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Records & History - NFL.com

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GREEN BAY 31, PITTSBURGH 25Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011; Attendance: 91,060; Time: 3:32; Weather: (indoors)On the strength of a masterful passing displayby quarterback Aaron Rodgers and a seriesof timely turnovers courtesy of an opportunisticdefense, the resilient Packers laid claim to thefranchise’s fourth Super Bowl title in front of91,060 fans at majestic Cowboys Stadium inArlington, Texas. Green Bay became just thesecond No. 6 seed to win the Super Bowl sincethe league adopted a 12-team format in 1990,and capped off their string of six consecutiveelimination games by again over<strong>com</strong>ing theloss of key players to injuries, just as they had throughout the 2010 season.Offensively, the Packers opened the game in a four-wide-receiver setintent on spreading out Pittsburgh’s attacking 3-4 defense and keepingtheir vaunted front seven off balance. After the teams traded punts early on,Rodgers led the Packers on an 80-yardscoring drive on the unit’s second possession.The quarterback <strong>com</strong>pleted 5of 6 attempts for 63 yards on the series,perfectly placing a 29-yard touchdownin the hands of receiver Jordy Nelsonalong the right sideline for the game’sopening score.And it wouldn’t be long before thePackers built on their early lead.On the first play of the Steelers’ensuing possession, defensive linemanHoward Green bull-rushed his way intothe Pittsburgh pocket, batting the arm ofquarterback Ben Roethlisberger, whosedeep pass down the left sideline fell well short and into the arms of convergingPackers safety Nick Collins at the Pittsburgh 37. After securing theinterception, Collins weaved his way through would-be tacklers and wentairborne at the 3, diving into the end zone to give Green Bay a <strong>com</strong>manding14-0 lead with 3:20 remaining in the opening quarter.After surrendering a 33-yard field goal that made the score 14-3,the Packers defense was the beneficiary of a Roethlisberger mistake onPittsburgh’s next possession when cornerback Jarrett Bush jumped in frontof a crossing route intended for receiver Mike Wallace and came down withthe interception at the Green Bay 47.Despite receiving news that veteran stalwart receiver Donald Driverwould not return to the game due to an ankle injury, Rodgers and theoffense wasted little time taking advantage of the extra possession and thefield position that ac<strong>com</strong>panied it. They needed only four plays to cross thegoal line, doing so when Rodgers made another of his pinpoint throws,a 21-yard dart to wide receiver Greg Jennings over the deep middle. Thequarterback’s pass eluded safety Ryan Clark, who had closed tightly on theroute, and made the score 21-3.While the Driver injury was an unquestioned blow to the offense, thedefense also suffered a seemingly devastating loss when cornerback CharlesWoodson, a playoff captain and the team’s leader throughout the postseason,sustained a broken collarbone on the second play of Pittsburgh’s finaldrive of the first half.Pittsburgh scored its first touchdown of the game five plays after theWoodson injury when Roethlisberger found Hines Ward in the back cornerof the end zone from 8 yards out.The Packers entered the locker room ahead 21-10, but were forced toregroup in the face of the injuries. Having gone through the painful processof placing 15 players on injured reserve during the regular season, over<strong>com</strong>inginjuries was a familiar practice for these Packers.That said, the Steelers