Super Bowl XLV
Encyclopedia
Super Bowl XLV was an American football
game between the American Football Conference
(AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers
and the National Football Conference
(NFC) champion Green Bay Packers
to decide the National Football League
(NFL) champion for the 2010 season
. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas
on February 6, 2011. The Packers defeated the Steelers by the score of 31–25, becoming only the second NFC wild card team ever to win the Super Bowl. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers
was named Super Bowl MVP
, completing 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns.
Unlike other matchups, this game featured two title-abundant franchises: coming into the game, the Packers held the most NFL championships with 12 (9 league championships prior to the Super Bowl era and 3 Super Bowl championships), while the Steelers held the most Super Bowl championships with 6. With the victory, this was the Packers' fourth Super Bowl victory out of five total appearances and a record thirteenth overall NFL title. Even with this loss, the Steelers matched the record of eight total appearances in the Super Bowl, set in 1996 by the Dallas Cowboys
, who gave the Steelers their only other Super Bowl loss that year. The Steelers' most recent prior Super Bowl appearance was a win in the 2008 season at Super Bowl XLIII
.
The Steelers, coached by Mike Tomlin
since 2007, entered the playoffs
with a 12–4 record
, while the Packers, coached by Mike McCarthy since 2006, had a 10–6 record
. The Steelers made the Super Bowl with 31–24 and 24–19 victories over the Baltimore Ravens
and New York Jets
respectively. The Packers meanwhile defeated the top three seeds entering the post-season, with 21–16, 48–21 and 21–14 victories over the Philadelphia Eagles
, Atlanta Falcons
and Chicago Bears
respectively. The defending champions from Super Bowl XLIV
, the New Orleans Saints
, as well as the defending AFC champion Indianapolis Colts
, were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round.
This was the first time the Super Bowl was played in the Dallas–Fort Worth
area, and the third time it was held in the state of Texas
, with the city of Houston having hosted Super Bowl VIII
and Super Bowl XXXVIII
previously. The hosting venue Cowboys Stadium, which was built less than two years earlier, is the largest domed stadium in the world with a capacity of 110,000 (including standing room), and is home to the Dallas Cowboys
. The Steelers and Packers each have historical rivalries with the Cowboys.
Per convention as an odd-numbered Super Bowl, the Packers as the NFC representatives had the home team designation, wearing green jerseys. The game was broadcast live on Fox
. Before the game the National Anthem
was sung incorrectly by Christina Aguilera
who repeated a line twice. The halftime show
featured the American hip hop
group The Black Eyed Peas
, with additional performances by Usher
and Slash
.
This game marked only the second time in history that the Packers won a post-season game played in the home stadium of the Dallas Cowboys, after the 1966 NFL Championship Game (which came before the first Super Bowl
). The Packers had lost four consecutive playoff games against the Cowboys at Texas Stadium
in the interim.
NFL owners voted to select the North Texas
site on May 22, 2007.
division title, and the second seed in the AFC
and advanced to their 8th Super Bowl, tying the Dallas Cowboys
' record of most Super Bowl appearances.
After missing the first four games of the year on suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy (during which the Steelers went 3-1), quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
returned for his seventh season as the Steelers starting quarterback, finishing the season with 3,200 yards and 17 touchdowns, with just five interceptions, for a 97 passer rating. He also rushed for 176 yards and two touchdowns. The team's top receiver was Mike Wallace
who caught 60 passes for 1,257 yards and 10 touchdowns, giving him a 21 yards per catch average. Other reliable options included 13-year veteran Hines Ward
(59 receptions for 755 yards and 5 TDs), the Steelers all-time leading receiver, and tight end Heath Miller
who caught 42 passes for 512 yards. Halfback Rashard Mendenhall
was the team's leading rusher, gaining 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns while also catching 23 passes. The line was led by rookie center Maurkice Pouncey
, the Steelers only pro bowl selection on offense. However, Pouncey was injured in the AFC championship game and would be inactive for Super Bowl XLV.
The Steelers had one of the league's top defenses, leading the NFL in sacks (48), and fewest points (14.5) and rushing yards (62.8) allowed per game, while ranking second in fewest total yards (276.8). The line was anchored by pro bowl end Brett Keisel
. The Steelers also had four excellent linebackers: LaMarr Woodley, James Harrison, James Farrior
, and Lawrence Timmons
. For the third consecutive year, Woodley and Harrison each recorded at least 10 sacks. Woodley also forced three fumbles and Harrison forced six. Farrior had 109 total tackles and six sacks. Timmons led the team with 135 total tackles, while also recording three sacks and two interceptions. The secondary was led by pro bowl safety Troy Polamalu
, who won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award
, tying his career-best seven interceptions and returning them for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Coach Mike Tomlin
, already the youngest coach to ever win a Super Bowl, became the youngest coach ever to make it to the Super Bowl twice at age 38.
, who won Super Bowl XL
following the 2005 season. Green Bay also joined the 2005 Steelers as the only teams ever to defeat the top three seeded teams on the road in the playoffs. In order to secure their fifth Super Bowl bid they defeated their longtime rivals, the Chicago Bears
, in the NFC Championship Game
at Soldier Field
.
The offense was led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers
, who was in his third year as a starter after taking over for the team's all-time leading passer Brett Favre
. Rodgers finished the season completing 65.7% of his passes for 3,912 yards and 28 touchdowns, with only eleven interceptions, giving him his second consecutive season with a triple digit passer rating (101.2). He was also a good rusher, adding 356 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. His top target was pro bowl receiver Greg Jennings
, who caught 76 passes for 1,265 yards and 12 touchdowns, giving him a 16.6 yards per catch average while also ranking him fourth in the NFL in yards and second in touchdown catches. Other reliable targets included receivers James Jones
(50 receptions, 676 yards, 5 tds), Donald Driver
(51 receptions, 565 yards, 4 tds), and Jordy Nelson
(45 receptions, 582 yards, 496 kick return yards). The Packers lost star tight end Jermichael Finley
(21 receptions 301 yards, 1 td) to injury in week five who was their leading receiver at the time. The Packers ground game was crippled by injuries, especially the Week 1 loss of Ryan Grant
, who had rushed for over 1,200 yards in each of the last two years. In his absence, the team relied prominently on Brandon Jackson, who rushed for 703 yards and caught 43 passes for 342, along with fullback John Kuhn
, who added 281 yards on the ground. The team's offensive line was anchored by pro bowl tackle Chad Clifton
, an 11-year veteran.
The Packers defense ranked second in the league in fewest points allowed per game (15). The line was led by Cullen Jenkins
, who recorded seven sacks in just eleven games, and 338-pound defensive tackle B. J. Raji
, who had 6.5. The linebackers were led by pro bowler Clay Matthews
and A. J. Hawk
. Matthews ranked fourth in the NFL with 13.5 sacks, while Hawk led the team in combined tackles (111) and intercepted three passes. Three of the Packers starters in the secondary had made the pro bowl. Tramon Williams
led the team with a career high 6 interceptions, while adding 326 punt return yards. Other pro bowl selections included safety Nick Collins
(4 interceptions and 70 combined tackles) and hard hitting 13-year veteran cornerback Charles Woodson
, who recorded 92 total tackles and forced five fumbles, while also intercepting two passes.
The Packers entered the Super Bowl never having trailed by more than 7 points at any point during the season — a feat that had never been accomplished during a complete season in the Super Bowl era. The last team to complete a season with this distinction was the Detroit Lions
in 1962
. In the Super Bowl game itself, the Packers never trailed.
31–24, with Ben Roethlisberger
's 58-yard completion to Antonio Brown
on third down and 19 setting up Rashard Mendenhall
's game winning 2-yard touchdown run with 1:33 left in the game. Roethlisberger finished with 226 passing yards and two touchdowns, while the defense forced three turnovers and sacked Baltimore QB Joe Flacco
five times, three by James Harrison.
Then the Steelers defeated the #6 New York Jets
24–19 in the AFC title game. Pittsburgh seemed to be in complete control at first, taking a 24–0 lead in the first half. New York quarterback Mark Sanchez
rallied his team back, cutting the score to 24–10 going into the fourth quarter. The Jets then drove to the Steelers 2-yard line on a 17-play drive, but the Pittsburgh defense made a key stand, keeping them out of the end zone on four consecutive plays near the goal-line to force a turnover. New York subsequently forced a safety and scored a touchdown with just over three minutes left, but Roethlisberger's 14-yard completions to Brown and Heath Miller
allowed Pittsburgh to hang on to the ball until time expired. Mendenhall finished with 121 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with 2 catches for 32 yards.
Green Bay started off their postseason with a 21–16 win over the #3 Philadelphia Eagles
after Tramon Williams
intercepted a pass from Michael Vick
in the end zone with less than a minute left to play. Aaron Rodgers
threw for 180 yards and three touchdowns while James Starks
, who only rushed for 101 yards during the season, rushed for 123 yards in the game.
The Packers then went to Georgia, where the top-seeded 13–3 Atlanta Falcons
were waiting. Although the Falcons took advantage of an early turnover and a kick return touchdown to build a 14–7 lead, Green Bay quickly buried the Falcons with 35 straight points. By the end of the first half, the Packers held a 28–14 lead, and went on to win comfortably, 48–21. Rodgers was nearly perfect, completing 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another score on the ground. Jordy Nelson
and James Jones
both had touchdown catches, while John Kuhn
added scores by air and ground and Tramon Williams returned one of his two interceptions 70 yards for a touchdown. Green Bay's special teams unit never had to punt the ball, while Mason Crosby
contributed two field goals.
Green Bay next faced the #2 Chicago Bears
in the NFC championship game, beating them 21–14. This time Rodgers had a rougher day than his previous two games, throwing no touchdown passes and being intercepted twice. But he still threw for 244 yards and scored a 1-yard touchdown run, while Starks added 74 rushing yards, including a touchdown run in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Green Bay's defense knocked Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler
out of the game and intercepted three passes, one of which was returned 18 yards for a touchdown by B. J. Raji
. The other two were made by rookie Sam Shields
, who recorded his second interception near his own end zone with 37 seconds left to put the game away.
Barack Obama
(a longtime Chicago Bears
fan) said he would attend Super Bowl XLV if the Chicago Bears defeated the Green Bay Packers
, saying "If the Bears win, I’m going no doubt". Chicago ended up losing the NFC Championship game a few days later on January 23 to Green Bay 21–14. In a post-game locker-room speech by Green Bay Packers corner Charles Woodson
he poked fun at the President's comment saying "The President don't want to come watch us at the Super Bowl, guess what? We're going to see him" (implying that Green Bay would win the Super Bowl and visit the White House
as the winning team does each year; a statement that would come true). Woodson then broke the Packers meeting with a team cheer of "White House!". On January 26 President Obama visited Green Bay and was greeted by Mayor Jim Schmitt
and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker
who presented the President with two Green Bay Packers Jerseys. The first had Obama's name on the back with the number 1 and the second was an autographed Charles Woodson jersey with the message "See you at the White House. Go Packers!" written on the back by Woodson.
On August 12, 2011, Woodson's promise came true and Packers visited the White House and met with President Obama. Their visit was delayed because of the NFL lockout and took place a day before the Packers first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns
. President Obama was presented with a Packers jersey with the number 1 and the words Commander-In-Chief on the back. He was also presented with a stock share of the Packers organization, thus making him a part owner of the Packers. When Obama jokingly asked if this meant he could trade Aaron Rodgers to the Bears, Woodson responded that Obama was just "a minority owner."
Obama, who is also a Steelers fan
and considers the team to be his second-favorite after the Bears, openly supported the Steelers two years earlier in Super Bowl XLIII
after the Rooney family
helped with his campaigning work
and later appointed Steelers chairman Dan Rooney
, an ethnic Irish Catholic
, the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland
. He did not attend the game; instead, he hosted a 100-person Super Bowl party at the White House. Attendees included his family, elected leaders from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, DNC member Andres Lopez of Puerto Rico, Buffalo, New York
mayor Byron Brown
, Buffalo deputy mayor Steve Casey, Newark, New Jersey
mayor Cory Booker
, Jennifer Lopez
and her husband Marc Anthony
, both actors/singers, and ESPN
columnist Michael Wilbon
.
