Let’s be straight up. I think we all knew how this was gonna go down once the Pats bent over for the Jets. Two weeks of blog silence compounded with the refusal to make selections or give insight to the conference championship games (I would however like the record to show that I did pick both championship game winners correctly making my playoff record 8-2; the evidence can be seen on Talbot Talk Sports). I’ll spare myself the pain of game analysis; I’ve done that enough over the last couple weeks. Just going to take the same approach I took after the Super Bowl That Never Happened/Shall Never Be Mentioned and move on. If there is one thing I would like to share, it’s this: if Brady released the flow and didn’t dress up as a human condom, we would be talking about a Super Bowl XXXI rematch right now.
To get to the point, here’s why I like the Packers: Aaron Rodgers (I think that answer was about as predictable as the end of Miracle). He’s playing on a level of his own right now, sniping receivers all over the field, squeezing the ball through tiny windows no bigger than the size of the football. Now here’s where I’m gonna get a tad bit crazy: I think this will be the game where Rodgers establishes himself as one of the all-time greats. Oh yeah, I should’ve mentioned before, I think Rodgers is going to be one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Like, by the time all is said and done for him, top 10 ever. He has all the tools you could ever want in a QB: a rocket/laser arm, precision accuracy, mobility inside and outside the pocket, and an ability to perform on the big stage. This is when he’s really going to the next step on that last attribute.
Why will this be the game when he does it? Because Rodgers matches up well against the Steelers’ defense. The Steelers play a zone-blitz scheme, which works right into his game as Rodgers is one of the best QB’s against the blitz. He is great at identifying the blitz and hitting the hot receiver, and he has the vision to find the holes and pick apart a zone. In last season’s meeting with the Steelers, Rodgers threw for 383 yards, 3 TD and no interceptions with a 101.3 rating.
The Packers also have a Super Bowl caliber defense that can match that of the Steelers. The Pouncey injury is huge for Pittsburgh, especially when you consider that BJ Raji has eaten roughly four offensive linemen this year. I mean literally ingested them. The Packers’ D has the speed to contain Roethlisberger, but the key will to not let Mendenhall run through them. They also certainly don’t have the experience the Steelers do. There’s something to be said for two Super Bowls worth of experience, but I don’t invest too much into that. These players are all professionals of highest caliber and aren’t going to poo their pants because of the stage they are on.
Here’s one reason why I’m scared: the Packers have won all three of their playoff games this year in the white uniforms and now they’ll be forced to go with the green. On the flipside, the Steelers have only worn black, but they did beat Arizona two years ago in the white uni’s. One stat on my side: the Packers are 3-0 in the playoffs this year in games televised on FOX, while the Steelers have yet to win on that network. Another slightly-more-relevant fact: in his two career playoff games played in a dome, Rodgers has led the Packers to 48 and 45 points, respectively. The Steeler’s can counter with Brett Keisel’s beard. This is all stuff you don’t mess with when it comes to the NFL playoffs, especially the Super Bowl.
Prediction: Packers 31, Steelers 27
I fully expect this to be a fantastic Super Bowl, you know, aside from the fact that we all have to listen to Joe Buck and Troy Aikman for 3+ hours. I may recommend putting the TV on mute and queuing up some Gus Johnson highlights, then using your imagination to apply them to the game.
*images courtesy of Google images
