Some thoughts from Chris during TSN's post-Super Bowl coverage:
While it's hard to pin one play on the Steelers loss in the Super Bowl, I point to Shaun Suisham's missed 52 yard field goal as a turning point in the game.
The attempted happend with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter, and with the miss, the Packers got the ball back on their own 42 yard line, as opposed to being pinned down had the Steelers elected to punt the ball.
The miss flipped the field for the Packers, who up until that point, were having a quarter that was nothing short of a disaster. They had five penalties, were constantly in their own 20 yard line and had no rhythm.
Everything changed after that missed field goal.
Big Ben Not Good Enough
I think Ben Roethlisberger had a good, but not great game during Super Bowl XLV.
In fact, I think that the players around him elevated their games. The offensive line was missing three starters, yet they performed well.
I think the trio of running backs, Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman and Mewelde Moore had some fantastic runs that included bounce plays, where they hit the middle only to bounce the play to the outside and contest the Packers defensive containment.
Roethlisberger ran four times for 31 yards during the game. While those running totals were good, one has to wonder if the coverage downfield was too good and Roethlisberger had nowhere to throw the ball, or if he just missed some reads.
Either way, Roethlisberger played a good game, but in order to win this Super Bowl, he needed to be great.