Although the sitting president did not attend the game, former president and former Texas governor George W. Bush
was present, along with his wife Laura
and former Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice
.
. In August 2008, ESPN.com
ranked the two teams tied as having the best fans in the NFL. ESPN
's own John Clayton
, a Pittsburgh native, broke the tie in favor of the Steelers.
As the Packers were the designated home team in the annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, the team elected to wear their green jerseys. Although both teams are known to wear their colored jerseys at home and have rarely worn white at home (the Packers wore white at home for two games in 1989), the Packers decision contrasted with the Steelers decision as the home team in Super Bowl XL
to wear white jerseys. Both the 2005 Steelers
and 2010 Packers were #6 seeded teams when they reached the Super Bowl, forcing them to play all of their postseason games on the road and wearing their respective white jerseys in those games.
The retractable roof
at Cowboys Stadium was closed for the game.
A severe winter storm blanketed the Dallas-Fort Worth area in hard ice and snow the week before the game, threatening to disrupt game preparations. Snow fell from the roof of Cowboys Stadium's East end on February 4, injuring six people. Over 3,000 tickets were sold to watch the game in the stadium's East Plaza, which experienced the falling ice tragedy earlier in the week. However, the snow had melted by game time and fans who paid $200 per ticket were allowed to watch the game outside Cowboys Stadium, in the open air, as the weather turned from sleet to sun.
Since the Steelers and Packers were two of the six teams that did not have cheerleaders during the 2010 NFL season (the others being the Chicago Bears
, Detroit Lions
, Cleveland Browns
, and New York Giants
), this marked the first Super Bowl without cheerleaders.
The Steelers entered Cowboys Stadium field first, as they were the designated "visitors," to "Right Here, Right Now" by Fatboy Slim
.
The Packers entered last, as they were the "home" team, to "Get Ready for This
" by 2 Unlimited
.
Packers lineman, Bryan Bulaga
, became the youngest player to start in a Super Bowl, at the age of 21 years and 322 days old. Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey
would have been the youngest player (21 years, 197 days), but he could not play because of a high ankle sprain.
in the Rose Bowl
; however the actual attendance of 103,219 fell 766 fans short. League officials had indicated that they would also count spectators watching the game on large television screens from outside the stadium in the tally, which generally is not allowed in official attendance counts.
Due to numerous delays, 1,250 temporary seats weren't ready in time for the game. According to a police officer standing near the affected area, the seats hadn't been installed in time for the fire marshal to inspect them. The NFL scrambled almost until kickoff to find replacement seats. Eventually, 850 fans in four sections were relocated, while 400 fans in two sections were given a refund equivalent to three times the face value of their ticket. The latter set of fans were later offered the chance to watch the game on monitors in the North Field Club behind the Steelers bench, but would still get the triple refund. Some of these fans were still upset, since they had spent thousands on airfare and hotels. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said that when the league decided to relocate the 850 fans, it lost any shot of setting the attendance record.
The NFL subsequently offered affected fans a ticket to the next Super Bowl in addition to the refund. It also offered fans the option of a ticket to any future Super Bowl, along with round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations. However, this wasn't enough to mollify several fans, who on February 9 filed a $5 million class-action lawsuit against the NFL, the Cowboys and Jones. In addition to Steelers and Packers fans left without seats, the suit includes Cowboys fans who paid $100,000 for personal seat license
s, only to have to watch the Super Bowl in metal folding chairs without a view of the stadium's giant video replay board. The NFL at first offered $2,400 to fans who did not receive a replacement seat, but later offered tickets to a future Super Bowl with airfare and hotels included.
' 29-yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson
, who managed to pull slightly ahead of cornerback William Gay
enough to make a leaping catch and fall into the end zone. Then on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
was hit by Howard Green
as he threw a pass, causing the ball to go well short of his intended target near the left sideline where it was intercepted by Nick Collins
and returned 37 yards for a touchdown, giving Green Bay a 14–0 lead. This score continued the streak of Super Bowl victories recorded by teams scoring on an interception runback. They are now 11–0 in such games. It was also the third consecutive Super Bowl with an interception return for a touchdown, as well as the eighth such score in the last ten Super Bowls.
This time Pittsburgh managed to respond, driving 49 yards in 13 plays including Roethlisberger's 18-yard run on 3rd down and 9. Shaun Suisham
finished the drive with a 33-yard field goal to cut the score to 14–3. Then after forcing a punt, the Steelers drove to midfield, but turned the ball over again when Roethlisberger's pass was intercepted by defensive back Jarrett Bush
at the 47. Then Rodgers led the Packers to another score, completing two passes for 20 yards before James Starks
' 12-yard run moved the ball to the 21-yard line. On the next play, Green Bay increased their lead to 21–3 with Rodgers' 21-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings
. Taking the ball back with 2:24 left in the second quarter, Roethlisberger made a 37-yard completion to Antwaan Randle El
on their first play. After that, receiver Hines Ward
caught 3 passes for 39 yards on the drive, the last one an 8-yard touchdown catch with 37 seconds left in the half, making the score 21–10 at halftime. This was the fourth time in their four 2011 postseason games that the Packers finished the first half with a lead of at least 11 points. The first half had taken a heavy toll on both teams. The Steelers lost receiver Emmanuel Sanders
to injury, while the Packers lost receiver Donald Driver
along with defensive backs Charles Woodson
and Sam Shields
. Shields would be the only player among them who would return.
Pittsburgh's defense forced Green Bay to punt on the first drive of the second half, and got the ball at midfield after a facemask call on Tom Crabtree
while tackling Antonio Brown
on the punt return. The offense then scored in five plays (all runs). First Rashard Mendenhall
broke free along with right sideline for a 17-yard run, then Isaac Redman
rushed for 3 yards, and Roethlisberger ran for 6, bringing up third down and 1. On the next play, Redman tried to run up the middle, but was held up at the line, so he backed away and ran to the outside for a 16-yard gain to the 8-yard line. Then Mendenhall scored an 8-yard touchdown run on the next play, making the score 21–17. After forcing a punt, Pittsburgh mounted a drive to the Packers 29-yard line, but Green Bay's defense made a stand. First Roethlisberger's pass was batted down behind the line by linebacker Clay Matthews
, then Roethlisberger tried a screen pass
to tight end Heath Miller
, but Desmond Bishop
tackled him for a 3-yard loss. Then on third down Frank Zombo
sacked Roethlisberger on the 34, and Suisham's ensuing 52-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Steelers lost their third turnover of the game when Mendenhall fumbled the ball while being tackled behind the line by Matthews and Ryan Pickett
. Bishop recovered the ball and returned it 7 yards to the Packers 45. Five plays later on third down and 10, Rodgers completed a 38-yard pass to Nelson at the Steelers 2-yard line. Pittsburgh linebacker LaMarr Woodley sacked Rodgers for a 6-yard loss on the next play, but Rodgers threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jennings after that, increasing the Packers lead to 28–17. Roethlisberger led the Steelers right back with 6 of 7 completions. After a 9-yard pass to tight end Matt Spaeth
, he threw three completions to receiver Mike Wallace
for 27 yards to the Green Bay 40-yard line. Then after a 15-yard completion to Ward, he finished the drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Wallace. On the two-point conversion play, Roethlisberger faked a handoff to Mendenhall and ran up to the line before pitching the ball to Randle El, who scored on an outside sweep, cutting the Steelers deficit to 3 points at 28–25.
Green Bay took the ball back with just over 7 minutes left, and found themselves facing third down and 10 after two plays, but Rodgers kept the drive going with a 31-yard completion to Jennings over the middle. Starks then ran 14 yards to the Steelers 30. Two plays later, James Jones
caught a 21-yard pass at the 8. The Steelers defense kept Green Bay out of the end zone, causing them to settle for Mason Crosby
's 23-yard field goal that gave Green Bay a 31–25 lead with 2:07 left in regulation.
Pittsburgh got the ball back on their own 13-yard line following a penalty on the kickoff. On their first play, Roethlisberger completed a 15-yard pass to Miller. But after a 5-yard reception by Ward, his next three passes were incomplete, turning the ball over and allowing the Packers to run out the rest of the clock.
Nelson was the top receiver of the game with 9 receptions for 140 yards (both career highs) and a touchdown, while also gaining 19 more yards on a kick return, all despite 3 dropped passes. Jennings added 64 yards and 2 touchdowns. Roethlisberger completed 25 of 40 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns, with 2 interceptions, and ran for 31 yards. His top target was Wallace, who caught 9 passes for 89 yards and a score. Mendenhall was the top rusher of the game with 64 yards and a touchdown.
televised the game in the United States, with Joe Buck
as the play-by-play announcer and Troy Aikman
, himself a three-time Super Bowl winner as a Dallas Cowboys
quarterback, as the color analyst. Mike Pereira
joined Buck and Aikman in the broadcast booth to comment on instant replay reviews, while Pam Oliver
and Chris Myers
served as sideline reporter
s. The pre-game show featured the Fox NFL Sunday
crew of host Curt Menefee
and a group of analysts with extensive Super Bowl experiences of their own: Terry Bradshaw
(4 time Super Bowl winning QB with the Pittsburgh Steelers), Howie Long
(one-time Super Bowl winning defensive end with the then-Los Angeles Raiders), Michael Strahan
(one-time Super Bowl winning defensive end with the NY Giants) and Jimmy Johnson
(two-time Super Bowl winning head coach with the Cowboys). They were joined by a variety of other commentators.
Five days prior to the game, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
, along with the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, seized and shut down several websites that had provided access to pirated Internet television
feeds of NFL games.
With an average US audience of 111 million viewers, this was the most-watched Super Bowl as well as the most-watched progam of any kind in American television history, beating the previous record of 106.5 million viewers for Super Bowl XLIV
.
An estimated 162.9 million total viewers watched all or part of the game. The game drew a national household Nielsen rating of 46.0 and a 69 share. It drew a 59.7 local rating in both Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, the second-highest local rating for a Super Bowl after the 63.0 that Super Bowl XX
drew in Chicago. In the host market of Dallas-Ft. Worth, the game drew a 53.7 rating.
The Steelers also became the second team to appear on Super Bowls on all four major networks, after the Denver Broncos
. The Steelers appeared previously on four NBC
-aired Super Bowls (IX
, XIII
, XXX
, XLIII
), two CBS
-aired Super Bowls (X
, XIV
), and one ABC
-aired Super Bowl (XL
).
drink, which has been named as the official soft drink of the NFL. Pepsi's Frito-Lay
brand also advertised Doritos
. Both brands had their advertisements created by web users as part of the annual USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter
contest, which offers a prize of US $
5 million. In addition, regular purchasers Anheuser-Busch InBev
, GoDaddy.com
, Coca-Cola
, CareerBuilder.com, and E*TRADE purchased advertisements; InBev advertised Stella Artois
imported beer for the first time in the Super Bowl in addition to its usual Budweiser
and Bud Light advertisements. Hyundai
, Mercedes-Benz
, Volkswagen
and Audi
also advertised, as did General Motors
, who returned for the first time since their bankruptcy with advertisements for the Chevrolet
Cruze
, Camaro
, Silverado
and Volt
. Chrysler
purchased a 2-minute-long advertisement for its Chrysler 200
featuring Eminem
.
Advertisements for 15 films were shown during the Pre-Game, Game, and Post-Game.
broadcast Super Bowl XLV across the United States and Canada, with play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan
(calling his first Super Bowl for the network) and color analyst Boomer Esiason
. Univision Radio
carried a Spanish language feed for its stations throughout the US. The flagship stations for each team also carried the game with their respective local announcers:
In the United Kingdom, BBC Radio 5 Live
carried radio coverage.
