Is Troy Polamalu The Key For the Steelers to Win the Super Bowl?

Troy Polamalu / Andy (Wikimedia Commons)

The Steelers will need their newly named Defensive Player of the Year to deliver a strong performance in order to beat the Packers in the Super Bowl. Often the Super Bowl has come down to one big play and Troy Polomalu is the biggest play maker on the Pittsburgh defense. According to former teammate Santonio Holmes he is, “The greatest player I’ve played with or even seen in person.”

He will play an even more vital role than usual because of the Packers potent passing attack. Except for Polamalu, the Steelers secondary is one of their weaknesses. This means Polamalu will have a lot of pressure to keep Aaron Rodgers from picking apart the Steelers defense. The Packers rely heavily on their passing to score; therefore, Polamalu’s defense is crucial. These factors are going to make it difficult for the Steelers feared defensive front to make a difference.

Although Polamalu has been a star for many years, he has not had a large impact in his past two Super Bowl appearances, recording a combined eight tackles and zero interceptions. In fact, to many fans, his most memorable Super Bowl moment was his appearance in the reenactment of the famous “Mean Joe” Greene Coca Cola commercial.

Therefore, to slow down the Packers offense, the Steelers are going to need Polamalu to step up and put a stop to the Packers attack.