As Super Bowl XLV went on, you got the feeling that the last team with the ball would win the game. It didn't end that way, but the Green Bay Packers did need to keep scoring in order to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, despite having double-digit leads most of the night.
- Green Bay opened the scoring in the 1st Quarter on a 29-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers to Jordy Nelson. Coming on a Third and 1, Rodgers threw a perfect spiral to Nelson who went up over William Gay to make the catch.
- Green Bay scored again, just 24 seconds later, to make the score 14-0 when Nick Collins intercepted a Ben Roethlisberger pass and returned it 37-yards for the touchdown. In Super Bowl history, teams that return an interception for a touchdown are now 11-0.
SCORE AFTER FIRST QUARTER - GREEN BAY 14 - PITTSBURGH 0
- The Steelers got on the board early in the 2nd Quarter when Shaun Suisham hit a 33-yard field goal.
- Green Bay took advantage of Ben Roethlisberger's second interception of the game to score its third touchdown - a 21-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings. Coming just before the 2-minute warning, the score gave the Packers a 21-3 lead and Super Bowl XLV looked to be heading towards a blow-out.
- The Steelers answered right back, however, as Ben Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward on an 8-yard touchdown pass to get the Steelers within 11 at the break.
SCORE AT HALFTIME - GREEN BAY 21 - PITTSBURGH 10
- The Packers received the opening kick-off of the 2nd half but couldn't move and were forced to punt the ball back to Pittsburgh. The Steelers wasted no time moving the ball on the legs of running back Rashard Mendenhall to score the first points of the second half, an 8-yard run by Mendenhall to cut the Packers lead to 21-17. All the momentum appeared to be with the Steelers.
- This was an interesting part of the game. Both defenses got tough - especially the Packers. Green Bay was on the wrong side of the field position battle much of the quarter but would not allow the Steelers to score. All they could muster was a missed 52-yard field goal. In a lot of ways, Super XLV may have been won right here by the Packers defense.
SCORE AFTER THIRD QUARTER - GREEN BAY 21 - PITTSBURGH 17
- The fourth quarter saw plenty of action. The Packers got started with the help of another Steelers turnover, this time a Rashard Mendenhall fumble, that gave the Packers the ball near mid-field. Aaron Rodgers took advantage, leading the Packers to their fourth touchdown, his 3rd touchdown pass of the game - and a 28-17 lead. With less than 12 minutes to go, the Packers once again had a double-digit lead.
- Pittsburgh rallied again, wit Ben Roethlisberger hitting Mike Wallace on a 25-yard touchdown pass on 3rd and 3 to once again get the Steelers within a score. Down 5, the Steelers went for two and converted on a perfectly executed option run by Big Ben and Antwaan Randle-El. The Packers lead was just 3 at 28-25 and once again the momentum appeared to be on the Steelers side.
- Green Bay, as they've done all season, once again answered the score. Aaron Rodgers converted three different 3rd down opportunities before being forced to kick a field goal. The damage was done, however, as the Packers were able to kill over 5 minutes on the clock. A Mason Crosby field goal gave the Packers a 6-point lead at 31-25. It meant the Steelers would have to score a touchdown to win.
- The Steelers would have had decent field position, but a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct call had the Steelers backed up to their own 13-yard line. The Steelers would have to go 87 yards with one timeout - in less than two minutes - to win Super Bowl XLV.
- The Steelers got the ball out to the 35 yard line before Roethlisberger's last ditch 4th down pass fell incomplete. The Green Bay Packers, by taking advantage of ever Steelers mistake, had won Super Bowl XLV.
FINAL SCORE - GREEN BAY PACKERS 31 - PITTSBURGH STEELERS 25