On Sunday, the Steelers and the Seahawks battle in what should be one of the more competitive Super Bowls to date. Here is a break down of the 40th installment of the Super Bowl.
Records: The Seattle Seahawks (15-3 and the NFC’s No. 1 seed) raced through the regular season and the playoffs without much resistance. The Steelers (14-5), on the other hand, had to go on the road to beat the top three seeds in the AFC, becoming the first sixth seed to reach the big game.
History: This will be the Steelers’ sixth appearance (4-1) in the Super Bowl. It will be the Seahawks’ first try.
Coaches: In his seventh season in Seattle, coach Mike Holmgren led Seattle to its first playoff win since the 1983 season. He also coached the Packers in consecutive Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl XXXI. Questionable coaching in the Super Bowl XXXII loss to the underdog Broncos.
Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher has become the face of Steelers football. He has the longest tenure with one team of any active coach. At 38, Cowher became the youngest coach to take his team to the Super Bowl, losing to the Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX. Three AFC-title losses later, Cowher is finally back at the pinnacle.
Offense: Pittsburgh averages 24.3 points per game, while averaging 321 yards per game. Seattle scorched the league, scoring 28.3 points per game (tops in the NFL), and gained nearly 370 yards per game. The quarterbacks are the two top-rated passers in this year’s postseason.
Defense: The Seahawks allow 16.9 points per game and 316.8 yards against them. The Steelers give up only 16.1 points per outing and 284 yards. Both defenses were among the top five in the league against the run.
When Seattle has the ball: Expect the bulk of the work to be done by running back Shaun Alexander, the NFL’s MVP. Alexander rushed for 1,880 yards and ran for an NFL record of 27 touchdowns. The Steeler defense – which only allowed one 100-yard rusher this season – will look to make Alexander a nonfactor early, and force Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to beat them though the air.
Seattle should counteract Pittsburgh’s intentions by making Alexander a decoy, using screen passes to avoid the Steelers’ over-aggressive defense. Play-action passes should cause Steelers’ defenders to bite, leading to big plays downfield.
Pittsburgh, who runs a 3-4 defense, was able to bewilder Indianapolis’ quarterback Peyton Manning and Denver’s quarterback Jake Plummer by blitzing their linebackers from various angles. Linebacker Joey Porter is the Steelers leader in sacks. The key for Seattle will be giving its quarterback time to throw. Hasselbeck needs to use his quick release in order to withstand the blitz. Look for Seattle’s second and third receivers, Bobby Engram and Joe Jurevicius, to make the biggest difference. A big matchup will be Seahawk’s receiver Darrell Jackson against Pittsburgh’s cornerback Ike Taylor. Jackson, derailed by injuries this season, has rebounded strong in the postseason. His 15 playoff receptions lead the team. Taylor limited Cincinnati’s Chad Johnson, Indianapolis’ Marvin Harrision and Denver’s Rod Smith to no touchdowns in the three playoff games.
When Pittsburgh has the ball: Look for Pittsburgh to try to establish the run early with running backs Willie Parker and Jerome Bettis to keep the pressure off quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (left). If this fails, Seattle will blitz early and often. The Seahawks, led by rookie linebacker sensation Lofa Tatupu (above right), led the league with 50 sacks.
Seattle’s defensive weakness is its backfield. Big Ben must be licking his chops. Look for Pittsburgh’s third receiver Chris Wilson to continue his playoff tear. And let’s not forget about Hines Ward, the Steelers’ career receptions holder. He could have a big game against cornerback Andre Dyson.
Special Teams: Pittsburgh kicker Jeff Reed has become one of the best kickers in the league. Punter Chris Gardocki has never had a punt blocked in his 16-year career. Return man Antwaan Randle El is a playmaker, returning two punts for touchdowns this season. Seattle kicker Josh Brown is solid, as is veteran punter Tom Rouen. The return team, suffering from “fumblitis,” inserted Peter Warrick into the lineup to give the unit a bolster.
