Super Bowl XLV: Breaking Down the Green Bay Packers' Offense

 

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It's the morning after Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers celebrated a Super Bowl Championship at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. A week that couldn't go any worse for the host city, seem to finish with a bang thanks to a great game from the Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While there are those that are going to break down the game from every angle they can find, I'm only here to give you one angle and one angle alone, the Packers' offense.

Rodgers, the Super Bowl XLV MVP, couldn't have played any better and the Packers couldn't have asked for any more from him. Well, maybe with the exception of two touchdown passes dropped by wide receivers Jordy Nelson and James Jones respectively.

Catch those two passes and there is no drama late in the fourth quarter.

The first half belonged to the Packers. Though the offense put up just seven points in the first half, they did their job in wearing down the Steelers' defense.

What follows is each series from the Packers' offense and how they looked after each drive. We'll look at key plays, we'll look at a change in momentum, and we'll take a look at a few plays that could have made the outcome of the game completely different.

So, if you're ready, let's get after it.

Series 1: 6 plays 35 yards 2:00

After a muffed punt that the Packers could have lost and a play that could have damaged any chance of winning the game at all, Green Bay went six plays, used two minutes of the clock, but really never got anything done. They were trying to run the ball against the best run defense in the NFL and Rodgers completed just one of four passes.

Series 2: 9 plays 80 yards 4:33

If the Packers needed their first drive to get warmed up, it must have worked because their second drive looked nothing short of methodical. Rodgers was able to get his passes complete to Nelson, Corey Hall, and Brandon Jackson and they were also able to run the ball with a rookie running back.

On a bid third down play, Rodgers threw an absolutely perfect 29-yard touchdown pass to Nelson to put Green Bay on the board first.

Series 3: 4 plays 9 yards 1:31

The Pittsburgh Steelers seemed to figure out that putting pressure on the Packers' quarterback was the key to keeping him off balance and off the field. Two of three passes put them a yard short of the first down marker and they were forced to punt the ball back to the Steelers.

Series 4: 4 plays 53 yards 2:04

The Packers' defense steps up and picks off Roethlisberger for the second time on the night, the first of which was returned for a touchdown. Rodgers takes his team 53 yards down the field on just four plays and hit Greg Jennings from 21-yards out to give the Packers a 21-3 lead with just over two minutes to go in the half.

Halftime

Through the first half of play, the Packers had the game well in hand and Rodgers was leading the way. He had completed 11-of-16 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. This was all Green Bay, at least we thought.

Series 5: 4 plays 4 yards 2:31

This was as sloppy as the Packers had looked all night. They hadn't been penalized on offense to this point but they were flagged twice in one drive. Once for holding on the first play of the drive and again for a false start. The momentum was shifting and it looked like Green Bay was going in the wrong direction.

Series 6: 4 plays -3 yards 1:12

The Steelers stepped up the pressure with blitzes through the Packers offensive line and it threw Rodgers completely off balance. A would have been touchdown dropped by Nelson was followed by a sack on third down sending the Green Bay offense off the field as fast as they came on.

Series 7: 4 plays 19 yards 2:06

This was a drive that looked promising right from the start after a 17-yard completion to Jordy Nelson into Pittsburgh territory but that was the only good thing for the Packers. A three yard loss on a run by Starks and a dropped pass ended any hope of putting a little distance between themselves and the Steelers.

Series 8: 3 plays 0 yards :16

Green Bay looked to be abandoning their run game after three straight incomplete passes from Aaron Rodgers. They had proven they could run against Pittsburgh, but with the Steelers climbing back into the game, Rodgers was trying to do it himself.

Series 9: 8 plays 55 yards 2:56

Another Steelers' turnover game the Packers new life and not a moment too soon. Though Rodgers completed just four-of-eight passes in the drive including another dropped pass from Jordy Nelson, Rodgers was able to complete a big third down pass, again to Nelson, for 38 yards and hit Greg Jennings with his second touchdown catch of the night from eight yards out.

Series 10: 11 plays 70 yards 5:22

Two big passes from Rodgers to Brandon Jennings for 34 yards and James Jones for 21 yards seem to set the tone for a game winning drive for the Packers. They couldn't put the ball in the end zone, but a chip-shot field goal put the Packers up six with just over two minutes to go.

