As I ponder the much-heralded match-up in Dallas this coming Sunday, I am looking for clues as to how the game might go.
On the one hand, these two teams played just over a year ago: a dramatic contest in which both teams put up lots of points, and the Steelers pulled out a last-second, one-point victory. Packer fans will remember that game as the one in which Roethlisberger (who threw for over 500 yards against us!) set the blueprint for what the Cardinals did to knock us out of the first round of the playoffs just a few weeks later.
On the other hand, with these two teams boasting the two best defenses in the league during the regular season, it’s hard to imagine them combining for more than 70 points again.
Since Green Bay and Pittsburgh did not play this season, I wonder if we might glean some insight from looking at the opponents they had in common this year. Specifically, the Packers and Steelers shared 5 common foes during the regular season and playoffs: the Falcons, Dolphins, Bills, Patriots, and Jets.
In the first two instances, the results are somewhat discouraging. The Steelers beat the Falcons 15-9, while the Packers lost to Atlanta 17-20 in the regular season. (On the other hand, Green Bay famously returned to Atlanta in the second round of the playoffs and beat the tar out of them, 48-21.)
The case of the Dolphins is another one in which the Steelers won where the Packers lost. Pittsburgh beat Miami 23-22, while we lost to the Dolphins 20-23. All close scores, but still we came up on the short end.
Both the Steelers and the Packers (and nearly everyone else!) managed to beat the Bills this year, though Green Bay’s effort was far more impressive. Pittsburgh won by a mere 19-16 score, while Green Bay demolished Buffalo, 34-7.
Meanwhile, the Jets are an interesting case. New York beat the Steelers in the regular season 22-17, while the Packers went into New York and shut them out, 9-0. Of course, as the Packers did with the Falcons, the Steelers exacted revenge in the postseason, beating the Jets 24-19.
Finally, the most interesting case of a common foe may be the New England Patriots (whom many thought would be in Dallas this Sunday instead of the Steelers). New England beat both Pittsburgh and Green Bay this year, although they had an easier time with the Steelers than the Packers. Behind our second-string QB, you remember, we went into New England and lost 27-31, thanks in some measure to that infamous kick return by a lineman! The Patriots handled the Steelers rather easily, however, 39-21.
And those Patriots, it seems, are being cited as the team that holds the key for beating the Steeler defense…
Cris Collinsworth and Phil Simms recall how the Patriots spread out the Pittsburgh defense and moved the ball effectively on them, noting that the Packers have an even better receiving corps for that strategy. Brady threw 40 times for 350 yards and 3 TDs that day -- and that was in Heinz Field. How much better could the Packers fare on the fast track in Dallas?!
Of course, common foes can only tell you so much. After all, the Browns beat the Patriots, and the Patriots beat the Steelers, but the Steelers annihilated the Browns. Still, a look at the 5 common foes between this year’s Super Bowl contenders makes for interesting comparisons. And the particular case of the Patriots is, I think, a very encouraging one.
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