Sirius XM Satellite Radio carried 14 feeds in ten languages to Sirius
subscribers, as well as to XM
subscribers with the "Best of Sirius" package. In addition to the Westwood One and local team broadcasts, Sirius carried the following international feeds:
FieldPass, the subscription Internet radio service provided by the league at NFL.com, also carried most of these feeds. Due to contractual restrictions, only Sirius XM and FieldPass were permitted to carry the local team broadcasts along with WTAQ, WIXX, WTMJ, WDVE and WBGG, with the teams' other network radio affiliates instead airing the Westwood One feed.
coach Tom Landry
.
and Maroon 5
performed during the pregame. 22 year-old Candice Villesca of Lewisville, Texas
performed the national anthem and "America the Beautiful" in American Sign Language
. Lea Michele
performed "America the Beautiful
" supported by the Air Force Tops in Blue
. Pop singer and Pittsburgh native Christina Aguilera
sang the national anthem
, but performed the wrong lyrics for the fourth line of the song, later issuing an apology.
During the halftime show, The Black Eyed Peas
performed a medley of their greatest hits: "I Gotta Feeling
," "Boom Boom Pow
," "Pump It
," "The Time (Dirty Bit)
," "Let's Get It Started
," and "Where Is the Love?
" Slash
made a guest appearance, performing "Sweet Child o' Mine
" with Fergie, while Usher appeared to perform his song "OMG
" with Will.i.am
.
An episode of Glee
titled "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
" was the lead-out program.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game between the American Football Conference
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
(AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
and the National Football Conference
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
(NFC) champion Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
to decide the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) champion for the 2010 season
2010 NFL season
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...
. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
on February 6, 2011. The Packers defeated the Steelers by the score of 31–25, becoming only the second NFC wild card team ever to win the Super Bowl. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Rodgers was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers...
was named Super Bowl MVP
Super Bowl MVP
The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is an award presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 American football writers and...
, completing 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns.
Unlike other matchups, this game featured two title-abundant franchises: coming into the game, the Packers held the most NFL championships with 12 (9 league championships prior to the Super Bowl era and 3 Super Bowl championships), while the Steelers held the most Super Bowl championships with 6. With the victory, this was the Packers' fourth Super Bowl victory out of five total appearances and a record thirteenth overall NFL title. Even with this loss, the Steelers matched the record of eight total appearances in the Super Bowl, set in 1996 by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, who gave the Steelers their only other Super Bowl loss that year. The Steelers' most recent prior Super Bowl appearance was a win in the 2008 season at Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
.
The Steelers, coached by Mike Tomlin
Mike Tomlin
Michael Tomlin is the current head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. Tomlin is the third youngest head coach in any of the four major North American professional sports. He is the tenth African-American head coach in NFL history, and first in Steelers history...
since 2007, entered the playoffs
2010–11 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 2010 season began on January 8, 2011 and led up to Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas....
with a 12–4 record
2010 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 78th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League and the eleventh season under the leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert and the fourth under head coach Mike Tomlin...
, while the Packers, coached by Mike McCarthy since 2006, had a 10–6 record
2010 Green Bay Packers season
The 2010 Green Bay Packers season was the 90th season in the National Football League for the Packers and the 92nd season for the team overall. With a record of 10–6, the Packers entered the playoffs as the NFC's sixth seed...
. The Steelers made the Super Bowl with 31–24 and 24–19 victories over the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
and New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
respectively. The Packers meanwhile defeated the top three seeds entering the post-season, with 21–16, 48–21 and 21–14 victories over the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
respectively. The defending champions from Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of...
, the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
, as well as the defending AFC champion Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round.
This was the first time the Super Bowl was played in the Dallas–Fort Worth
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
area, and the third time it was held in the state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, with the city of Houston having hosted Super Bowl VIII
Super Bowl VIII
Super Bowl VIII was a professional American football game played on January 13, 1974 at Rice Stadium. in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 1973 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Miami Dolphins defeated the National Football...
and Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
previously. The hosting venue Cowboys Stadium, which was built less than two years earlier, is the largest domed stadium in the world with a capacity of 110,000 (including standing room), and is home to the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. The Steelers and Packers each have historical rivalries with the Cowboys.
Per convention as an odd-numbered Super Bowl, the Packers as the NFC representatives had the home team designation, wearing green jerseys. The game was broadcast live on Fox
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
. Before the game the National Anthem
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
was sung incorrectly by Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
who repeated a line twice. The halftime show
Halftime show
A halftime show is a performance given during halftime, the period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of divisions , or for sports that do not have an extended...
featured the American hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
, with additional performances by Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
and Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
.
This game marked only the second time in history that the Packers won a post-season game played in the home stadium of the Dallas Cowboys, after the 1966 NFL Championship Game (which came before the first Super Bowl
Super Bowl I
The First AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later known as Super Bowl I and referred to in some contemporary reports as the Supergame, was played on January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.The National Football League ...
). The Packers had lost four consecutive playoff games against the Cowboys at Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...
in the interim.
Host selection process for Super Bowl XLV
Three NFL cities presented bids for the game:- In January 2007, Super Bowl VISuper Bowl VISuper Bowl VI was an American football game played on January 16, 1972, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1971 regular season...
MVPSuper Bowl MVPThe Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is an award presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 American football writers and...
Roger StaubachRoger StaubachRoger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
was named chairman of the North Texas Super Bowl Bid Committee, heading the MetroplexDallas–Fort Worth metroplexThe Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
's bid effort. The bid gathered the support of the cities of Arlington and Dallas. - On January 31, 2007, the city of IndianapolisIndianapolisIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, led by ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
owner Jim IrsayJim IrsayJames Irsay is the owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League.-Biography:...
and Indianapolis Mayor Bart PetersonBart PetersonBarton "Bart" R. Peterson is the former mayor of the U.S city of Indianapolis, Indiana. A Democrat first elected in 1999, he was defeated in 2007 in a bid for a third term in what was widely viewed as a huge upset.A lifelong Indianapolis resident, Peterson graduated from North Central High School...
, officially announced details about their intentions to bid for Super Bowl XLV. The site would have been Lucas Oil StadiumLucas Oil StadiumLucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose sports stadium in Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The stadium celebrated its grand opening on August 24, 2008, and its ribbon-cutting ceremony August 16, 2008. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. The stadium was built to...
, which opened in 2008. They were eventually awarded Super Bowl XLVISuper Bowl XLVISuper Bowl XLVI will be the 46th annual edition of the Super Bowl in American football, and the 42nd annual championship game of the modern-era National Football League . It will be held on February 5, 2012 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. This will be the first Super Bowl to be...
. - On February 21, 2007, the GlendaleGlendale, ArizonaGlendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....
City Council came to a consensus to prepare a bid to host Super Bowl XLV. University of Phoenix StadiumUniversity of Phoenix StadiumUniversity of Phoenix Stadium, opened August 1, 2006, is a multipurpose football stadium located in Glendale, Arizona. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League and the annual Fiesta Bowl...
was already scheduled to host Super Bowl XLIISuper Bowl XLIISuper Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
in 2008.
NFL owners voted to select the North Texas
North Texas
North Texas is a distinct cultural and geographic area forming the central-northeastern section of the U.S. state of Texas. North Texas is generally considered to include the area south of Oklahoma, east of Abilene, and north of Waco...
site on May 22, 2007.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2010 season with a 12–4 record. They earned the AFC NorthAFC North
The American Football Conference North Division, or AFC North, is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created prior to the 1967 season as the NFL Century Division when the NFL split into four divisions...
division title, and the second seed in the AFC
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
and advanced to their 8th Super Bowl, tying the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
' record of most Super Bowl appearances.
After missing the first four games of the year on suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy (during which the Steelers went 3-1), quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
returned for his seventh season as the Steelers starting quarterback, finishing the season with 3,200 yards and 17 touchdowns, with just five interceptions, for a 97 passer rating. He also rushed for 176 yards and two touchdowns. The team's top receiver was Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace (American football)
-Pittsburgh Steelers:Wallace was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft with the 84th overall selection. Wallace was the 11th wide receiver chosen in the draft. On June 18, 2009, Wallace signed a three year contract with the Steelers worth $1.740 million which...
who caught 60 passes for 1,257 yards and 10 touchdowns, giving him a 21 yards per catch average. Other reliable options included 13-year veteran Hines Ward
Hines Ward
Hines E. Ward, Jr. is an American football player who currently plays the wide receiver position for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, where he is the longest-tenured current player on the team. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL. He played college football at the University of Georgia...
(59 receptions for 755 yards and 5 TDs), the Steelers all-time leading receiver, and tight end Heath Miller
Heath Miller
Earl Heath Miller, Jr. is an American football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. He was selected as the 30th overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft out of the University of Virginia.-Early years:...
who caught 42 passes for 512 yards. Halfback Rashard Mendenhall
Rashard Mendenhall
Rashard Jamal Mendenhall is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers 23rd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Illinois....
was the team's leading rusher, gaining 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns while also catching 23 passes. The line was led by rookie center Maurkice Pouncey
Maurkice Pouncey
The Pittsburgh Steelers chose Pouncey in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. His rookie year, he started in all 16 games played at the center position, and was selected to the Pro Bowl.-Personal:...
, the Steelers only pro bowl selection on offense. However, Pouncey was injured in the AFC championship game and would be inactive for Super Bowl XLV.
The Steelers had one of the league's top defenses, leading the NFL in sacks (48), and fewest points (14.5) and rushing yards (62.8) allowed per game, while ranking second in fewest total yards (276.8). The line was anchored by pro bowl end Brett Keisel
Brett Keisel
Brett "The Diesel" Keisel is an American Football player who starts at defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brett hails from Greybull, Wyoming.-College career:...
. The Steelers also had four excellent linebackers: LaMarr Woodley, James Harrison, James Farrior
James Farrior
James Alfred Farrior is an American football player who currently plays as an inside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Virginia, and played with the New York Jets from 1997 to 2001.-Early years:Farrior was born...
, and Lawrence Timmons
Lawrence Timmons
Lawrence Olajuwon Timmons is an American football linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was drafted by the Steelers 15th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State University.-Early years:...
. For the third consecutive year, Woodley and Harrison each recorded at least 10 sacks. Woodley also forced three fumbles and Harrison forced six. Farrior had 109 total tackles and six sacks. Timmons led the team with 135 total tackles, while also recording three sacks and two interceptions. The secondary was led by pro bowl safety Troy Polamalu
Troy Polamalu
Troy Aumua Polamalu is an American football strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He played college football at the University of Southern California.-High school:Troy Polamalu graduated...
, who won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award
NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award
The NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award is given by the Associated Press to the league's most outstanding defensive player at the end of every NFL season since 1971. Multiple-award winners include Lawrence Taylor, who won it three times, and Joe Greene, Mike Singletary, Bruce Smith, Reggie...
, tying his career-best seven interceptions and returning them for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Coach Mike Tomlin
Mike Tomlin
Michael Tomlin is the current head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. Tomlin is the third youngest head coach in any of the four major North American professional sports. He is the tenth African-American head coach in NFL history, and first in Steelers history...
, already the youngest coach to ever win a Super Bowl, became the youngest coach ever to make it to the Super Bowl twice at age 38.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers finished the season with a 10–6 record and became the first #6-seeded team in the NFC to compete in the Super Bowl. They are only the second #6 seeded team to reach the Super Bowl, with the only other #6 seed to accomplish this feat being the Pittsburgh Steelers2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season began with the team trying to improve on their 15–1 record from 2004 in which they lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field. The Steelers, with the sixth and final seed to the playoffs, became just the second team ever to win...
, who won Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
following the 2005 season. Green Bay also joined the 2005 Steelers as the only teams ever to defeat the top three seeded teams on the road in the playoffs. In order to secure their fifth Super Bowl bid they defeated their longtime rivals, the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, in the NFC Championship Game
NFC Championship Game
The National Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two semi-final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the...
at Soldier Field
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...
