ARLINGTON, Texas -- Here are some early thoughts on the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl XLV 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers:
What it means: The Steelers failed to win their seventh Super Bowl title and fell to 6-2 all time in the big game. This is also the first Super Bowl loss in three tries for Pittsburgh's core group of veterans such as Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, James Farrior, Brett Keisel and Casey Hampton. Roethlisberger, who had a chance to win another Super Bowl on the final drive, fell to 10-3 in the playoffs.
What I liked: Pittsburgh showed its experience by not panicking after falling behind 21-3 in the second quarter. The Steelers scored a touchdown at the end of the half and early in the third quarter to get within 21-17 in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh's defense held Green Bay's offense to just one first down in the third quarter. But the Packers' high-powered offense eventually warmed up again and made enough plays to extend their lead in the fourth quarter.
What I didn't like: The Steelers haven't played a complete game throughout the playoffs and it caught up to them in the Super Bowl. Green Bay jumped out to a 21-10 lead at halftime thanks to Pittsburgh's penalties and mistakes. Roethlisberger threw two interceptions that led to 14 Packers points and several penalties added to Pittsburgh's slow start. The Steelers tried to make a run in the second half. But it's extremely difficult to overcome large deficits in the Super Bowl against great teams.
What's next: That's it for the 2010 season. Pittsburgh played in its second Super Bowl in three years but came up short in this one. We will have more Super Bowl coverage coming up and also will put the bow on another season in the AFC North blog in the coming week.
