The 2011 Super Bowl winners have been crowned, and despite a wobbly second half the Green Bay Packers held on, dropping the more experienced Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25. Aaron Rodgers was unflappable and finally unstoppable, fighting dropped passes to go 24-for-39 with 304 yards and three touchdowns and taking the Packers downfield for their game-clinching field goal with minutes left on the clock. Vince Lombardi’s own will take the Vince Lombardi trophy for the fourth time.
Ben Roethlisberger, out to win his third Super Bowl, was 25-for-40 with 263 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in the loss. His slow start, including an interception returned for a touchdown in the first quarter, allowed the Packers to get out in front, and despite several near-misses it was a lead they never relinquished.
For all the talk about defense and hard-nosed football, the Packers won it almost exclusively through the air—rookie running back James Starks had just 11 carries for 52 yards.