The Green Bay Packers won the NFC title last night and confirmed their place in America's Super Bowl where they will face AFC champions Pittsburgh Steelers, but only after surviving a late onslaught from the Chicago Bears at a wintry Soldier Field.
At the halfway stage the Packers appeared to be in command, jumping to a 14-0 lead after Quarterback Aaron Johnson rushed in from a yard and then a four yard run from James Starks extended their lead. The Bears' Chester Taylor cut the arrears by half when he wentin from a yard out but the Packers eased their way back into a 14-point lead when the Chicago third choice Quarterback, Caleb Hanie, was picked off by BJ "The Freezer"Raji for the Packers' third touchdown. The Bears were down but not quite out. Hanie hit Earl Bennett for a 35-yard touchdown to drawChicago back to one touchdown behind but the Packers held on to win 21-14.
Their opponents in Superbowl XLV, to be playedat the Cowboys Stadium, Arlington,Texas on February 6th, will be the Steelers after they, too, emerged from a second half comeback from a New York Jets team who have not featured in the Superbowl for 41 years.
Pittsburgh stormed to a 24-0 lead at Heinz Field, including two touchdowns inside 47 seconds, before the Jets hit back with a field goal and two second half drives to score 19 points. The final 31 minutes of play, which was dominated by the Jets, was in stark contrast to the first half where they managed just one rushing yard, compared to 135 from the Steelers who secured a third Super Bowl place in the last six years. They now face a Packers side looking for a 13th NFL title.
