14 years after their 3rd Super Bowl ring under Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre, the Packers managed to claw their way back to the Super Bowl, this time led by Mike McCarthy and 4-time MVP Aaron Rodgers.
On the contrary, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a tough run in the 1990s and had a dominant run throughout the early 2000s, winning Super Bowls in 2005, 2008 and appearing in their 3rd Super Bowl in the 2010-2011 season.
The two quarterbacks starring in the game were also on very different paths throughout their careers. Ben Roethlisberger was drafted in 2004 by Pittsburgh and wasted no time getting into the thick of things his rookie season. He became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl in his second season and won a second one in year 5.
Aaron Rodgers on the other hand had been drafted just one year after Big Ben but sat behind Hall of Fame quarterback, Brett Favre for his first three seasons. In 2008, Green Bay struggled under Rodgers and McCarthy, going 6-10 and missing the postseason. In 2009, however, Rodgers began to find his footing and mix well with the offense. They went 11-5 but unfortunately lost a close Wild Card game to the Arizona Cardinals. In year 3, they continued their success, going 10-6 and knocking off the 13-3 Atlanta Falcons in the NFC championship to make the Super Bowl.
In Super Bowl 45, the Packers got off to a hot start, taking a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. In the second, however, Pittsburgh began to gain momentum with a touchdown pass to Hines Ward, bringing the Packers lead down to 21-10. Heading into the 4th quarter, Green Bay held a 21-17 lead. They added a cushion to their lead with thanks to a touchdown pass to Greg Jennings. The Steelers, however, responded with a touchdown pass to Mike Wallace as well as a clutch two-point conversion with 7 minutes remaining. With a 28-25 lead, Rodgers managed to drive Green Bay down the field and secure a field goal, extending their lead to 31-25 with just 2 minutes to go.
Green bay’s defense got a clutch stop and won the game for the Packers. Rodgers was awarded Super Bowl MVP following his 304 yard, 3 touchdown performance.