.
The offense was led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Rodgers was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers...
, who was in his third year as a starter after taking over for the team's all-time leading passer Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
. Rodgers finished the season completing 65.7% of his passes for 3,912 yards and 28 touchdowns, with only eleven interceptions, giving him his second consecutive season with a triple digit passer rating (101.2). He was also a good rusher, adding 356 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. His top target was pro bowl receiver Greg Jennings
Greg Jennings
Gregory Jennings, Jr. is a professional American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League...
, who caught 76 passes for 1,265 yards and 12 touchdowns, giving him a 16.6 yards per catch average while also ranking him fourth in the NFL in yards and second in touchdown catches. Other reliable targets included receivers James Jones
James Jones (wide receiver)
James Deandre Jones is an American football wide receiver with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Packers in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
(50 receptions, 676 yards, 5 tds), Donald Driver
Donald Driver
Donald Jerome Driver is an American football wide receiver and children's author. He plays for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League...
(51 receptions, 565 yards, 4 tds), and Jordy Nelson
Jordy Nelson
Jordy Ray Nelson is an American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas State....
(45 receptions, 582 yards, 496 kick return yards). The Packers lost star tight end Jermichael Finley
Jermichael Finley
-Green Bay Packers:Finley was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He battled Tory Humphrey in training camp to be the Packers' No. 2 tight end...
(21 receptions 301 yards, 1 td) to injury in week five who was their leading receiver at the time. The Packers ground game was crippled by injuries, especially the Week 1 loss of Ryan Grant
Ryan Grant
Ryan Brett Grant is a running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005 but was traded to the Packers shortly before the 2007 season in exchange for a future sixth-round draft pick...
, who had rushed for over 1,200 yards in each of the last two years. In his absence, the team relied prominently on Brandon Jackson, who rushed for 703 yards and caught 43 passes for 342, along with fullback John Kuhn
John Kuhn
John Allen Kuhn is an American football fullback, currently playing for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2005. John attended Dover Area High School in Dover, Pennsylvania...
, who added 281 yards on the ground. The team's offensive line was anchored by pro bowl tackle Chad Clifton
Chad Clifton
Jeffrey Chad Clifton is an American football offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee....
, an 11-year veteran.
The Packers defense ranked second in the league in fewest points allowed per game (15). The line was led by Cullen Jenkins
Cullen Jenkins
Cullen Darome Jenkins is an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2003...
, who recorded seven sacks in just eleven games, and 338-pound defensive tackle B. J. Raji
B. J. Raji
-Green Bay Packers:Raji was selected ninth overall by the Green Bay Packers in the 2009 NFL Draft. He was worked into defensive coordinator Dom Capers' brand new 3-4 scheme during the start of the Packers 2009 season, and was regarded as a defensive corner. Raji held out during the 2009 training...
, who had 6.5. The linebackers were led by pro bowler Clay Matthews
Clay Matthews III
William Clay Matthews III is an American football linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers 26th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Southern California.-Early years:Matthews was born in the Los...
and A. J. Hawk
A. J. Hawk
-Green Bay Packers:On April 29, 2006 Hawk was drafted in the 1st round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. He was the 5th overall pick of the draft. He signed a 6-year contract with the Packers, worth $37.5 million, on July 28, 2006...
. Matthews ranked fourth in the NFL with 13.5 sacks, while Hawk led the team in combined tackles (111) and intercepted three passes. Three of the Packers starters in the secondary had made the pro bowl. Tramon Williams
Tramon Williams
Tramon Vernell Williams is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League...
led the team with a career high 6 interceptions, while adding 326 punt return yards. Other pro bowl selections included safety Nick Collins
Nick Collins
Nicholas Cardell Collins is an American football free safety who plays for the Green Bay Packers of the NFL.-High school:...
(4 interceptions and 70 combined tackles) and hard hitting 13-year veteran cornerback Charles Woodson
Charles Woodson
Charles C. Woodson is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Michigan for the Michigan Wolverines. In 1997, Woodson led the Wolverines to a national championship...
, who recorded 92 total tackles and forced five fumbles, while also intercepting two passes.
The Packers entered the Super Bowl never having trailed by more than 7 points at any point during the season — a feat that had never been accomplished during a complete season in the Super Bowl era. The last team to complete a season with this distinction was the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in 1962
1962 Detroit Lions season
The 1962 Detroit Lions season was the 33rd season in franchise history.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:-Playoff Bowl:The game was played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. -Awards and records:...
. In the Super Bowl game itself, the Packers never trailed.
Playoffs
Pittsburgh advanced to the Super Bowl with two close wins in the playoffs. After a first-round bye, the Steelers defeated their division rival, the #5 Baltimore Ravens2010 Baltimore Ravens season
The 2010 Baltimore Ravens season was the 15th for the team in the National Football League and city of Baltimore, Maryland, and the 13th to host home games at M&T Bank Stadium. They played in the NFL's American Football Conference North Division...
31–24, with Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
's 58-yard completion to Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown (wide receiver b. 1988)
Antonio Brown is an American football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played collegiate football for the Central Michigan Chippewas. While at Central Michigan, he was named a first-team All-American by The Sporting News as a punt returner in 2008 and 2009...
on third down and 19 setting up Rashard Mendenhall
Rashard Mendenhall
Rashard Jamal Mendenhall is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers 23rd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Illinois....
's game winning 2-yard touchdown run with 1:33 left in the game. Roethlisberger finished with 226 passing yards and two touchdowns, while the defense forced three turnovers and sacked Baltimore QB Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco
Flacco was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 18th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft, becoming the highest drafted player ever from the University of Delaware...
five times, three by James Harrison.
Then the Steelers defeated the #6 New York Jets
2010 New York Jets season
The 2010 New York Jets season was the franchise's 41st season in the National Football League, the 51st season overall and the team's first season at New Meadowlands Stadium. The team improved on their 9–7 record from 2009 and reached the playoffs again. The Jets played their first pre-season game...
24–19 in the AFC title game. Pittsburgh seemed to be in complete control at first, taking a 24–0 lead in the first half. New York quarterback Mark Sanchez
Mark Sanchez
Mark Travis John Sanchez is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League . He was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft as the fifth overall selection by the Jets and the second quarterback taken overall...
rallied his team back, cutting the score to 24–10 going into the fourth quarter. The Jets then drove to the Steelers 2-yard line on a 17-play drive, but the Pittsburgh defense made a key stand, keeping them out of the end zone on four consecutive plays near the goal-line to force a turnover. New York subsequently forced a safety and scored a touchdown with just over three minutes left, but Roethlisberger's 14-yard completions to Brown and Heath Miller
Heath Miller
Earl Heath Miller, Jr. is an American football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. He was selected as the 30th overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft out of the University of Virginia.-Early years:...
allowed Pittsburgh to hang on to the ball until time expired. Mendenhall finished with 121 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with 2 catches for 32 yards.
Green Bay started off their postseason with a 21–16 win over the #3 Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
after Tramon Williams
Tramon Williams
Tramon Vernell Williams is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League...
intercepted a pass from Michael Vick
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
in the end zone with less than a minute left to play. Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Rodgers was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers...
threw for 180 yards and three touchdowns while James Starks
James Starks
James Darell Starks is an American football running back for the Green Bay Packers. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, .-High school:James attended high school in Niagara Falls, New York...
, who only rushed for 101 yards during the season, rushed for 123 yards in the game.
The Packers then went to Georgia, where the top-seeded 13–3 Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
were waiting. Although the Falcons took advantage of an early turnover and a kick return touchdown to build a 14–7 lead, Green Bay quickly buried the Falcons with 35 straight points. By the end of the first half, the Packers held a 28–14 lead, and went on to win comfortably, 48–21. Rodgers was nearly perfect, completing 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another score on the ground. Jordy Nelson
Jordy Nelson
Jordy Ray Nelson is an American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas State....
and James Jones
James Jones (wide receiver)
James Deandre Jones is an American football wide receiver with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Packers in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
both had touchdown catches, while John Kuhn
John Kuhn
John Allen Kuhn is an American football fullback, currently playing for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2005. John attended Dover Area High School in Dover, Pennsylvania...
added scores by air and ground and Tramon Williams returned one of his two interceptions 70 yards for a touchdown. Green Bay's special teams unit never had to punt the ball, while Mason Crosby
Mason Crosby
Mason Walker Crosby , is a professional American football placekicker for the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League. During his playing days at the University of Colorado, Crosby was widely considered the best kicker in college football, as evidenced by ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.'s...
contributed two field goals.
Green Bay next faced the #2 Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the NFC championship game, beating them 21–14. This time Rodgers had a rougher day than his previous two games, throwing no touchdown passes and being intercepted twice. But he still threw for 244 yards and scored a 1-yard touchdown run, while Starks added 74 rushing yards, including a touchdown run in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Green Bay's defense knocked Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler
Jay Cutler (American football)
Jay Christopher Cutler is a quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He played football at Vanderbilt University. Cutler began his professional football career with the Denver Broncos, who selected him as the 11th overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft...
out of the game and intercepted three passes, one of which was returned 18 yards for a touchdown by B. J. Raji
B. J. Raji
-Green Bay Packers:Raji was selected ninth overall by the Green Bay Packers in the 2009 NFL Draft. He was worked into defensive coordinator Dom Capers' brand new 3-4 scheme during the start of the Packers 2009 season, and was regarded as a defensive corner. Raji held out during the 2009 training...
. The other two were made by rookie Sam Shields
Sam Shields
Samuel George Shields III is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2010...
, who recorded his second interception near his own end zone with 37 seconds left to put the game away.
Possible Presidential appearance
During a press conference on January 19, 2011, PresidentPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
(a longtime Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
fan) said he would attend Super Bowl XLV if the Chicago Bears defeated the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, saying "If the Bears win, I’m going no doubt". Chicago ended up losing the NFC Championship game a few days later on January 23 to Green Bay 21–14. In a post-game locker-room speech by Green Bay Packers corner Charles Woodson
Charles Woodson
Charles C. Woodson is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Michigan for the Michigan Wolverines. In 1997, Woodson led the Wolverines to a national championship...
he poked fun at the President's comment saying "The President don't want to come watch us at the Super Bowl, guess what? We're going to see him" (implying that Green Bay would win the Super Bowl and visit the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
as the winning team does each year; a statement that would come true). Woodson then broke the Packers meeting with a team cheer of "White House!". On January 26 President Obama visited Green Bay and was greeted by Mayor Jim Schmitt
Jim Schmitt
James J. Schmitt is an American Republican politician. He is a graduate of Roncalli High School in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and St...
and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker
Scott Walker (politician)
Scott Kevin Walker is an American Republican politician who began serving as the 45th Governor of Wisconsin on January 3, 2011, after defeating Democratic candidate Tom Barrett, 52 percent to 47 percent in the November 2010 general election...
who presented the President with two Green Bay Packers Jerseys. The first had Obama's name on the back with the number 1 and the second was an autographed Charles Woodson jersey with the message "See you at the White House. Go Packers!" written on the back by Woodson.
On August 12, 2011, Woodson's promise came true and Packers visited the White House and met with President Obama. Their visit was delayed because of the NFL lockout and took place a day before the Packers first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. President Obama was presented with a Packers jersey with the number 1 and the words Commander-In-Chief on the back. He was also presented with a stock share of the Packers organization, thus making him a part owner of the Packers. When Obama jokingly asked if this meant he could trade Aaron Rodgers to the Bears, Woodson responded that Obama was just "a minority owner."