It would prove to be the nail in the coffin for the Steelers as Green Bay's defense stepped up and made sure Ben Roethlisberger didn't have one more miraculous drive under his belt.

There's no question the game's most valuable player belonged to Aaron Roders who threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns completing 24-of-39 passes on the night. He could have easily had more than 400 yards through the air but he'll easily take a Super Bowl ring and a celebration with his teammates over improving his numbers just a little bit more.

Next to all that, what Rodgers may take even more solise in is going back to Green Bay and hearing Packer fans say, "Brett who?"

Players Show Their Class in Calling Out Jay Cutler

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From the moment he left the field, Chicago Bears' quarterback Jay Cutler became the most hated man in the Windy City since Steve Bartman and the "catchable ball" incident at Wrigley Field.

While I might have given Cub fans a pass on that particular day, I will not give Bears' fans a pass for this one.

But it's not the fans that have me shaking my head in disbelief. It's fellow NFL players.

Some of them have taken the twitter and called out Cutler for not going back into the NFC title game to help his team. What's funny about that is, some of those same players won't make the same comments on the record to a reporter. Why is that?

Why not find the closest reporter or, better yet, why don't you call a local columnist on the phone and go on the record with your comments. I know they can use your tweets in their columns but wouldn't it be better if you manned up and did it over the phone or in person?

It just seems to me that Twitter is an easy way out. It's like calling someone out by email. It's easy sit in front of a computer screen and be the tough guy, acting like you would have gone against doctor's orders and put yourself back in the game.

Let's pretend for a minute that Cutler did go back in the game, with the injury he sustained, and he ended up costing the Bears the game by being immobile and unable to evade a rushing lineman or linebacker. The fans would have learned of his injury and his going against the doctors telling him not to, and they would have jumped all over him in the same way.

Thus is the life of an NFL quarterback. They all know that it comes with the territory. They expect harrassment from fans and they expect it to a certain extent from the media both in print and in radio/television.

The one place they don't expect it is from their peers.

Say what you want about Cutler not coming back in the game but it's not necessary for these fellow players to blast him. There's no point in pouring salt on the wound no matter how much they want their fans to like them.

You can call it "saying what they want to hear" but when it's their turn to play through an injury, I hope they're ready for backlash from fans, media, and other players as well.

What I respect is seeing Bears' linebacker, and face of the franchise, Brian Urlacher quickly come to the aid of his teammate. He tried to remain calm through all of the questions fired at him from the reporters in the locker room, but when told of other players blasting Cutler, Urlacher wanted names. He wanted to know who these players were and why they were saying anything at all.

“Yeah, love jealous people when they’re watching our game on TV while their season is over,” Urlacher told the media after the game.

Even syndicated sports talk show host Jim Rome fired back at these players as well, via Twitter, saying "Unless you're willing to say it to a reporter, don't say it on twitter. There is no difference."

Cutler is going to go through a ton of scrutiny and back lash during the off season. He'll deal with reporters calling him for comment every day or at least every other day. They'll want to know how he wants to respond to the latest outcry from fans and players alike. He'll try to shake it off but inside there's no question that he would love to blast those players who decided it was in their best interest to pile on.

The Chicago Bears missed their chance at another Super Bowl appearance. Blame Cutler if you want, but maybe you can blame President Obama for jinxing his team days before the NFC championship game by saying he would be at the Super Bowl if they got there.

They were doomed at that moment. He should know better than to go against superstition.

Cutler deserves more than what is being said about him. When doctor's tell the head coach they are not clearing him to return, that should be the end of the story.

Sure NFL players will say "we're tough, we can handle it." But when that injury takes it's toll after their playing career is done, maybe they'll look back on that decision and wonder why they didn't listen to the medical professionals in the first place.

You may not like my opinion but I'm completely fine with that. Take your frustration out on Cutler if you wish, but there is more blame to go around than a quarterback not returning to the game despite an MCL tear.

Come to think of it, maybe Chicago would love to have Rex Grossman back.