timmons, are all top notch linebackers. They are all great run stoppers and can also drop back into coverage and defend the pass. The Steelers linebackers will definitely make it hard for Aaron Rodgers.
Packers-
The Packers linebackers are pretty good overall. Losing Nick Barnett earlier in the season really hurt the Packers defense. Clay Matthews has had a great season despite playing through injury. Clay Matthews finish 2nd in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. A.J Hawk is a solid line backer and will the Steelers some trouble. Overall They are very solid.
Prediction- Packers 28-24
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