Super Bowl XLV: Analysis

February 7, 2011

After the game ended last night several thoughts were running through my mind. One was a feeling of…emptiness, perhaps. The Super Bowl is over and there won’t be any more football until August, assuming the new CBA is drawn up in time. Sure, baseball is right around the corner, but football is the more exciting of the two, and it’s much easier to write about.

The other feeling was excitement. I had just watched the most exciting Super Bowl played during my lifetime. Of course, right now, as I write this post, that feeling has slipped away and I can think of a couple Super Bowls that I would rank higher on the excitement scale. But hey, last night’s game was very exciting, everything you expect of a sport’s championship game.

But how exciting was it really? When you compare it other recent Super Bowls like the Steelers/Cardinals game or the Patriots/Rams one early last decade, this one doesn’t seem all that exciting, despite the outcome not being determined until there was less than a minute to play.

Trying to figure out the answer to that question, I looked at the stats from last night. The Packers had a +3 turnover differential. They never turned the ball over and they scored touchdowns after every Pittsburgh turnover. That didn’t help me answer my question, though. On one hand, the fact that the Steelers played such a sloppy game in terms of ball security would imply a very unexciting game. Yet the Steelers only lost by six points and had the ball with a chance to win the game as it drew to a close.

If I were to call this game the most exciting Super Bowl of my lifetime, I would have to say that last year’s game sits right there with XLV. Last year the Colts lost by 14 points to the Saints. But Indianapolis was in a very similar position as Pittsburgh was last night, down by seven late in the game with a chance to tie it and force overtime. I don’t think last year’s game ranks that high on the excitement scale, so I have to say the same for last night’s game.

But that is not to say Super Bowl XLV was not exciting, because it was. The Packers looked like they were going to run away with the game for a while and they had a 21-3 lead late in the first half. Only a late touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Hines Ward gave Steelers fans any sense of hope heading in the second half.

This game turned into one of momentum. Green Bay had the momentum early and built up a big lead, one that barely stayed intact. But going into the second half, momentum was on the Steelers side and they took advantage of it while they had it. But when Pittsburgh drew close, Green Bay responded and their offense finally came back to life.

I was a little worried about how Aaron Rodgers would perform after the Bears game two weeks ago. He played well in that game, but was forced out of his rhythm as the game moved into its latter stages and he was never able to get it back. When the Steelers started making him feel uncomfortable last night, I thought, “Here we go again.” But he stepped up, returned to form, and delivered when it was most critical that he do so. In terms of stats, I think Greg Jennings deserved to be named MVP. But because he responded at the times he had to, I agree with the decision to give Rodgers the MVP award.

I’ll conclude this post here since there isn’t much else I can analyze about the game. The Packers played well throughout. Their only poor play came on a few stalled drives in the third quarter, and when that defines your poor play, you are in an excellent position. Pittsburgh played poorly, turning the ball over about three times more than you can if you are expecting to win a game. They made a run and had about a quarter and a half of really solid play. It wasn’t enough to net them a win, however, and Green Bay won their 4th Lombardi Trophy and Aaron Rodgers became the third Packer to win Super Bowl MVP.

Final Score:
Pittsburgh Steelers – 25
Green Bay Packers – 31