Steelers all about defying odds Inexperienced Packers favored to win Super Bowl

Although the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing in their third Super Bowl in six years, have 15 players trying to win a third ring, led the NFL in eight defensive statistics and have a quarterback with a 10-2 playoff record, they are 2½-point underdogs in Super Bowl XLV.

The Green Bay Packers haven't played in a Super Bowl since the 1997 season. They have only one player who has played in a Super Bowl. They lost six games in the regular season and made the playoffs as the sixth seed, but the Packers are favored to defeat the Steelers on Feb. 6. at Cowboy Stadium

"I think we do our best when we're underdogs," Steelers nose tackle Chris Hoke said this week. "People were talking at the beginning of the season about how we were going to go 6-10 or 7-9 because we wouldn't have Ben (Roethlisberger) for our first four games.

"And how about two years ago when we went to the Super Bowl? We had the toughest schedule in NFL history. People were saying, 'Are they going to be able to make it out of (the regular season) with this schedule?'

"I think when you put our backs against the wall, when you tell us that we're an underdog and we can't do something, that's when we fight and we're at our best."
Steel Curtain call

The signs in Pittsburgh say the Steelers are on a "Stairway to Seven" Super Bowl victories, but they're going to have to defy the oddsmakers.

Roethlisberger's .833 winning percentage in the playoffs is second only to Bart Starr's .900 in NFL history.

The Steelers, who were 7-1 on the road on the way to a 14-4 record — counting playoff victories over Baltimore and the New York Jets at Heinz Field — finished second in defense, first in points allowed and first in run defense. They surrendered only 62.8 yards rushing, third-best since the merger in 1970.

Nobody has to tell Packers coach Mike McCarthy about the Steelers. He grew up in Pittsburgh as a diehard Steelers fan. Now the Steelers are his second-favorite team.

"They've had a lot of success, obviously," McCarthy said. "They're a veteran team and an experienced team. They've definitely been through this experience before, where we have not, and we understand that.

"We're going to stick to our approach, and that's the way we're going to face it. One thing we talked about as a coaching staff and will continue to talk about as a team (is) we're not preparing for Super Bowl XLV. We're preparing to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, and that's what we need to stay focused on."

The Steelers have an advantage in that 13 starters are competing for a third ring.

"It's meaningful," McCarthy said about the Steelers' Super Bowl experience. "We understand that we haven't been there before, and that's something we'll talk about and make sure expectations and responsibilities are very clear for everybody."
Anyone's game

The Packers (13-6) have won three consecutive road games against Philadelphia, Atlanta and Chicago. Their running game has been mediocre and figures to be shut down by Pittsburgh, but quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his talented receivers have been outstanding.

The Packers' defense has been almost as good as Pittsburgh's defense. Green Bay finished second in points allowed and fifth in defense.

Cornerback Charles Woodson, 34, is a 13-year veteran, including the last five with the Packers. He played in Oakland's loss to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XLVII.

"I think about it around the clock," Woodson said about winning a Super Bowl. "Since we got into the playoffs, you get closer and closer, you just get a little bit more anxious each and every time. The anxiety just continues to build.

"There's still one more to go."

Green Bay defensive end Ryan Pickett is a 10-year veteran.

"We wish we could play this week," Pickett said. "The guys are excited. Everybody's ready to play. We're excited about having an opportunity to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay."