To everyone who believes that the holiest place to be on a Sunday is a sports bar with NFL Sunday Ticket and multiple flat screens TVs, this is your holiday…
To my coworkers who preemptively called in sick the following Monday anticipating a hangover and a lack of sleep, this is your holiday…
To the genuine lovers of the game who cringe when they hear someone say, “I’m really just watching it for the commercials,” this is your holiday…
To the gambling men who spent their last five dollars on the hope that the randomly assigned numbers in their square will match the final score, this is your holiday…
To the early birds who consider sitting in a giant cold parking lot and drinking beer with men they hardly know an ideal way to start a Sunday morning, this is your holiday…
To the impatient fans who think two weeks is way too long to wait for the greatest game of the year, this is your holiday…
To the savvy shoppers who plan on trying to return their new HDTV at full price after only one use, this is your holiday…
To the overconfident couch potatoes who could do a better job coaching their team than the “bum” who currently gets paid millions to, this is your holiday…
To the loyal viewers who think four and a half hours of pregame just isn’t quite enough coverage, this is your holiday…
To the hungry men who have changed their diets for their ladies, but promise today there will be no fruits or vegetables! This is your holiday!
Raise your glasses sports fans. Today young men will become great men and great men will become legendary. This is Super Bowl Sunday, and this is our holiday!
Sports Addict Prediction: Packers 27, Steelers 23
Although I was originally going with Black and Yellow and have been considering them my favorite to win the Super Bowl for most of the season, the more I evaluate this game, the more I think the Packers have the slight edge. I do think both of these defenses will play very well, but I think the game will still be fairly high scoring due to a few turnovers, and a few big plays on offense.
Crystal Football
I’m seeing two touchdowns coming from defense and special teams. The Steelers will have more success running the ball than the Packers, but will struggle to move the ball in the air. When you’re dealing with the likes of Clay Matthews and B.J. Raji up front and Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams in the secondary, you don’t want to have to worry about the beat up offensive line the Steelers will be playing with. Big Ben will have his moments, most likely including one long TD pass to Mike Wallace, but I don’t see them developing a consistent passing game.
If the Packers’ don’t have the best defense in the league, than the Steelers definitely do. Regardless, it seems like Aaron Rodgers can tear up any D right now, especially when he’s playing indoors. The running game will be spotty, but I think they can get it rolling just enough to keep the Steelers’ defense honest. When it all boils down to it, the Pack have a better chance at putting together that big game winning drive late in the fourth quarter, and that’s how I see this game being won.
Players to watch
Everyone knows about Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu as well as Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews, but those guys do what they do pretty much every game. Here are a few of the other guys whose performance could decide who gets the new jewelry.
Steelers
Hines Ward
I mentioned before that I expect at least one big play from Mike Wallace, but much of that will depend on Hines Ward doing the little gritty things he does best; grabbing terrifying passes over the middle in front of James Harrison and Troy Polamalu and sticking the Steelers with a few of those big statement blocks that he’s become known for. Word is on the street that this could be Ward’s final NFL game. If that’s the case, he’ll want to go out with a bang… BANG! Just making sure you’re still with me.
Ike Taylor and Brian McFadden
The Steelers have quite possibly the best safety tandem in the NFL with Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark, but if there’s any weakness in their defense, it’s their cornerbacks allowing big pass plays. When you’re playing against Aaron Rodgers and company that can be a big problem. James Harrison and the rest of the Steelers front seven will be able to get pressure on Rodgers from time to time, but to really neutralize the Packers’ air attack, Taylor and McFadden will have to play like their counter parts: Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams.
Packers
James Starks
The Packers running game was nonexistent most of the year after an ankle injury knocked primary ball carrier Ryan Grant out of commission. Late in the season, undrafted rookie James Starks got off and running just enough to open things up for Aaron Rodgers and the passing game to pick apart opposing defenses. Starks has been their go-to back throughout the playoffs. If he can handle the biggest stage in American sports and give Green Bay a legitimate ground game against a defense that take pride in shutting down even the very best running backs, the Packers offense will be nearly impossible to stop.
B.J. Raji
Raji isn’t exactly under the radar after displaying his agility in the NFC Championship game with an interception return for a touchdown, capped off a celebratory dance that will never be forgotten. But I guess when you’re 340 pounds, you show up on pretty much every radar. With Steelers Pro-Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey out of the game with an ankle injury, the Packer’s are relying on their baby-faced big man winning the battle in the middle and slowing down the Steelers running game led by the red hot Rashard Mendenhall. B.J. got his respect from Packers fans after his massive performance against the Bears, but another Raji-sized game would cement him in Packers history... Better bring the whole truck; we’re going to need a lot of cement for this one.
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