built off of themomentum they carried into halftime andcame out with a vengeance in the secondhalf. Their first drive ended with an 8-yardtouchdown run by Rashard Mendenhallthat tightened the score to 21-17.The Packers, meanwhile, sputteredoffensively in the third quarter as Rodgersfell victim to drops and other miscuesthat inhibited his usual rhythm in thepassing game.With the Steelers driving deeper intoPackers territory for the go-ahead score atthe start of the fourth quarter, linebackerClay Matthews made the kind of gamechangingplay that has defined his young career in Green Bay. On a seconddownrun to his side, he shot inside of a block by a tight end, and, in concertwith defensive end Ryan Pickett, met Mendenhall in the backfield, jarring theball loose. The fumble was recovered by linebacker Desmond Bishop, andmomentum was shifted almost entirely back in the Packers’ favor.Eight plays later, Rodgers found Jennings for an 8-yard touchdown thatagain made it a two-score game, at 28-17.Refusing to go quietly, Roethlisberger and the veteran Steelers respondedimmediately, putting together a seven-play drive of their own thatculminated with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Wallace and a successfultwo-point conversion on an option pitch to wide receiver Antwaan Randle El.Leading by a narrow 28-25 margin, Rodgers and the offense took overwith 7:29 remaining, looking to wind the clock down and put the game outof reach. On third-and-10 from their own 25, Rodgers made one of the mostcontinued on next pagePittsburgh SteelersGreen Bay PackersOffense Defense Offense DefenseWR 86 H.Ward NT 98 C.Hampton WR 85 G.Jennings LDE 79 R.PickettLT 72 J.Scott RDE 99 B.Keisel LT 76 C.Clifton NT 90 B.RajiLG 68 C.Kemoeatu LOLB 56 L.Woodley LG 73 D.Colledge RDE 95 H.GreenC 64 D.Legursky LILB 51 J.Farrior C 63 S.Wells DE 98 C.WilsonRG 73 R.Foster RILB 94 L.Timmons RG 71 J.Sitton LOLB 52 C.MatthewsRT 71 F.Adams ROLB 92 J.Harrison RT 75 B.Bulaga BLB 50 A.HawkTE 83 H.Miller LCB 20 B.McFadden RB 44 J.Starks MLB 55 D.BishopRB 34 R.Mendenhall FS 25 R.Clark WR 89 J.Jones ROLB 58 F.ZomboFB 85 D.Johnson SS 43 T.Polamalu QB 12 A.Rodgers LCB 21 C.WoodsonQB 7 B.Roethlisberger RCB 24 I.Taylor WR 80 D.Driver FS 36 N.CollinsTE 89 M.Spaeth CB 22 W.Gay WR 87 J.Nelson RCB 38 T.WilliamsReferee: Walt Anderson (66)1 2 3 4 TotalPittsburgh . . . . . . . . 0 10 7 8 - 25Green Bay . . . . . . . 14 7 0 10 - 31SUPER BOWL XLVTeam Qtr Time Play Description (Extra Point) (Drive Info) Pit GBPackers 1 3:44 J.Nelson 29 yd. pass from A.Rodgers (M.Crosby kick) (9-80, 4:33) . . . . 0 7Packers 1 3:20 N.Collins 37 yd. interception return (M.Crosby kick) . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 14Steelers 2 11:08 S.Suisham 33 yd. Field Goal (13-49, 7:12). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 14Packers 2 2:24 G.Jennings 21 yd. pass from A.Rodgers (M.Crosby kick) (4-53, 2:04) . . 3 21Steelers 2 0:39 H.Ward 8 yd. pass from B.Roethlisberger (S.Suisham kick) (7-77, 1:45) . . 10 21Steelers 3 10:19 R.Mendenhall 8 yd. run (S.Suisham kick) (5-50, 2:20) . . . . . . . . . 17 21Packers 4 11:57 G.Jennings 8 yd. pass from A.Rodgers (M.Crosby kick) (8-55, 2:53) . . 17 28Steelers 4 7:34 M.Wallace 25 yd. pass from B.Roethlisberger (A.Randle El run) (7-66, 4:23) . 25 28Packers 4 2:07 M.Crosby 23 yd. Field Goal (10-70, 5:27). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 31FIELD GOALS (made ( ) & missed)S.Suisham (33) 52WL M.Crosby (23)467COMMUNITYPACKERS SUPER BOWLSADMIN. &COACHESDRAFT &VETERANS FREE AGENTS 2012 REVIEWSUPERBOWLSLAMBEAUFIELD MISC.

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