Turning Point of Super Bowl XLV: Packers' Last Stand

Tramon Williams / Yunggunn2k3 (Wikimedia Commons)

The Packers came out strong, dominating the first half. Then the Steelers picked up and really threatened the Packers, as they were able to cut the lead to four points. At this point all the momentum rested on the Steelers’ shoulders, leaving Packers fans worried that they might face the ultimate heartbreak. The one play that shifted all the momentum back to the Packers was a fourth down stop. It came with less than two minutes left in the game, Steelers down by six, and Ben Roethlisberger in control.

This situation is very familiar to Roethlisberger, because he was in it two years before. In Super Bowl XLIII, Roethlisberger and the Steelers were down 27-23 with less than one minute left in the game. He was able to complete five passes in eight plays, which led to Holmes catching a six-yard pass for a touchdown. The Steelers won because of Ben’s quarterback vision, and his ability to perform well under pressure.

The Packers needed to force a turnover on fourth down at the Pittsburgh 33 yard line to ensure that history wouldn’t repeat itself, and they did. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers called to run a zone-blitz. "We ran fire zones those last two calls and fire zones are actually going to pass the inside receivers [from one underneath defender to another] and hopefully you don't give Ben enough time to sit there and let the routes develop," Capers said. Tramon Williams made the stop on Mike Wallace, securing the win for Green Bay. "My job is to stop the guy from catching the ball and that is pretty much what happened," Williams said.