Green Bay - Clay Matthews, AJ Hawk, Desmond Bishop, Erik Walden
Pittsburgh - LaMarr Woodley, Lawrence Timmons, James Farrior, James Harrison
If you want star power for this game, look no further than the All-Pro linebackers for each team. Clay Matthews was the front-runner for NFL Defensive Player of the Year for much of the season (until it was announced today that the Steelers' Troy Polamalu was given the award), and James Harrison is just 2 years removed from making one of the best plays in Super Bowl history. It is a good thing that Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger are so good at eluding the pass rush, because these two should be in their faces all night.
Green Bay has had some injuries to deal with at this position. Nick Barnett and Brady Poppinga were both sidelined. Little known Desmond Bishop and Erik Walden have stepped in admirably in increased roles. Bishop was second on the team in tackles and Walden has picked up 4 sacks in his last 4 games. The two most popular members of this group are Matthews and AJ Hawk. Hawk had a celebrated college career, but has struggled at times in the pros. 2010 was his best year to date as he lead the Packers with 111 tackles. Matthews has been a beast since joining Green Bay. He won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year last year and was runner-up for NFL Defensive Player of the Year this season. He had 13.5 sacks during the regular season and has added 3.5 more in the postseason. Matthews will look to take advantage of an injury-laden Steelers o-line and get a couple free shots on Roethlisberger.
The Steelers linebackers may begin with Harrison, but this entire group is stacked. They have tackling machines in the middle. Lawrence Timmons is probably the most athletic of the bunch and racked up 135 tackles on the season. He is joined on the inside by James Farrior. Farrior is the heart and soul and unquestioned leader of this defense. On the outside LaMarr Woodley teams up with Harrison to form what is most likely the most dominant pass rushing duo in the NFL. To say the least, they have playmakers across the field. The versatility of the linebackers allows Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau to get very creative with his blitz packages. Aaron Rodgers will be running for his life.
Pittsburgh may possess the best group of linebackers in the NFL, so they definitely have the advantage here. The Steelers can and will blitz from all angles. But Green Bay will get pressure on Roethlisberger as well. The difference between the two teams is that the Packers have just 1 player than can change the face of the game, meanwhile the Steelers entire group is capable of having this type of impact. One way or another, expect Harrison and Matthews to play a role on the game's outcome.
Advantage - Pittsburgh
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