Obama, who is also a Steelers fan
Steeler Nation
Steeler Nation is the unofficial name of the fan base of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, coined by NFL Films narrator John Facenda in "Blueprint for Victory," the team's 1975 highlights film...
and considers the team to be his second-favorite after the Bears, openly supported the Steelers two years earlier in Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
after the Rooney family
Rooney family
The Rooney family has been the majority owners and operators of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania since the formation of the franchise in 1933. Art Rooney was the founder and owner of the team until his death in 1988; ownership of the team was then transferred to...
helped with his campaigning work
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
and later appointed Steelers chairman Dan Rooney
Dan Rooney
Daniel Milton "Dan" Rooney is the United States Ambassador to Ireland. He is chairman emeritus of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team in the National Football League , which was founded by his father, Art Rooney. Rooney was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000 for his contributions...
, an ethnic Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
, the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland
United States Ambassador to Ireland
There have been a total of 30 Ambassadors of the United States to Ireland meaning the Republic of Ireland. All except one, Frederick A. Sterling, have been non-career appointees, while there were three under President George W. Bush.-List of Ambassadors:...
. He did not attend the game; instead, he hosted a 100-person Super Bowl party at the White House. Attendees included his family, elected leaders from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, DNC member Andres Lopez of Puerto Rico, Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
mayor Byron Brown
Byron Brown
Byron William Brown II is the 58th and current mayor of Buffalo, New York, elected on November 8, 2005 and is the city's first African-American mayor. He previously served Western New York as a member of the New York State Senate and Buffalo Common Council...
, Buffalo deputy mayor Steve Casey, Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
mayor Cory Booker
Cory Booker
Cory Anthony Booker is the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Booker is a former Newark City Councilman...
, Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
and her husband Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...
, both actors/singers, and ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
columnist Michael Wilbon
Michael Wilbon
Michael Ray Wilbon is a former sportswriter and columnist for the Washington Post and current ESPN commentator. He serves as an analyst for ESPN and co-hosts Pardon the Interruption on ESPN with former Post writer Tony Kornheiser, and has been doing so since 2001.-Career:Wilbon began working for...
.
Although the sitting president did not attend the game, former president and former Texas governor George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
was present, along with his wife Laura
Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...
and former Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
.
Super Bowl pregame news and notes
Both teams are known to have sizable fanbases that often travel to away games, largely due to the home games themselves having decades-long waiting listsNFL season ticket waiting lists
The National Football League has enjoyed success in selling out many of their venues from season ticket sales alone. Out of 32 teams in the league, 24 claim to have waiting lists from under 1,000 people to over 150,000. For some fans, this means a wait not just of years, but decades...
. In August 2008, ESPN.com
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
ranked the two teams tied as having the best fans in the NFL. ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's own John Clayton
John Clayton (sportscaster)
John Travis Clayton is a National Football League writer and reporter for ESPN. He is also a senior writer for ESPN.com.-Early career:...
, a Pittsburgh native, broke the tie in favor of the Steelers.
As the Packers were the designated home team in the annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, the team elected to wear their green jerseys. Although both teams are known to wear their colored jerseys at home and have rarely worn white at home (the Packers wore white at home for two games in 1989), the Packers decision contrasted with the Steelers decision as the home team in Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
to wear white jerseys. Both the 2005 Steelers
2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers season began with the team trying to improve on their 15–1 record from 2004 in which they lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field. The Steelers, with the sixth and final seed to the playoffs, became just the second team ever to win...
and 2010 Packers were #6 seeded teams when they reached the Super Bowl, forcing them to play all of their postseason games on the road and wearing their respective white jerseys in those games.
The retractable roof
Retractable roof
A retractable roof is a kinetic architectural element used in many sports venues, in which a roof made of a suitable material can readily be mechanically deployed from some retracted or open position into a closed or extended position that completely covers the field of play and spectator areas...
at Cowboys Stadium was closed for the game.
A severe winter storm blanketed the Dallas-Fort Worth area in hard ice and snow the week before the game, threatening to disrupt game preparations. Snow fell from the roof of Cowboys Stadium's East end on February 4, injuring six people. Over 3,000 tickets were sold to watch the game in the stadium's East Plaza, which experienced the falling ice tragedy earlier in the week. However, the snow had melted by game time and fans who paid $200 per ticket were allowed to watch the game outside Cowboys Stadium, in the open air, as the weather turned from sleet to sun.
Since the Steelers and Packers were two of the six teams that did not have cheerleaders during the 2010 NFL season (the others being the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
), this marked the first Super Bowl without cheerleaders.
The Steelers entered Cowboys Stadium field first, as they were the designated "visitors," to "Right Here, Right Now" by Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
.
The Packers entered last, as they were the "home" team, to "Get Ready for This
Get Ready for This
"Get Ready for This" was later remixed and re-released for 2 Unlimited's compilation album Greatest Hits Remixes.-Dancemania:The song has appeared on the eurodance compilation Dancemania series albums, including Dancemania Super Techno II , Dancemania Speed 6 and Dancemania Super Techno Best...
" by 2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited is a Dutch Eurodance/Hi-NRG act formed in 1991. The project was the brainchild of Belgian producers Jean-Paul DeCoster and Phil Wilde, and was fronted by a Dutch duo, rapper Ray Slijngaard and singer Anita Doth. During five years of enormous worldwide popularity, the act scored 16 chart...
.
Packers lineman, Bryan Bulaga
Bryan Bulaga
-Green Bay Packers:Bulaga began the 2010 season as a back-up offensive lineman before getting his first start in the fifth week against the Washington Redskins. He went to start every game for the rest of the season, eventually being named to the NFL All-Rookie team. Bryan became the youngest...
, became the youngest player to start in a Super Bowl, at the age of 21 years and 322 days old. Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey
Maurkice Pouncey
The Pittsburgh Steelers chose Pouncey in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. His rookie year, he started in all 16 games played at the center position, and was selected to the Pro Bowl.-Personal:...
would have been the youngest player (21 years, 197 days), but he could not play because of a high ankle sprain.
Attendance
Cowboys Stadium installed 15,000 temporary seats and utilized its standing room to increase its capacity to over 105,000 fans. If the stadium had been filled to capacity (its record for an NFL game is 105,121 spectators), it would have set a record for Super Bowl attendance, breaking the previous record of 103,985 fans for Super Bowl XIVSuper Bowl XIV
Super Bowl XIV was an American football game played on January 20, 1980 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1979 regular season...
in the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl (stadium)
The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, U.S., in Los Angeles County. The stadium is the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day. In 1982, it became the home field of the UCLA Bruins college football team of the Pac-12...
; however the actual attendance of 103,219 fell 766 fans short. League officials had indicated that they would also count spectators watching the game on large television screens from outside the stadium in the tally, which generally is not allowed in official attendance counts.
Due to numerous delays, 1,250 temporary seats weren't ready in time for the game. According to a police officer standing near the affected area, the seats hadn't been installed in time for the fire marshal to inspect them. The NFL scrambled almost until kickoff to find replacement seats. Eventually, 850 fans in four sections were relocated, while 400 fans in two sections were given a refund equivalent to three times the face value of their ticket. The latter set of fans were later offered the chance to watch the game on monitors in the North Field Club behind the Steelers bench, but would still get the triple refund. Some of these fans were still upset, since they had spent thousands on airfare and hotels. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said that when the league decided to relocate the 850 fans, it lost any shot of setting the attendance record.
The NFL subsequently offered affected fans a ticket to the next Super Bowl in addition to the refund. It also offered fans the option of a ticket to any future Super Bowl, along with round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations. However, this wasn't enough to mollify several fans, who on February 9 filed a $5 million class-action lawsuit against the NFL, the Cowboys and Jones. In addition to Steelers and Packers fans left without seats, the suit includes Cowboys fans who paid $100,000 for personal seat license
Personal Seat License
A personal seat license, or PSL, gives the holder the right to buy season tickets for a certain seat in a stadium. This holder can sell the seat license to someone else if they no longer wish to purchase season tickets. However, if the seat license holder chooses not to sell the seat licenses and...
s, only to have to watch the Super Bowl in metal folding chairs without a view of the stadium's giant video replay board. The NFL at first offered $2,400 to fans who did not receive a replacement seat, but later offered tickets to a future Super Bowl with airfare and hotels included.
Game summary
After the first three drives of the game ended with punts, Green Bay opened up the scoring with Aaron RodgersAaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Rodgers was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers...
' 29-yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson
Jordy Nelson
Jordy Ray Nelson is an American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas State....
, who managed to pull slightly ahead of cornerback William Gay
William Gay (cornerback)
William Gay is an American football cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, formerly of the University of Louisville football team. He was chosen by the Steelers with the 170th pick of the 2007 NFL Draft.-College career:...
enough to make a leaping catch and fall into the end zone. Then on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
was hit by Howard Green
Howard Green (American football)
Howard Green, Jr. is an American football nose tackle who currently plays for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
as he threw a pass, causing the ball to go well short of his intended target near the left sideline where it was intercepted by Nick Collins
Nick Collins
Nicholas Cardell Collins is an American football free safety who plays for the Green Bay Packers of the NFL.-High school:...
and returned 37 yards for a touchdown, giving Green Bay a 14–0 lead. This score continued the streak of Super Bowl victories recorded by teams scoring on an interception runback. They are now 11–0 in such games. It was also the third consecutive Super Bowl with an interception return for a touchdown, as well as the eighth such score in the last ten Super Bowls.
This time Pittsburgh managed to respond, driving 49 yards in 13 plays including Roethlisberger's 18-yard run on 3rd down and 9. Shaun Suisham
Shaun Suisham
Shaun Christopher Suisham is a Canadian placekicker of American football for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League . He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
finished the drive with a 33-yard field goal to cut the score to 14–3. Then after forcing a punt, the Steelers drove to midfield, but turned the ball over again when Roethlisberger's pass was intercepted by defensive back Jarrett Bush
Jarrett Bush
Jarrett Bush is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2006, but was claimed by Green Bay immediately following the preseason of his rookie year and has played there...
at the 47. Then Rodgers led the Packers to another score, completing two passes for 20 yards before James Starks
James Starks
James Darell Starks is an American football running back for the Green Bay Packers. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, .-High school:James attended high school in Niagara Falls, New York...
' 12-yard run moved the ball to the 21-yard line. On the next play, Green Bay increased their lead to 21–3 with Rodgers' 21-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings
Greg Jennings
Gregory Jennings, Jr. is a professional American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League...
. Taking the ball back with 2:24 left in the second quarter, Roethlisberger made a 37-yard completion to Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He attended Indiana University, after turning down a Major League Baseball draft selection by the Chicago Cubs in 1997...
on their first play. After that, receiver Hines Ward
Hines Ward
Hines E. Ward, Jr. is an American football player who currently plays the wide receiver position for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, where he is the longest-tenured current player on the team. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL. He played college football at the University of Georgia...
caught 3 passes for 39 yards on the drive, the last one an 8-yard touchdown catch with 37 seconds left in the half, making the score 21–10 at halftime. This was the fourth time in their four 2011 postseason games that the Packers finished the first half with a lead of at least 11 points. The first half had taken a heavy toll on both teams. The Steelers lost receiver Emmanuel Sanders
Emmanuel Sanders
Emmanuel Sanders is an American football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
to injury, while the Packers lost receiver Donald Driver
Donald Driver
Donald Jerome Driver is an American football wide receiver and children's author. He plays for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League...
along with defensive backs Charles Woodson
Charles Woodson
Charles C. Woodson is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Michigan for the Michigan Wolverines. In 1997, Woodson led the Wolverines to a national championship...
and Sam Shields
Sam Shields
Samuel George Shields III is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2010...
. Shields would be the only player among them who would return.
