Aaron Rodgers' Durability
The Packers' success Sunday will begin and end with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. While he has shown this year why he should be considered one of the top five quarterbacks in the league, he also was sidelined by two concussions this season and got hit hard during the NFC Championship Game, leading to speculation that he might be concussed again. Meanwhile, the Steelers' defense is one of the hardest-hitting in the NFL, with linebacker James Harrison having been fined $100,000 over the course of the season for illegal hits. Expect the Steelers to come after Rodgers hard; if he goes down, it will be a long day for the Packers.
The Kicking Situation
Midway through the regular season, the Steelers cut their longtime, erratic kicker Jeff Reed, replacing him with Shaun Suisham, who himself is a journeyman kicker who got cut twice in the preseason (by the Browns and Rams). Suisham is an average kicker at best, and his ability to make critical, long-range kicks should be seriously questioned, given his history, which includes 48- and 49-yard misses in the playoffs with the Cowboys in 2010. If the game lives up to expectations and is close all the way to the end, expect Suisham to play a major role. And if he gets the call in crunch time, expect Steelers fans to be watching with their hearts in their throats.
—by David McIntyre
