Aaron Rodgers completed 24-of-39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns and the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-25, to win Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Rodgers was named the Super Bowl MVP for his outstanding performance. This is the first Super Bowl title for the Packers since 1996 when Brett Favre led Green Bay to victory in New Orleans.
Jody Nelson had nine catches for 140 yards and one touchdown and Greg Jennings racked up 64 yards on four catches and had two touchdowns for Green Bay. James Starks paced the Packers' ground game, rushing for 52 yards on 11 carries.
Ben Roethelisberger completed 25-of-40 passes for 263 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for Pittsburgh. Mike Wallace had nine catches for 89 yards and a touchdown and Hines Ward had seven catches for 78 yards and a score. Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 63 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries.
Green Bay had 338 total yards (288 passing, 50 rushing) while Pittsburgh amassed 387 total yards (261 passing, 126 rushing). The Packers had three turnovers in the game while the Steelers didn't turn the ball over once.
Rodgers put the Packers on the board first, finding Jordy Nelson for a 29-yard touchdown pass with 3:51 to go in the first quarter, putting Green Bay up 7-0.
The good fortune continued for Green Bay, as Nick Collins intercepted Ben Roethelisberger and returned the ball 37 yards for a touchdown, giving the Packers a comfortable 14-0 lead with 3:34 remaining in the opening quarter.
Pittsburgh finally broke onto the scoreboard with 11:53 left in the second quarter on kicker Shaun Suisham's 33-yard field goal, trimming the Packers' lead to 14-3.
The Steelers fell further behind late in the first half, as Rodgers fired a 21-yard pass to Greg Jennings with 2:31 left before halftime. The four-play, 53-yard drive that spanned two minutes gave Green Bay a commanding 21-3 lead.
Down big late in the opening half, Roethelisberger showed why he is considered one of the best clutch quarterbacks in the NFL, leading the Steelers 77 yards on seven plays over two minutes and twenty seconds for a touchdown. Hines Ward caught the Steelers' first touchdown of the game, an eight-yard pass from Roethelisberger, with 47 seconds left in the first half.
Roethelisberger maintained the pressure early in the second half, this time leading his team 50 yards on five plays, setting up an eight yard touchdown run for Mendenhall, bringing the Steelers within four, 21-17, with 10:25 left in the third quarter.
After being held scoreless for over a quarter, the Packers regrouped and used an eight-play, 55-yard drive, capped off by an eight-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Jennings, to rebuild their lead to 28-17 with 12:03 remaining.
Yet once again, Roethelisberger displayed his clutch play, leading the Steelers 66 yards on seven plays in four minutes and finished the drive with an impressive 25-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace, cutting Green Bay's lead to 28-23 with 7:40 left in the fourth quarter.
Pittsburgh opted to go for two, and the attempt was successful. Roethelisberger took the snap, ran to the left and pitched the ball to Antwaan Randle El, who ran the ball into the endzone.
Rodgers went back to work, leading the Packers on a 10-play, 70 yard drive, but couldn't put the ball into the endzone. Mason Crosby hit a 23-yard field goal to put Green Bay up 31-25 with 2:10 left in the game.
Given the ball and a chance to win the game, Roethelisberger couldn't make history, as his pass on fourth and five on the Pittsburgh 33-yard-line was incomplete (intended for Wallace), and just like that, the Steelers pursuit of a third title in six years came to a screeching halt.