Pittsburgh's defense forced Green Bay to punt on the first drive of the second half, and got the ball at midfield after a facemask call on Tom Crabtree
Tom Crabtree (American football)
Thomas Lewis Crabtree is an American football tight end for the Green Bay Packers.-Family:Married June 28th, 2009 to Chelsea Crabtree. Has a son Bryce Thomas Crabtree born October 14th, 2010...
while tackling Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown (wide receiver b. 1988)
Antonio Brown is an American football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played collegiate football for the Central Michigan Chippewas. While at Central Michigan, he was named a first-team All-American by The Sporting News as a punt returner in 2008 and 2009...
on the punt return. The offense then scored in five plays (all runs). First Rashard Mendenhall
Rashard Mendenhall
Rashard Jamal Mendenhall is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers 23rd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Illinois....
broke free along with right sideline for a 17-yard run, then Isaac Redman
Isaac Redman
Isaac Redman is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland.-Early years:Redman played high school football...
rushed for 3 yards, and Roethlisberger ran for 6, bringing up third down and 1. On the next play, Redman tried to run up the middle, but was held up at the line, so he backed away and ran to the outside for a 16-yard gain to the 8-yard line. Then Mendenhall scored an 8-yard touchdown run on the next play, making the score 21–17. After forcing a punt, Pittsburgh mounted a drive to the Packers 29-yard line, but Green Bay's defense made a stand. First Roethlisberger's pass was batted down behind the line by linebacker Clay Matthews
Clay Matthews III
William Clay Matthews III is an American football linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers 26th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Southern California.-Early years:Matthews was born in the Los...
, then Roethlisberger tried a screen pass
Screen pass
A screen pass is a type of play in American football. During a screen pass, a number of things happen concurrently in order to fool the defense into thinking a long pass is being thrown, when in fact the pass is merely a short one, just beyond the defensive linemen. Screens are usually deployed...
to tight end Heath Miller
Heath Miller
Earl Heath Miller, Jr. is an American football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. He was selected as the 30th overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft out of the University of Virginia.-Early years:...
, but Desmond Bishop
Desmond Bishop
Desmond Lamont Bishop is an American football linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at California....
tackled him for a 3-yard loss. Then on third down Frank Zombo
Frank Zombo
Frank William Zombo III is an American football professional linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Central Michigan.-Early years:Zombo graduated from Adlai E...
sacked Roethlisberger on the 34, and Suisham's ensuing 52-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Steelers lost their third turnover of the game when Mendenhall fumbled the ball while being tackled behind the line by Matthews and Ryan Pickett
Ryan Pickett
-St. Louis Rams:Pickett was selected with the 29th pick of the first round in the 2001 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. On July 28, 2001, Pickett signed a five-year, $5.995 million contract with the Rams. Pickett's contract includes a $2.615 million signing bonuses...
. Bishop recovered the ball and returned it 7 yards to the Packers 45. Five plays later on third down and 10, Rodgers completed a 38-yard pass to Nelson at the Steelers 2-yard line. Pittsburgh linebacker LaMarr Woodley sacked Rodgers for a 6-yard loss on the next play, but Rodgers threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jennings after that, increasing the Packers lead to 28–17. Roethlisberger led the Steelers right back with 6 of 7 completions. After a 9-yard pass to tight end Matt Spaeth
Matt Spaeth
Matt Spaeth is an American football tight end for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
, he threw three completions to receiver Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace (American football)
-Pittsburgh Steelers:Wallace was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft with the 84th overall selection. Wallace was the 11th wide receiver chosen in the draft. On June 18, 2009, Wallace signed a three year contract with the Steelers worth $1.740 million which...
for 27 yards to the Green Bay 40-yard line. Then after a 15-yard completion to Ward, he finished the drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Wallace. On the two-point conversion play, Roethlisberger faked a handoff to Mendenhall and ran up to the line before pitching the ball to Randle El, who scored on an outside sweep, cutting the Steelers deficit to 3 points at 28–25.
Green Bay took the ball back with just over 7 minutes left, and found themselves facing third down and 10 after two plays, but Rodgers kept the drive going with a 31-yard completion to Jennings over the middle. Starks then ran 14 yards to the Steelers 30. Two plays later, James Jones
James Jones (wide receiver)
James Deandre Jones is an American football wide receiver with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Packers in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
caught a 21-yard pass at the 8. The Steelers defense kept Green Bay out of the end zone, causing them to settle for Mason Crosby
Mason Crosby
Mason Walker Crosby , is a professional American football placekicker for the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League. During his playing days at the University of Colorado, Crosby was widely considered the best kicker in college football, as evidenced by ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.'s...
's 23-yard field goal that gave Green Bay a 31–25 lead with 2:07 left in regulation.
Pittsburgh got the ball back on their own 13-yard line following a penalty on the kickoff. On their first play, Roethlisberger completed a 15-yard pass to Miller. But after a 5-yard reception by Ward, his next three passes were incomplete, turning the ball over and allowing the Packers to run out the rest of the clock.
Nelson was the top receiver of the game with 9 receptions for 140 yards (both career highs) and a touchdown, while also gaining 19 more yards on a kick return, all despite 3 dropped passes. Jennings added 64 yards and 2 touchdowns. Roethlisberger completed 25 of 40 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns, with 2 interceptions, and ran for 31 yards. His top target was Wallace, who caught 9 passes for 89 yards and a score. Mendenhall was the top rusher of the game with 64 yards and a touchdown.
Box score
Starting lineups
- Source: http://www.nfl.com/liveupdate/gamecenter/55162/GB_Gamebook.pdf
| Pittsburgh | Position | Position | Green Bay |
|---|---|---|---|
| OFFENSE | |||
| Ben Roethlisberger Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft... |
QB | Aaron Rodgers Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Rodgers was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers... |
|
| Hines Ward Hines Ward Hines E. Ward, Jr. is an American football player who currently plays the wide receiver position for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, where he is the longest-tenured current player on the team. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL. He played college football at the University of Georgia... |
WR | Greg Jennings Greg Jennings Gregory Jennings, Jr. is a professional American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League... |
|
| Jonathan Scott | LT | Chad Clifton Chad Clifton Jeffrey Chad Clifton is an American football offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee.... |
|
| Chris Kemoeatu Chris Kemoeatu Uikelotu Christopher "Chris" Kemoeatu is a Tongan professional American football player who is currently a guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League . He played college football for the University of Utah Utes, and was drafted by the Steelers in the sixth round of the 2005... |
LG | Daryn Colledge Daryn Colledge Daryn Wayne Colledge is an American football offensive guard for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League.-High school:... |
|
| Doug Legursky Doug Legursky Wayne Douglas "Doug" Legursky is an American football center and right guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Marshall.-High-School:He played at Woodrow Wilson High School in... |
C | Scott Wells Scott Wells Scott Darvin Wells is a National Football League offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers.-High school:... |
|
| Ramon Foster Ramon Foster Ramon Foster is an American football offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He is the brother of St. Louis Rams offensive lineman, Renardo Foster. He played college football at Tennessee where he played in a career total of 44 games and also earned All-SEC... |
RG | Josh Sitton Josh Sitton -Green Bay Packers:In 2010, he was named Offensive Lineman of the Year by the NFL Alumni Association and was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate.On September 2nd, 2011, the Packers signed Sitton to a five-year contract extension.-External links:**... |
|
| Flozell Adams Flozell Adams Flozell "The Hotel" Adams is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.... |
RT | Bryan Bulaga Bryan Bulaga -Green Bay Packers:Bulaga began the 2010 season as a back-up offensive lineman before getting his first start in the fifth week against the Washington Redskins. He went to start every game for the rest of the season, eventually being named to the NFL All-Rookie team. Bryan became the youngest... |
|
| Rashard Mendenhall Rashard Mendenhall Rashard Jamal Mendenhall is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers 23rd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Illinois.... |
RB | James Starks James Starks James Darell Starks is an American football running back for the Green Bay Packers. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, .-High school:James attended high school in Niagara Falls, New York... |
|
| Heath Miller Heath Miller Earl Heath Miller, Jr. is an American football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. He was selected as the 30th overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft out of the University of Virginia.-Early years:... |
TE | WR | James Jones James Jones (wide receiver) James Deandre Jones is an American football wide receiver with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Packers in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft... |
| David Johnson David Johnson (tight end) David Johnson is an American football Fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League... |
FB | WR | Donald Driver Donald Driver Donald Jerome Driver is an American football wide receiver and children's author. He plays for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League... |
| Matt Spaeth Matt Spaeth Matt Spaeth is an American football tight end for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft... |
TE | WR | Jordy Nelson Jordy Nelson Jordy Ray Nelson is an American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas State.... |
| DEFENSE | |||
| Casey Hampton Casey Hampton Casey "Big Snack" Hampton, Jr. is an American football nose tackle who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League.-Early years:... |
NT | B. J. Raji B. J. Raji -Green Bay Packers:Raji was selected ninth overall by the Green Bay Packers in the 2009 NFL Draft. He was worked into defensive coordinator Dom Capers' brand new 3-4 scheme during the start of the Packers 2009 season, and was regarded as a defensive corner. Raji held out during the 2009 training... |
|
| Brett Keisel Brett Keisel Brett "The Diesel" Keisel is an American Football player who starts at defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brett hails from Greybull, Wyoming.-College career:... |
DE | Cullen Jenkins Cullen Jenkins Cullen Darome Jenkins is an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2003... |
|
| LaMarr Woodley | LOLB | Clay Matthews Clay Matthews III William Clay Matthews III is an American football linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers 26th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Southern California.-Early years:Matthews was born in the Los... |
|
| James Farrior James Farrior James Alfred Farrior is an American football player who currently plays as an inside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Virginia, and played with the New York Jets from 1997 to 2001.-Early years:Farrior was born... |
LILB | A. J. Hawk A. J. Hawk -Green Bay Packers:On April 29, 2006 Hawk was drafted in the 1st round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. He was the 5th overall pick of the draft. He signed a 6-year contract with the Packers, worth $37.5 million, on July 28, 2006... |
|
| Lawrence Timmons Lawrence Timmons Lawrence Olajuwon Timmons is an American football linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was drafted by the Steelers 15th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State University.-Early years:... |
RILB | Desmond Bishop Desmond Bishop Desmond Lamont Bishop is an American football linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Packers in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.... |
|
| James Harrison | ROLB | Frank Zombo Frank Zombo Frank William Zombo III is an American football professional linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Central Michigan.-Early years:Zombo graduated from Adlai E... |
|
| Bryant McFadden Bryant McFadden Bryant McFadden is an American football cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.McFadden has also played for the Arizona Cardinals... |
LCB | Charles Woodson Charles Woodson Charles C. Woodson is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Michigan for the Michigan Wolverines. In 1997, Woodson led the Wolverines to a national championship... |
|
| Ike Taylor Ike Taylor Ivan "Ike" Taylor is an American football defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League... |
RCB | Tramon Williams Tramon Williams Tramon Vernell Williams is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League... |
|
| Ryan Clark Ryan Clark (American football) Ryan Terry Clark is an American football safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2002... |
FS | Nick Collins Nick Collins Nicholas Cardell Collins is an American football free safety who plays for the Green Bay Packers of the NFL.-High school:... |
|
| Troy Polamalu Troy Polamalu Troy Aumua Polamalu is an American football strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He played college football at the University of Southern California.-High school:Troy Polamalu graduated... |
SS | RDE | Howard Green Howard Green (American football) Howard Green, Jr. is an American football nose tackle who currently plays for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft... |
| William Gay William Gay (cornerback) William Gay is an American football cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, formerly of the University of Louisville football team. He was chosen by the Steelers with the 170th pick of the 2007 NFL Draft.-College career:... |
CB | LDE | Ryan Pickett Ryan Pickett -St. Louis Rams:Pickett was selected with the 29th pick of the first round in the 2001 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. On July 28, 2001, Pickett signed a five-year, $5.995 million contract with the Rams. Pickett's contract includes a $2.615 million signing bonuses... |
USA
Fox SportsNFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
televised the game in the United States, with Joe Buck
Joe Buck
Joseph Francis "Joe" Buck is an American sportscaster and the son of legendary sportscaster Jack Buck. He has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards for his play-by-play work with Fox Sports.-Education:...
as the play-by-play announcer and Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played twelve consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Cowboys...
