The Lombardi Trophy is returning to Green Bay as the Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV. It’s the Packers fourth Super Bowl victory and 13th overall championship.
Welcome Aaron Rodgers to the class of NFL’s elite quarterbacks because his 304 yards and three touchdowns couldn’t have been on a bigger stage or against a better defense. For his historic performance, Rodgers was named Super Bowl MVP.
As expected, the battle between the league’s two most historic and storied franchises was a thriller to the end. Fitting that the Packers came out on top after persevering through some costly injuries and mental miscues, much like they did during the regular season.
By: Nick Grays
The first half was all Packers as they entered the locker room with a 21-10 lead. But it was a trio of injuries which was of main concern entering the second half.
First, it was veteran receiver Donald Driver limping off the field with an apparent ankle injury and next Sam Shields who injured his shoulder. In the very next play, the Packers took a big blow when All-Pro Charles Woodson fell hard on his collarbone.
Momentum shifted with the first drive of the second half when Packers wide-out James Jones dropped a catch which would have most likely went for a touchdown. Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense took advantage of the miscues and a banged up Packers secondary to drive down the field and cut the deficit to a mere four points on a Rashard Mendenhall rushing touchdown.
Without their heart and soul on defense in Woodson, the game became a back-and-forth affair with the Steelers getting within three points with 7:34 left in the fourth quarter.
However, the Packers didn’t let this chain of events get them down as they dealt with adversity like they’ve come accustomed to all season long. Rodgers who now has an many Super Bowl rings as the Legendary Brett Favre came up clutch in a drive lasting over five minutes to extend the Packers lead to a decisive six points late in the fourth quarter.
Facing possible immortal status, Roethlisberger was not able to play hero in this one as he failed to convert a fourth down on the Steelers final drive.
Give credit to Pat Lee and Jarrett Bush who played significant minutes for Woodson and Shields. This Packers team had arguably the greatest depth in the history of the NFL after enduring the injury plague they went through in 2010-11.
Not enough can be said about the Packers defense who was simply amazing on Sunday night. Clay Matthews was all 
over the place and put his claim in for who should have won the AP’s Defensive Player of the Year Award. The actual winner Troy Polamalu was a non-factor against the Packers potent offense. Nick Collins also had a solid game with a pick-six in the first half.
Despite some agitating drops, Jordy Nelson was also a pleasant surprise with nine receptions for 140 yards and one touchdown. Pro Bowl receiver Greg Jennings was the recipient of Rodgers’ other two touchdown tosses.
And the best for last, let’s give a round of applause for Head Coach Mike McCarthy and General Manager Ted Thompson for putting together one of the most memorable seasons in franchise history. Considering the talent and play-makers on this team, we may be witnessing the birth of a new dynasty in the NFL!
Are the Green Bay Packers on their way to being a new NFL dynasty or was this year simply a fluke? Is Aaron Rodgers considered an elite quarterback? Let me know your initial thoughts on the Packers fourth Super Bowl victory by commenting below!
Nick Grays is a senior editor at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Brewers. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best.