Super Bowl XLV is shaping up as something special

Fans all across the country are starting to prepare for Super Bowl Sunday. Millions of people are stocking up on chips, beer and other essentials.

But football fans should be a little more pumped up for this year’s contest.

Super Bowl XLV kicks off at 5:30 p.m. from Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, TX. It features the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, two of the most successful franchises in NFL history.

The last Super Bowl to feature two franchises that have each won multiple championships was way back in 1996, when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Steelers 27-17 in Super Bowl XXX.

Although I have witnessed exciting Super Bowl contests the last few years, this year’s game has a different feel to it. I mean, these are two teams that have combined for nine Super Bowl Championships.

The Steelers have won the Lombardi Trophy twice in the past five years, both with starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger under center.

The Packers brought the Lombardi Trophy back home in Super Bowl XXXI, defeating the New England Patriots 35-21, securing their first championship since Super Bowl II.

And after the great history of these teams is dissected and discussed, fans should not forget that this is going to be a great football game.

This is a game that could go down to the final seconds. If both defenses live up to the hype, this will be a low-scoring defensive struggle for 60 minutes.

Ben Roethlisberger is attempting to get his third Super Bowl ring and cement his legacy as one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. If he is successful this Sunday, he will join Tom Brady as the only active quarterbacks with three Super Bowl Championships.

Roethlisberger has some offensive weapons at his disposal. Rashard Mendenhall is in the backfield and the recieving core of Hines Ward, Mike Wallace and Heath Miller could be enough to put Pittsburgh over the top.

Also, the Steelers have a big advantage coming into Sunday night: experience. Their roster has 26 players on it that have won at least one Super Bowl ring.

But it will not be easy for Pittsburgh. They face a stout Green Bay defense that is coming off of three consecutive road wins. This is a Packers team that has a chance to make history and become the first No. 6 seed in NFL history to win the Super Bowl.

On Sunday, we will also find out if Aaron Rodgers has what it takes to win the big game. If he can lead his team past Pittsburgh, he will permanently emerge out of Brett Favre’s shadow.

But Rodgers has to play better than he did last week against the Chicago Bears if he expects to win. This time around, safety Troy Polamalu will be lurking in the secondary instead of Bears’ cornerback Charles Tillman. He will face linebacker James Farrior in the middle of the field while trying to evade James Harrison, who explodes off the line and gets to the quarterback.

But after all the media coverage, advertisements and the long halftime show, it is all about who takes care of the ball. It is simple: whichever team loses the turnover battle, loses the game.

The storylines have been talked about and analyzed the past two weeks, but now it is time for each team to buckle down and play some football.

As long as the Steelers can move the ball on Green Bay, they win a close one 20-17, giving Roethlisberger ring number three.