DALLAS — After spending a week at the Ice Bowl — I mean Super Bowl — frozen out festivities in Dallas, I’ve come to the conclusion that Super Bowl XLV is a coronation, and Aaron Rodgers is about to be king.
Following the conference title wins by both the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the initial reaction was that these two teams — the best teams in their respective conferences — were fairly evenly matched, and the results of Sunday’s game at Cowboys Stadium could go either way.
Yet nearly a parade of former and current NFL players we interviewed on Radio Row in Dallas on “The Sports Fix” on ESPN 980 — from Joe Theismann to Archie Manning and others — sang the praises of quarterback Aaron Rodgers and picked the Packers to triumph Sunday.
Who am I to argue with greatness?
The star of Super Bowl XLV before a down is even played is Rodgers. Players speak in reverential tones about his passing accuracy, his football acumen and his mobility. And Rodgers dominated in the 48-21 Divisional playoff win over the Atlanta Falcons three weeks ago.
Rodgers threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another one running, and for those who recognize greatness — like former Redskins three-time Super Bowl winning head coach Joe Gibbs — it was one of the greatest quarterback performances they have ever seen.
Again, who am I to argue with greatness?
Now, the Steelers will present a far tougher defensive test than the Falcons. The franchise identity for the Steelers for 40 years now has been defense, and this current unit has shown to be up to the task of carrying on that identity.
But the standard-bearer of that identity — safety Troy Polamalu — is not healthy. The defensive player of the year reinjured his Achilles’ heel nearly two months ago and has been bothered by it ever since. The Steelers can’t afford to have a reduced Polamalu facing an explosive offense like the Packers.
Also, while Pittsburgh will still hit you in the mouth on defense, they have missed with those blows against the best quarterbacks they have faced. The Steelers are 0-2 in games against Tom Brady and Drew Brees, who threw for a combined 655 yards and five touchdowns.
Nearly everyone I spoke to this past week put Rodgers in the Brady-Brees-Peyton Manning category.
The wild card in all this is Rodgers and his ability to stay upright and clear-headed.
Rodgers suffered two concussions this season, including one at the hand of the Redskins in October (a sliver of warmth, Redskins fans — remember Washington beat Green Bay 16-13 in overtime in October). He took a brutal hit from Chicago’s Julius Peppers in the NFC title game and was never quite the same the rest of the way. With a headhunter like Pittsburgh’s James Harrison coming after him, there is and should be concern about Rodgers’ ability to stay in the game.
If Rodgers does stay on the field, then he will complete his coronation in a 37-31 Green Bay win over the Steelers.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