, himself a three-time Super Bowl winner as a Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
quarterback, as the color analyst. Mike Pereira
Mike Pereira
Mike Pereira is a former Vice President of Officiating for the National Football League . He first took over the position in 2001, succeeding Jerry Seeman. He was also a game official in the NFL for two seasons as a side judge on the officiating crew headed by referee Mike Carey...
joined Buck and Aikman in the broadcast booth to comment on instant replay reviews, while Pam Oliver
Pam Oliver
Pamela Donielle "Pam" Oliver is an American sportscaster known for her work on the sidelines for various NBA and NFL games.-Early life:...
and Chris Myers
Chris Myers
Christopher Patrick "Chris" Myers ) is an American sportscaster.-Biography:With more than 20 years in broadcasting, Chris Myers has covered premiere events, including the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, NCAA Final Four, The Masters and U.S...
served as sideline reporter
Sideline reporter
A sideline reporter, also known as a field reporter, courtside reporter , clubhouse reporter or dugout reporter , rinkside reporter or inside-the-glass reporter , on-court reporter , hole reporter , or boundary rider , is a member of the...
s. The pre-game show featured the Fox NFL Sunday
FOX NFL Sunday
Fox NFL Sunday is the pregame show for the TV show NFL on Fox. The program is broadcast on Fox television affiliates nationwide. The audio portion of the show is broadcast over the Fox Sports Radio network, distributed by Premiere Radio Networks...
crew of host Curt Menefee
Curt Menefee
Curt Menefee , is an American sportscaster who is the host of the Fox network's NFL show Fox NFL Sunday. His co-hosts are Jimmy Johnson, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Michael Strahan....
and a group of analysts with extensive Super Bowl experiences of their own: Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
(4 time Super Bowl winning QB with the Pittsburgh Steelers), Howie Long
Howie Long
Howard "Howie" Matthew Moses Long is an American former National Football League defensive end and actor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000...
(one-time Super Bowl winning defensive end with the then-Los Angeles Raiders), Michael Strahan
Michael Strahan
Michael Anthony Strahan is a former National Football League defensive end who played his entire career for the New York Giants; a career where he set the record for the most sacks in a single season and won a Super Bowl in his final year. He is currently a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, and...
(one-time Super Bowl winning defensive end with the NY Giants) and Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
(two-time Super Bowl winning head coach with the Cowboys). They were joined by a variety of other commentators.
Five days prior to the game, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security , responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security...
, along with the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, seized and shut down several websites that had provided access to pirated Internet television
Internet television
Internet television is the digital distribution of television content via the Internet...
feeds of NFL games.
With an average US audience of 111 million viewers, this was the most-watched Super Bowl as well as the most-watched progam of any kind in American television history, beating the previous record of 106.5 million viewers for Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of...
.
An estimated 162.9 million total viewers watched all or part of the game. The game drew a national household Nielsen rating of 46.0 and a 69 share. It drew a 59.7 local rating in both Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, the second-highest local rating for a Super Bowl after the 63.0 that Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX
Super Bowl XX was an American football championship game played on January 26, 1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1985 regular season...
drew in Chicago. In the host market of Dallas-Ft. Worth, the game drew a 53.7 rating.
The Steelers also became the second team to appear on Super Bowls on all four major networks, after the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The Steelers appeared previously on four NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
-aired Super Bowls (IX
Super Bowl IX
Super Bowl IX was an American football game played on January 12, 1975 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1974 regular season. It would be the last pro game at legendary Tulane Stadium...
, XIII
Super Bowl XIII
Super Bowl XIII was an American football game played on January 21, 1979 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1978 regular season...
, XXX
Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX was an American football game played on January 28, 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to decide the National Football League champion following the 1995 regular season...
, XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
), two CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
-aired Super Bowls (X
Super Bowl X
Super Bowl X was an American football game played on January 18, 1976 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1975 regular season....
, XIV
Super Bowl XIV
Super Bowl XIV was an American football game played on January 20, 1980 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1979 regular season...
), and one ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
-aired Super Bowl (XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
).
Advertising
By September 15, 2010, Fox had sold 90% of all available slots; all slots were completely sold out by October. The price of an advertisement began at US$3,000,000. Pepsi-Cola returned after a one-year retreat with three ads for their Pepsi MaxPepsi Max
Pepsi Max is a low-calorie, sugar-free cola, marketed by PepsiCo as an alternative to Pepsi and Diet Pepsi.It differs from Pepsi in that it contains aspartame, potassium benzoate, acesulfame potassium, calcium disodium EDTA and panax ginseng extract while it does not contain high fructose corn...
drink, which has been named as the official soft drink of the NFL. Pepsi's Frito-Lay
Frito-Lay
Frito-Lay North America is the division of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets and sells corn chips, potato chips and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips,...
brand also advertised Doritos
Doritos
Doritos is a brand of seasoned tortilla chips created by Arch West and produced since 1964 by the American food company Frito-Lay ....
. Both brands had their advertisements created by web users as part of the annual USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter
USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter
The USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter is an annual survey taken of television commercials by the USA Today newspaper in a live poll during the telecast in the United States of the annual professional American football championship game of the National Football League...
contest, which offers a prize of US $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
5 million. In addition, regular purchasers Anheuser-Busch InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev N.V. is a Belgian-Brazilian publicly-traded company, based in Leuven, Belgium. It is the largest global brewer with nearly 25% global market share and one of the world's top five consumer products companies by EBITA....
, GoDaddy.com
Go Daddy
Go Daddy is an Internet domain registrar and Web hosting company that also sells e-business related software and services. In 2010, it reached more than 45 million domain names under management. Go Daddy is currently the largest ICANN-accredited registrar in the world, and is four times the size of...
, Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
, CareerBuilder.com, and E*TRADE purchased advertisements; InBev advertised Stella Artois
Stella Artois
Stella Artois is a 5% ABV lager brewed in Leuven, Belgium since 1926. In the UK, Canada and New Zealand a 4% ABV version is also available.-Production:...
imported beer for the first time in the Super Bowl in addition to its usual Budweiser
Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)
Budweiser is a 5.0% abv American-style lager introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch and one of the highest selling beers in the United States. It is made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt. Budweiser is produced in various breweries located around the world...
and Bud Light advertisements. Hyundai
Hyundai Motor Company
Hyundai Motor Company is a Korean multinational automaker based in Seoul, South Korea which, along with Kia, comprises the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, the world's fourth largest automaker as of 2009. As of 2011, it is the world's fastest growing automaker for two years running...
, Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
, Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
and Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
also advertised, as did General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, who returned for the first time since their bankruptcy with advertisements for the Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
Cruze
Chevrolet Cruze
The Chevrolet Cruze is a General Motors automobile, spanning two unrelated models. The original iteration, a subcompact crossover SUV, was manufactured by Suzuki in Japan between 2001 and 2008 under joint venture with GM...
, Camaro
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang...
, Silverado
Chevrolet Silverado
The Chevrolet Silverado , is the latest line of full-size pickup trucks from General Motors.-History:...
and Volt
Chevrolet Volt
The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle manufactured by General Motors. The Volt has been on sale in the U.S. market since mid-December 2010, and is the most fuel-efficient compact car sold in the United States, as rated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency...
. Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
purchased a 2-minute-long advertisement for its Chrysler 200
Chrysler 200
The Chrysler 200 is a mid-size sedan and convertible produced by Chrysler, being introduced for the 2011 model year. The Chrysler 200 is an update and new nameplate for the outgoing 2010 Chrysler Sebring....
featuring Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
.
Advertisements for 15 films were shown during the Pre-Game, Game, and Post-Game.
International
The game was shown live on the following channels:- AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
: All Sports NetworkAll Sports NetworkAll Sports Network a 24-hour Pan Asian sports channel featuring exclusive coverage of major American sports and other events from around the world including the U.S...
.-
Mainland China: DragonTVDragonTVShanghai Dragon Television or Dragon TV is a provincial satellite TV station. It launch in October 1998 as 'Shanghai Television' but changed its name to Dragon Television on October 23, 2003...
, G-SportsShanghai Media GroupShanghai Media Group , under the Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group , is a multimedia television and radio broadcasting, news and Internet company...
, GDTV SportsGuangdong TVGuangdong Television is a television network owned by Southern Media Corporation in Guangzhou, Guangdong province in China. Guangdong TV is the oldest television station in Guangdong province, based in Guangzhou, near the Guangzhou TV Station. The station covers Guangdong and Guangxi provinces...
, BTV Sports, CNTV 5+ (online), Sina TVSina.comSINA is an online media company for China and Chinese communities around the world. SINA operates four major business lines: Sina Weibo, SINA Mobile, SINA Online, and SINA.net. SINA has over 100 million registered users worldwide...
(online), QQLiveQQLiveQQlive is a live streaming video freeware created by Tencent, which takes advantages of advanced P2P streaming media technology to ensure program keep fluency with many people viewing at the same time. It attracts 3,000,000 visitors per day.- Introduction :...
(online), .
-
-
Australia: One HD & Network TenNetwork TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
. In addition it was also broadcast live on ESPN AustraliaESPN AustraliaESPN Australia is a 24 hour sports channel offered in Australia and New Zealand.Initially, ESPN was known as Sports ESPN on the Optus Vision cable television system, and focused on sports aired by its home network in the United States, including American football, baseball, and basketball...
. -
Canada: CTVCTV television networkCTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
in English (using the FOX feed) and RDSRéseau des sportsRéseau des sports , is a Canadian French language Category C specialty channel showing sports and sport-related shows. It is available in 2.5 million homes, and is owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc....
in French. As in past years, CTV exercised its simultaneous substitutionSimultaneous substitutionSimultaneous substitution is a practice mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requiring Canadian cable, direct broadcast satellite and multichannel multipoint distribution service television distribution companies to substitute the signal of a foreign or...
rights over American stations carrying the game on Canadian cable and satellite providers. -
Europe: ESPN America, in addition to the following local broadcasters:
-
Austria: Puls 4Puls 4Puls 4 is a terrestrial television channel in Austria. As its name implies, it is the fourth Austrian-wide full-service television channel, behind ORF eins, ORF 2, and ATV.-History:...
. -
Belgium: Prime Sport, BeTV. -
Denmark: TV3+TV3+ (Denmark)TV3+ Denmark is a general entertainment channel owned by Modern Times Group broadcasting to Denmark.TV3+ has its origins in the youth channel ZTV and women's channel TV6 that were launched in the mid-1990s when Kinnevik invested heavily in new free-to-air channels. In April 1996, Danish ZTV, TV6...
/TV3+ HDTV3+ HDTV3+ HD is a Danish high-definition television channel from Modern Times Group. The channel broadcasts high-definition simulcasts of TV3+, showing material available in HD in true HD, and upscaling the rest of the content....
. -
Finland: Nelonen Pro 1. -
Early Modern France: W9 (audience: 300,000). -
Germany: ARDDas ErsteErstes Deutsches Fernsehen , marketed as Das Erste , is the principal publicly owned television channel in Germany...
(audience: 970,000), Sport1+. -
Hungary and 
Kingdom of Romania: Sport 1Sport 1Sport 1 is a European sports channel which is currently available in Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania broadcasting in different languages...
. -
Italy: La7La7La7 is an Italian television channel owned by Telecom Italia Media and operated by Telecom Italia.-History:In 2001, Lorenzo Pellicioli and Roberto Colaninno, of Telecom Italia announced they had acquired Telemontecarlo, in order to create a strong competitor against the six other national channels...
, Dahlia TVDahlia TVDahlia TV was an Italian pay-per-view television network, available on digital terrestrial television, offering 12 Widescreen channels. Telecom Italia Media owns a 9% stake in the company.- Dahlia Calcio:...
. -
Israel: Sport 5Sport 5Sport 5 , also known as the Sports Channel is an Israeli television company. Available on cable and satellite , the company have seven channels which are devoted to sport.-Sport 5:...
