Football fans survived two weeks of hype, scrutiny, a snowstorm, and an interesting National Anthem rendition by Christina Aguilera to watch the Green Bay Packers top the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in Super Bowl 45. The Steelers were the experienced team while the Packers were Super Bowl novices. None of that mattered when Green Bay won the coin toss or when Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger threw a Pick 6. In the first half, Green Bay was ahead 21-3 and firmly in control, so, it looked as though a blowout would ensue. The Steelers, however, rallied back just prior to halftime. The game was on and you kinda figured a fantastic finish might be around the corner.

I was initially excited to see the Black Eyed Peas perform the halftime show, but, was soon underwhelmed. I couldn’t even rely upon the commercials to keep me entertained. I actually think I took a quick snooze. I was relieved to see the second half kickoff.

Surprisingly, the game really didn’t have a lot of penalties. There were a few key injuries, including a game ending broken clavicle for Green Bay CB Charles Woodson. However, as they had throughout the season, the Packers stayed in stride and kept it moving without their on-field leader. It was obvious that the loss of Woodson did affect the Green Bay defense, because Pittsburgh rallied and scored a touchdown with a two-point conversion to come within three points in the fourth quarter. This was the drama I was looking for.

With two minutes remaining in the the fourth quarter, I was thinking, “Oh boy, I’ve seen this movie before...and I didn’t like the ending.” Roethlisberger had an opportunity to march down the field and score the winning touchdown in this game, as he did two years prior against Arizona. Unlike Arizona, the Packers defense held and they are now World Champions.

While Aaron Rodgers didn’t seem to be razor sharp in this game, he actually had great numbers and was named Super Bowl MVP. More importantly, he is finally recognized as an elite quarterback who has emerged from that other quarterback’s shadow. Most Green Bay fans have embraced Rodgers and I’m glad to see it.

My favorite team didn’t play in this game, at their own stadium, but, I was happy to see Green Bay win so I could talk trash to all my friends who are part of the arrogant Steeler Nation. As I heard from these same fans before the game, “The Steelers don’t lose in the Super Bowl!” Well, I do believe they’ve now lost twice. LOL. Congrats to the Packers!

Now, the long wait till football season resumes again, Unfortunately, it looks as though we fans are in for an even longer wait than usual because of the expiring Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on March 4th. Both sides seem to be digging in and talks have been called off indefinitely. Thank goodness for NFL Network.