Matt Ryan, Michael Vick, and Drew Brees beat out Aaron Rodgers for the Pro Bowl. Tom Brady raked in all the votes for league MVP -- an award many preseason prognosticators expected Aaron Rodgers to earn. Troy Polamalu edged out Clay Matthews for Defensive Player of the Year. And Mike McCarthy got not a single vote for Coach of the Year, even though he managed to navigate a hospital ward all the way to Dallas.
Granted, it was very satisfying to go into Chicago and win the George Halas Trophy for NFC Champs right out from under the Bears. Yet, still, there were no consolation prizes for this year’s Packers squad. They had to win it all.
And they did!
It was not a perfect performance. The careless fumble on the initial Steeler punt. Four critical dropped passes, including a couple that could have broken it open. We didn’t seem to get adequate pressure on Roethlisberger. We didn’t get the running game satisfactorily established. We lacked offensive rhythm and production throughout much of the second and third quarters. And Rodgers didn’t seem to be the multi-threat QB that everyone talked about so much before the game -- he stayed locked in the pocket like he was a Peyton Manning or Dan Marino.
At the same time, however, it was a remarkable performance. One for the ages!
Rodgers was nearly flawless. The defense forced three turnovers, including a pick-six by Nick Collins. You never heard of Polamalu all game, and barely heard of James Harrison. And, perhaps best of all, we endured critical injuries, momentum swings, and classic Steeler comeback pushes in order to win Super Bowl XLV.
World Champions, Baby! What a season, what a team, what a game!
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