Well Well Well, that magical day that somehow mixes Funny commercials and concussions, mixes Janet Jackson's Boobage slip with what could have been Rex Ryan's favorite feet (too soon?). Super Bowl Sunday is 2 weeks away, and we finally have the last two teams standing. The Pittsburgh Steelers took care of the New York Jets tonight 24-19, and earlier today, the Green Bay Packers Bruised and Battered the Chicago Bears Quarterbacks, and won 21-14. A battle of Cheese-heads and the Steal Curtain.
This year's Superbowl is a battle of great offense (Packers) vs great defense (Steelers). In the past Superbowl's that i can remember, we've had this type of match up (I.E. Cardinals vs Steelers (XLIII) and Colts vs Bears (XLI)). Time to rank:
Better QB: Oh this is a tough one. you have the 2 time super bowl champion Ben "Can i get a Rothles-Burger" and Aaron "Jolly" Rodgers (forgive me for the jokes please). I saved this one to write last, as this is the most intriguing comparison. On one hand you have Aaron Rodgers, the man who learned from one of the best QBs in the history of the NFL, Brett Farve, and Ben Roethlisberger (yeah, i looked up how to spell it), a two time Super Bowl winning QB, already proven to be clutch in the playoffs. This has to come down to stats. On average, Rodgers throws for 261.5 yards a game with a 28-11 Touchdown to INT ratio which rounds to about 39%, with Roethlisberger throwing for 266.7 Yards, with a 17-5 Touchdown to INT ratio which rounds to about 29%.
Edge has to go to experience with numbers this close: Steelers
Better RB core: This would be an easy choice is the Packers still had Ryan Grant, however being on the IR doesn't help his team much. The Packers' top two RBs are James Starks, and John Kuhn. Starks is a rookie RB, who broke out during their Wild Card match up against the Eagles, John Kuhn started as a 3rd string RB at the beginning of the year, but due to Injury to Grant and an ineffective Brandon Jackson, became a major player for the Packers' RBs. The Steelers are formed with a 1-2 punch with Rashard Mendenhall and Mewelde Moore, a cornerstone this year for Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh's 1-2 punch has more experience, and i believe more power/speed than Green Bay's.
Edge: Steelers.
Better WR core: Can't go wrong with either. The experience with the Steelers' Heinz Ward and Antawn Randle El and the explosive Mike Wallace. Then again, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and James Jones is not all that bad either. However, none of these players will make the biggest impact in the Super Bowl. The Edge tips in the Steelers' favor, due to Heath Miller, The Steelers' safety valve. A good Tight End is overlooked far too much in the NFL.
Edge: Steelers.
Better Offensive Line:
This one, i looked strictly at the stats for. The Packers allowed 38 sacks, and 67 QB hits, while the Steelers have allowed 43 sacks with 78 QB hits. The numbers speak for themselves.
Edge: Packers.
Better D Line: Looking at the stats, i was a bit stunned. Obviously, the Steelers lead the league in sacks with 48.0. However, tied for 2nd with the Raiders and Chargers were, yeah, the Green Bay Packers with 47.0. No obvious choice so far. Both teams use a 3-4 defense (3 linemen and 4 linebackers, most teams use a 4-3, 4 linemen, 3 linebackers). No clean favorite here with the stats, so, no edge.
Edge: Push
Better LBs: Both teams have solid LBs. Steelers have James Harrison and James Farrior, Packers have A.J. Hawk and more than likely NFL defensive player of the year, Clay Matthews. Stats show between the 4 players I've mentioned, the Packers duo had combined 126 tackles, and 14 sacks (Matthews had 13.5 sacks) and the Steelers had 150 tackles with 16 sacks.
Edge: Steelers
Better Defensive Backs:
This battle will come down to 2 special future Hall of Famers: CB Charles Woodson for the Packers, and Safety Troy Polamalu. Sticking with stats, Polamalu this year has 7 Interceptions (1 for a Touchdown) and 18 pass deflections with 49 tackles, and Woodson has 2 INTs (1 for a Touchdown) with 15 pass deflections and 76 tackles. Edge is a close one, but....
Edge: Steelers
Better Special Teams (Kickers, Punters, Returners)
Packers Kicking: 78.5% of Field Goals made
Steelers Kicking: 78.3% of Field Goals Made
uh....definitely no edge there.
Packers Punting Net Average: 37.6 Yards
Steelers Punting Net Average: 37.3 Yards
(Net Average is the Yards the Punter Punts the ball averaged, minus the amount of yards the Returner averages)
No defiant edge yet again.
Packers Kick Return Average + Touchdowns: 20.1 and 0 TDs.
Packers Punt Return Average + TDs: 7.9 and 0 TDs.
Steelers Kick Return Average + TDs: 23.5 and 1 TD.
Steelers Punt Return Average + TDs: 6.1 and 0 TDs.
Well....No Edge, these numbers are too close.
Edge: Push
Well, the numbers will say that the Pittsburgh Steelers will win this game. However, if we went straight from stats, the Patriots and Falcons would more than likely be in the Superbowl. Stats are not everything.
Steve's Professional (yeah...professional...sure) Prediction
Green Bay Packers - 27
Pittsburgh Steelers - 21
Yeah I'm going against my stats, just a gut feeling. Of Course, feel free to post up your prediction, like always, keep it clean, keep it civil. Look for my next post next Sunday night, going into the world of the NBA, with a "Little past mid-season prediction" of the next few months of the NBA season.
You stay Rockin' BUHStudio fans...ya Jerks.
