With the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers facing off in Super Bowl XLV tomorrow at 6:29 ET on FOX, I thought now would be the time for all Pats Pulpit members to make their official Super Bowl predictions.
Personally, I like Green Bay in this one. Maybe it's my personal bias against Pittsburgh, but I just see the Packers as the better overall team. I like their defense. Tramon Williams and Charles Woodson are about as good of a one-two punch as you're going to get at cornerback in this league. Nick Collins is very solid at free safety, and has a knack for making plays on the ball. They've got a defensive line that's able to make plays and stuff the run with guys like Cullen Jenkins, Ryan Pickett, and BJ Raji. They've got two solid inside linebackers in AJ Hawk and the underrated Desmond Bishop. And of course, they have one of the league's best sack artists in Clay Matthews, who I'm not sure the heavy-footed Flozell Adams will be able to stop at this point in his career.
Ultimately, because of the prowess of Pittsburgh's defense, I think that the quarterback play is going to make the difference in this game. I think that's been a common theme this week, but in my opinion, I think the elite play of Aaron Rodgers is going to make the difference. Ben Roethlisberger has been pretty inconsistent in his playoff career. While he has won two Super Bowls, his play in Super Bowl XL was cringe-worthy. Yes, he's as clutch as they come. But no, I'm not ready to anoint him "Super Bowl King." I think Aaron Rodgers has a terrific game, and is able to pick apart an overrated Steelers secondary (yes, I'm looking at you Bryant McFadden and Ryan Clark). Again, maybe I'm biased. Okay, I am biased. But I do believe that Green Bay will find a way to win this game.
Greg's Prediction: Packers 24 Steelers 20
Now Pats Pulpit, lets hear your Super Bowl predictions!