The storyline
Two of the NFL's most storied franchises will meet in Dallas on Feb. 6. The Packers are owners of an NFL-record 12 championships (three Super Bowl titles), while the Steelers have won an NFL-record six Super Bowls.
The Steelers will win if ...
Pittsburgh will be wise to keep red-hot quarterback Aaron Rodgers off the field. Rodgers did throw two interceptions in the NFC Championship, and the Steelers will attempt to replicate what worked for the Bears' defense to create turnover opportunities in the Super Bowl.
The Packers will win if ...
The Packers can't afford to allow Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger to break free from the pocket, extend the action and make plays on the run. ... Against an aggressive defense such as the Steelers', establishing an honest commitment to the run game and preventing turnovers will also be pivotal.
The Steelers have won their last three games against the Packers. ... While the Steelers have 25 players on their current roster with previous Super Bowl playing experience, the Packers have only two players with previous Super Bowl experience (Ryan Pickett with the Rams in 2001, Charles Woodson with the Raiders in 2002). ... The nine combined Super Bowl titles between the Steelers and Packers mark the most ever for two teams heading into a Super Bowl matchup.
Steelers Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey missed practice Wednesday with a left ankle injury, and his status is uncertain for the Super Bowl.
Steelers players told ESPN's Rachel Nichols that Pouncey is wearing a walking boot and defensive end Chris Kemoeatu told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the Steelers will have to do without Pouncey against Green Bay.
Get all the news and commentary on the Steelers-Packers matchup at ESPN.com's"We are definitely sad that he won't be able to be with us in the Super Bowl," Kemoeatu told the paper following today's practice on the South Side. "Definitely I feel bad for him. We just have to win it for him."
However, there was no official word from the team since coach Mike Tomlin did not talk to the media Wednesday. The Steelers have said that Pouncey will continue to be assessed through the week and his playing status for the Super Bowl remains uncertain until they see how he progresses.
Pouncey was injured in the first quarter of Sunday's win when Jets linebacker Bryan Thomas got pushed back into him. Thomas rolled over the back of Pouncey's leg on a 7-yard pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to Hines Ward to the New York 1.
Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XLIV Odds
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be looking to repeat as 2009 AFC North champs, as well as repeating as the 2010 Super Bowl Champion. Bodog Sportsbook has posted Super Bowl Betting odds with the Steelers listed as 9/1. Online sportsbooks have the over/under on the regular season wins set at 10.5 and betting odds of +225 to win the AFC Championship and -220 to win the AFC North.
Las Vegas Casinos have opened the Steelers as favorites in every NFL game this season except week 12 when they will play at Baltimore with the Ravens opening as a one point favorite. Pittsburgh will open up the 2009 NFL regular season in a primetime Thursday night matchup at home against the Tennessee Titans. Steelers opened as a 5 point early favorite with the total opening at 36. The first road game for the black and gold comes in week two when Pittsburgh will be favored over the Bears in Chicago.
The Steelers were 12-4 SU last year and 9-7 against the spread. That includes a 4-4 ATS home record and 5-3 ATS away. They were 5-6 ATS as a favorite and 4-1 ATS in the role of an underdog.
The mark it down on your calendar game comes on November 29th in Baltimore when these two rivals will hook up in the first of two meetings in 2009.
NFL fans will be able to experience all aspects of Super Bowl XLV at SUPERBOWL.COM with dynamic video programming, new community features, in-depth event coverage from reporters and expert analysts, plus an interactive trivia challenge.
For the first time, the NFL is making available to fans two Super Bowl-themed mobile apps to complement SUPERBOWL.COM. THE SUPER BOWL XLV OFFICIAL GUIDE PRESENTED BY VAN HEUSEN is the perfect mobile companion for any fan looking to navigate North Texas and Super Bowl XLV. The first feature is an interactive event guide that provides detailed information about North Texas. The guide lists NFL events that are open to the public throughout the region and contains a 3D map rendering of areas of North Texas integrated with Yelp, Citysearch, Urbanspoon and Google to put the region in fans’ hands. The map includes a social location service integration to see who is checking in and where. The second feature is a precise 3D rendering of Cowboys Stadium with a complete map of the interior, including restrooms and concessions clearly marked. The game day guide also lists Super Bowl Sunday parking detail, including the ability to locate a parking lot and the stadium entrance convenient to a specific seat at the game. “The Super Bowl XLV Official Guide Presented by Van Heusen” is available for free from the iTunes App Store (on iOS devices) and at www.itunes.com/appstore and on the Android Marketplace.
THE SUPER BOWL XLV GAME PROGRAM PRESENTED BY VAN HEUSEN is a first ever digital version of the iconic souvenir program optimized for a tablet. With additional interactive content, the Program chronicles the Green Bay Packers’ and Pittsburgh Steelers’ road to Super Bowl XLV, captures memories of past Super Bowls and recaps key moments from the 2010 season. “The Super Bowl XLV Game Program Presented by Van Heusen” is available for free from the iTunes App Store and at www.itunes.com/appstore.
SUPERBOWL.COM contains detailed information on events during the week, a visitor’s guide and how to buy Super Bowl XLV tickets. Fans may visit SUPERBOWL.COM to find out locations around North Texas of all official NFL Shops at Super Bowl XLV as well as information about The NFL Experience, pro football’s interactive theme park. Fans may follow @nfl and @superbowl on Twitter for the most up-to-date information on player and celebrity appearances at The NFL Experience.
Fans may watch live online streaming of the week’s biggest events including Super Bowl XLV Media Day, the Commissioner’s news conference, the announcement of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011 and much more.
Users may choose what they want to watch from the NFL.com cameras on Media Day (Tuesday, February 1 at 11:00 AM ET/10:00 AM CT) at Cowboys Stadium, the home of Super Bowl XLV. There will be one camera covering each of the 12 featured members of the competing teams, as well as one camera with NFL Network and NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson reporting from Media Day.
NFL.com also will feature a powerful lineup of reporters and analysts, including senior columnist Vic Carucci, senior writers Steve Wyche and Jason La Canfora, analysts Bucky Brooks and Gil Brandt and former NFL personnel executive Pat Kirwan. Information and insight from NFL Network reporter Albert Breer, and analysts Michael Lombardi, Solomon Wilcots, Sterling Sharpe, Jamie Dukes and others round out the comprehensive coverage. In addition, NFL Blog Blitz, powered by SportsFanLive.com, will continue their coverage of the NFL teams from the fan’s perspective.
On game day, fans around the globe can listen to international radio broadcasts of Super Bowl XLV. NFL.com will stream broadcasts from 11 countries including Spain, Germany, China, Russia and Japan.
For the eleventh consecutive year, fans will be able to vote for the Chevrolet Super Bowl XLV MVP . In addition, fans also will be able to visit NFL.com on web-enabled mobile devices to vote for the MVP. In the fourth quarter of the game, fans, along with a media panel, will select the MVP, who will be awarded the Pete Rozelle Trophy. Combined votes on NFL.com and web-enabled mobile devices will count 20 percent towards the MVP.
Fans can test their Super Bowl knowledge with the NFL Two-Minute Trivia Super Bowl game. To prepare for the challenge, check out the comprehensive history section that includes watch highlights from the first 44 Super Bowl games.
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