from www.chicagobreakingsports.com – Packers on offense

Stay flexible: Mike McCarthy has been the hottest play-caller in the postseason, and he gives Aaron Rodgers free rein to check out of plays at the line of scrimmage if he sees something better. . Rodgers must slow the Steelers’ defense by audibling out of runs to quick slants and screens, but also must find running opportunities for rookie James Starks, who has kept opposing defenses honest in the postseason with carries between the tackles. That should help offset the Steelers’ outside speed.

Blind side: The Packers don’t give much pass protection help to their tackles, so they must win these outside battles for their high-flying pass offense to take off. Left tackle Chad Clifton had some rough outings early in the season but has returned to his Pro Bowl form. Good thing, because he has a huge challenge in the Steelers’ James Harrison. Low and forklift-strong, Harrison presents a daunting challenge for tall tackles who can’t get low enough to get leverage on him.

Another view: “His escapability, to me, has been amazing. You don’t think of Aaron Rodgers as that kind of guy. He has that little spin move that John Elway used to have. You’d go in to tackle him, and he’d kind of spin and go out the other way. Rodgers does that too.” — John Madden on Rodgers
Steelers on defense

Think fast: The Steelers need to disrupt Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, even though they won’t have much time to get to him. The Packers aren’t likely to press the issue when it comes to running the ball against the league’s No. 2 rushing defense. They’re going to throw screens and quick slants instead, and that means Rodgers won’t have the ball in his hands long. Rodgers has had a problem with concussions, and the Steelers are going to try to knock him around as much as they can. They can’t sit back and let him pick them apart.

Big-play Troy: The Steelers would love to get a big play out of All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu. There’s a good chance he’ll spend a lot of time in coverage — as opposed to lurking around the line of scrimmage — because the Packers are going to try to spread the Steelers with multiple-receiver sets. But look for the Steelers to blitz him off of disguised man-to-man coverage to get the safety loose.

Another view: “Pittsburgh is going to come try to pound the heck out of Aaron Rodgers. He will have two-second reads in this game. He will have times that if he doesn’t throw the ball in two seconds it will be a sack fumble.” — NBC’s Cris Collinsworth

Steelers on offense

Keep it down: The Steelers are going to try to run, just as they did so effectively against the Jets. In that game, they frequently ran out of multiple-tight-end formations. The more tight ends you have on the line of scrimmage, the more gaps you’ve added for a defense to contain. That tends to calm an aggressive, risk-taking defense such as the Packers’. If the Packers are poised to stop the run in a 3-4 formation — as opposed to bracing for the pass with a 2-4-5 — the Steelers will look to throw. Watch for the Steelers to get the favorable matchup of tight end Heath Miller covered by Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk.

Big game from big men: The Steelers need an outstanding performance from their offensive line, especially because the best player in that group won’t be available. Rookie center Maurkice Pouncey, whom offensive coordinator Bruce Arians called “a freak” because of how well he has played, is unlikely to play because of a high ankle sprain. Doug Legursky probably will start in his place, the latest in a long string of offensive line reshuffles this season.

They like Mike: Watch for the Steelers to throw a deep pass to receiver Mike Wallace early in the game, just as they did on their first play from scrimmage when they played the Packers in 2009. In the AFC championship game, Wallace ran right past Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis and might have scored had the ball not been underthrown by roughly 10 yards.

Packers on defense

What’s right is right: The Packers need to attack Ben Roethlisberger from his right side to push him left. That means the Steelers quarterback will have to throw across his body when he scrambles loose, rather than setting up in a more natural stance and finding his receivers. Roethlisberger is at his most dangerous when the play breaks down and matters are at their most chaotic. No one extends a play as well as he does. Roethlisberger is so strong that when teams attack him from his left, he’s often able to shove would-be tacklers aside and still get the ball out of his hand.

Charles in charge: The Packers need to continue to take advantage of all the playmaking capabilities of big cornerback Charles Woodson. When the Steelers go to three wide receivers, watch for the Packers to move Woodson inside over the slot receiver — typically Hines Ward — which gives the Packers five stand-up players in their 2-4-5 defensive formation (Woodson and the four linebackers).

Another view: “If the Steelers can’t create some continuity with the running game, the Super Bowl will become a Ben Roethlisberger random-improvisational game. He’s very good at that, but you can’t rely on it, because improv by its very nature is random.” — Greg Cosell, executive producer of “NFL Matchup”