. 
Norway: NRK (With the FOX feed and reactions from experts in studio during commercial breaks. The Bridgestone Halftime Show was also broadcast.)
Poland: Polsat SportPolsat SportPolsat Sport is a Polish sports channel owned by Polsat. It launched on 11 August 2000 and is available via satellite on Cyfrowy Polsat.-Logo History:-See also:* Polsat Sport HD* Polsat Sport Extra* Polsat Futbol...
.
Portugal: SportTVSport TVSportTV is the brand name for a group of seven Portuguese sports-oriented television channels. SportTV is the dominant subscription television sports brand in Portugal. The first channel, then known as only SportTV, was launched on 16 September 1998 and is produced by ZON Multimédia and...
.
Russia: NTV PlusNTV PlusNTV Plus is the brand name for the Russian digital satellite television service from NTV, transmitted from Eutelsat's W4 satellite at 36.0°E & from Bonum 1 at 56.0°E...
.
Slovenia: Šport TV 1Šport TV (Slovenia)Šport TV is Slovenia's first sport only public broadcasting channel. Based in the country's capital, Ljubljana. Television was launched on October 14, 2006....
.
Spain: Canal+.
Sweden: TV10TV10 (Sweden)TV10 is a television channel owned by Modern Times Group broadcasting to Sweden. It specializes in sports and documentaries. The channel started broadcasting on 7 September 2010....
.
Switzerland: SSFSchweizer SportfernsehenSchweizer Sportfernsehen is a swiss private TV broadcaster specialized in sport events. SSF was founded in 2007 and started broadcasting on the 1st of July 2009.-Program:* Monday Evening: "Kick it!" hosted by Claudia Lässer and Jörg Stiel...
.
United Kingdom and 
Republic of Ireland: BBC OneBBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
(audience: 1.01m), BBC One HDBBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
, Sky SportsSky SportsSky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
and Sky Sports HD.
-
- Latin AmericaLatin AmericaLatin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
: ESPN Latin AmericaESPN Latin AmericaESPN Latin America is an ESPN channel that broadcasts in Latin America, not to be confused with ESPN Deportes, which is another channel which broadcasts in the United States in Spanish. ESPN Latin America is not available in the U.S., because is not authorized to air most of the programming seen on...
and Fox Sports Latin America.-
Brazil: BandSportsBandSportsBandSports is a Brazilian cable television network that has its programming based on all sports, launched in 2002 by Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação....
, BandRede BandeirantesRede Bandeirantes , officially nicknamed Band or Band Network, is a television network from Brazil, based in São Paulo. Part of the Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação , it aired for the first time in 1967...
and ESPN BrasilESPN BrasilESPN Brasil is a Brazilian cable television network. Launched in June 1995 through a joint venture between ESPN Inc. and Grupo Abril's television arm TVA, ESPN Brasil was the first country-specific version of ESPN outside the United States. Today, the network has 12.2 million subscribers...
. -
Mexico: Azteca 7XHIMT-TVXHIMT is the callsign for the over the air Azteca 7 network flagship station in Mexico City . XHIMT provides some HD programming to cable and satellite viewers.-History:...
and Canal 5XHGC-TVXHGC-TV is a TV station owned by Televisa, broadcasting from Mexico City, and is the flagship of the Canal 5 network.-History:XHGC signed on May 10, 1952, broadcasting a Mother's Day event organized by the Excélsior newspaper; but the regular programming began at August 18, 1952.The station was...
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South Africa: ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
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Radio
Westwood OneNFL on Westwood One
The NFL on Westwood One is the brand name given to weekly National Football League games carried on the radio over the Dial Global Radio Network...
broadcast Super Bowl XLV across the United States and Canada, with play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan
Kevin Harlan
Kevin Harlan is an American television sports announcer. The son of former Green Bay Packers executive Bob Harlan, he currently broadcasts NFL and college basketball games on CBS. Harlan is also a play-by-play announcer for the NBA on TNT...
(calling his first Super Bowl for the network) and color analyst Boomer Esiason
Boomer Esiason
Norman Julius "Boomer" Esiason is a former American football quarterback and current network color commentator. He played for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals before working as an analyst for ABC and HBO...
. Univision Radio
Univision Radio
Univision Radio is the radio division of media giant Univision Communications, Inc., which also ownsthe Univision television network. The company was formerly known as Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation. It is the eighth largest radio company in the United States, and the largest Hispanic radio...
carried a Spanish language feed for its stations throughout the US. The flagship stations for each team also carried the game with their respective local announcers:
- WTAQ, WTAQ-FM and WIXX in Green Bay and WTMJWTMJ (AM)WTMJ is a radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin broadcasting at 620 AM. It is a 50,000-watt station airing a format of news, talk and sports. WTMJ is owned by Journal Broadcast Group, which also owns the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and sister station WLWK-FM....
in Milwaukee, with Wayne LarriveeWayne LarriveeWayne Larrivee is an American sportscaster, who is the radio play-by-play voice of the Green Bay Packers and football and basketball play-by-play voice for the Big Ten Network.-Early life and career:...
and Larry McCarrenLarry McCarrenLaurence "Larry" Anthony McCarren is a former American football center who played for twelve seasons in the National Football League with the Green Bay Packers. He earned the nickname the "Rock" after he started 162 consecutive games, which is the team's fourth longest consecutive games start...
announcing. - WDVEWDVEWDVE is a mainstream rock music formatted radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA at 102.5 MHz. It is often referred to by Pittsburghers as simply "DVE." WDVE's transmitter is located on Pittsburgh's North Side...
and WBGGWBGG (AM)WBGG is a sports radio station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, owned by Clear Channel Communications. The station broadcasts at 970 kHz with 5,000 watts day and night.- History :...
in Pittsburgh, with Bill HillgroveBill HillgroveBill Hillgrove is an American sports journalist, radio personality, and sports broadcaster.He is currently the lead play-by-play broadcaster for the steelers football network and for the University of Pittsburgh Img sports network he calls the Pitt games with former Pitt quarterback Pat...
and Tunch IlkinTunch IlkinTunch Ilkin is a Turkish sports broadcaster and a former American football player. He currently serves as a television and radio analyst for the Pittsburgh Steelers.-Biography:...
announcing.
In the United Kingdom, BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
carried radio coverage.
Sirius XM Satellite Radio carried 14 feeds in ten languages to Sirius
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
subscribers, as well as to XM
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
subscribers with the "Best of Sirius" package. In addition to the Westwood One and local team broadcasts, Sirius carried the following international feeds:
- Brazil: Eldorado ESPNESPN RadioESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
(Portuguese) - Mainland China: SMGShanghai Media GroupShanghai Media Group , under the Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group , is a multimedia television and radio broadcasting, news and Internet company...
(Chinese) - Denmark: Viasat SportViasat SportViasat Sport is the common brand of several sports channels targeting the Nordic, Baltic and Eastern European countries owned by Modern Times Group.Viasat Sport is also the name of one tv-channel in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and the Baltics...
(Danish) - Early Modern France: W9 (French)
- Germany: ARDARD (broadcaster)ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
(German) - Hungary: ChelloChellochello is the brand of internet service provider-activities of Liberty Global Europe , a provider of broadband internet access via cable in Europe, with estimated 1.3 million customers across its markets. LGE operates in 15 European, 4 Latin American and 2 Asian/Pacific countries...
(Hungarian) 
Japan: NHKNHKNHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
(Japanese)- Mexico: TV AztecaTV AztecaAzteca, is the second largest Mexican television entertainment. It was established in 1983 as the state-owned Instituto Mexicano de la Televisión , a holding of the national TV networks channel 13 and 7 and was privatized under its current name in 1993 and now is part of Grupo Salinas...
(Spanish) 
Netherlands: Prime Sport (Dutch)- Russia: NTV PlusNTV PlusNTV Plus is the brand name for the Russian digital satellite television service from NTV, transmitted from Eutelsat's W4 satellite at 36.0°E & from Bonum 1 at 56.0°E...
(Russian) - Spain: Canal+ Spain (Spanish)
- United Kingdom: BBC Radio 5 LiveBBC Radio 5 LiveBBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
(English)
FieldPass, the subscription Internet radio service provided by the league at NFL.com, also carried most of these feeds. Due to contractual restrictions, only Sirius XM and FieldPass were permitted to carry the local team broadcasts along with WTAQ, WIXX, WTMJ, WDVE and WBGG, with the teams' other network radio affiliates instead airing the Westwood One feed.
Local commemoration
From June 15, 2010, through February 6, 2011, the 30-mile section of Interstate 30 between Dallas and Fort Worth along which Cowboys Stadium is situated had been temporarily designated as the "Tom Landry Super Bowl Highway" in commemoration of Super Bowl XLV. The former Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike is normally known as the "Tom Landry Highway" in honor of former Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
coach Tom Landry
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods...
.
Entertainment
Keith UrbanKeith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
and Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
performed during the pregame. 22 year-old Candice Villesca of Lewisville, Texas
Lewisville, Texas
Lewisville is a city in Denton County in the U.S. state of Texas. The 2010 United States Census placed the population at 95,290 within . The city also includes of Lewisville Lake....
performed the national anthem and "America the Beautiful" in American Sign Language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
. Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
performed "America the Beautiful
America the Beautiful
"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....
" supported by the Air Force Tops in Blue
Tops In Blue
Tops In Blue is a touring performance ensemble made up of active duty members of the United States Air Force formed in 1953. For the past 57 years, Tops In Blue has traveled to more than 20 countries to perform more than 120 times each year for airmen and families around the world...
. Pop singer and Pittsburgh native Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
sang the national anthem
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
, but performed the wrong lyrics for the fourth line of the song, later issuing an apology.
During the halftime show, The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
performed a medley of their greatest hits: "I Gotta Feeling
I Gotta Feeling
"I Gotta Feeling" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album The E.N.D., produced by the French DJ David Guetta. The song was released on May 21, 2009 and debuted at number two on the Canadian and Billboard Hot 100 on the week of June 27, 2009, behind the group's "Boom Boom...
," "Boom Boom Pow
Boom Boom Pow
"Boom Boom Pow" is a song by The Black Eyed Peas released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, The E.N.D. The song uses the auto-tune vocal effect, and blends the genres of Electro-rap, dance-pop, electro hop and hip hop....
," "Pump It
Pump It
"Pump It" is a song by The Black Eyed Peas that heavily incorporates music from the Dick Dale version of the song "Misirlou"...
," "The Time (Dirty Bit)
The Time (Dirty Bit)
"The Time " is a song by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas from their sixth studio album, The Beginning. The song was released as the album's lead single on November 5, 2010. The chorus of the song samples " The Time of My Life" from the 1987 film Dirty Dancing...
," "Let's Get It Started
Let's Get It Started
"Let's Get It Started", , appears on The Black Eyed Peas' 2003 album Elephunk. It is the fourth single from the album...
," and "Where Is the Love?
Where Is the Love?
"Where Is the Love?" is a song recorded by the American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas for their third album, Elephunk. It is the band's first record to feature Fergie. The song features vocals from Justin Timberlake, although he is not officially credited on the single release.The single was...
" Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
made a guest appearance, performing "Sweet Child o' Mine
Sweet Child O' Mine
"Sweet Child o' Mine" is the third single by American rock band Guns N' Roses, and the third from their 1987 debut studio album, Appetite for Destruction. Released on August 17, 1988, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the band's first and only number-one single in the U.S...
" with Fergie, while Usher appeared to perform his song "OMG
OMG (song)
"OMG" is a song by American recording artist Usher. The song features will.i.am, who also wrote and produced the song. It uses the auto-tune effect in several lines, as well as Jock Jams-esque sports arena chanting. It was released on March 22, 2010 as the first worldwide single off his sixth...
" with Will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
.
An episode of Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
titled "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
"The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 33rd episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Brad Falchuk, and was broadcast immediately following Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011...
" was the lead-out program.