Students at Salt Lake Community College are anxiously counting the days until the 45th annual Super Bowl; some are even excited about the game. The festivities, parties, pre-game acts, halftime shows and the commercials all seem to overshadow the actual game in the modern day. With all the extras going on in Dallas, home of Super Bowl XLV, it is easy to overlook the football game that will take place on Feb 6.
Super Bowl XLV is highlighted by two traditional NFL superpowers.
The American Football Conference’s Pittsburgh Steelers are making their 3rd trip to the title game in the last 6 years. Perhaps it is time to start the “dynasty” debate. This is Pittsburgh’s 8th appearance in the Super Bowl, meaning the Steelers will have appeared in 18 percent of all Super Bowls ever played. Even more impressive is the fact that the Steelers have won six times in their first seven championship bids.
Representing the National Football Conference, the Green Bay Packers are no strangers to the Super Bowl either. The Packers are the original Super Bowl Champions with wins in both Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II. The Packers have appeared in four Super Bowls overall and have victories in 3 of those 4 games. This is Green Bay’s 1st trip to the title game in the 21st century. Last time Green Bay was in the Super Bowl was in a losing effort against the Denver Broncos in 1998.
Super Bowl XLV is expected to feature a high power Green Bay offensive attack against a stifling Pittsburgh defense.
The Pittsburgh defensive unit has been stingy with opponents all season -they rank 1st in the league in points against at 14.5 per game. The rush defense has been particularly impressive giving up only 62.8 yards per game, also a league best. The overall yards given up by the Steelers rank second in the league at 276.8 per game.
The Green Bay offense has racked up big numbers in the passing game all season. The Packers are the 5th ranked passing offense averaging 257.8 yards per game. The running game has come on strong in the second half of the season. If Green Bay wants to have success through the air in the Super Bowl, they will have to open it up by showing they can effectively run the ball.
Super Bowl XLV will surely be entertaining – even if you don’t care about the game.