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Pittsburgh-Green Bay Super Bowl a matchup of two-way powerhouses

It's hard to imagine a better matchup of pure football than Sunday's Super Bowl between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It's hard to imagine a better matchup of pure football than Sunday's Super Bowl between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Although the Packers are favored by 21/2 points, a Steelers victory would surprise no one. And while the Packers feature the passing game of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, rookie running back James Starks torched the Eagles for 123 yards in the wild-card game and has 263 yards in three playoff games.

There are personal stories swirling around this game as well. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who missed the first four games of the season for thumbing his nose at the NFL's personal conduct policy, looks to join Tom Brady, Troy Aikman, Joe Montana, and Terry Bradshaw as a three-time winner.

Rodgers is going for his first victory and wants to finally rid himself of unflattering comparisons to Brett Favre, and Steelers second-year center Doug Legursky gets the chance of a lifetime, replacing the injured Maurkice Pouncey, out with a sprained left ankle.

Here is a look at the teams:

Packers' strengths

The offense revolves around Rodgers and the passing game. The sixth-year pro and wide receivers Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, and Jordy Nelson have allowed the Packers to chew up large chunks of the field at a time. Ranked fifth in the NFL during the season, Air Rodgers is loaded with options. Jones, a backup to Jennings and Driver, is averaging 15.7 yards per catch in the playoffs and has two touchdowns. Jennings catches passes all over the field and leads the team with 17 postseason catches for 239 yards. The scrambling Rodgers has chipped in 56 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the playoffs.

On defense, the Packers rely on their linebackers and secondary, since their 3-4 run defense was ranked 18th during the season. Left outside linebacker Clay Matthews can sack, tackle, and intercept passes, and cornerback Charles Woodson and free safety Nick Collins combined for six interceptions this season.

Packers' weaknesses

Although the running game has done well during the playoffs thanks to Starks, it could stall if the Steelers key on the rookie and keep Rodgers from scrambling to find a gap or open receiver. The rush defense, thanks to just three down linemen in the 3-4 scheme, could be gashed by Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall if nose tackle B.J. Raji gets caught out of position.

Roethlisberger will try to exploit the Packers' secondary if the backs get caught cheating for a turnover, something that Woodson and Collins sometimes do.

Steelers' strengths

Pittsburgh loves to smash the ball into the line and challenge defenses to stop it. Mendenhall had 121 rushing yards against the Jets in the AFC championship game, and Roethlisberger, at 6-foot-5, 241 pounds, can bowl over linebackers like soup cans.

The passing game is as formidable as Green Bay's. Wide receivers Hines Ward, the MVP of Super Bowl XL, dangerous Mike Wallace, and tight end Heath Miller give Roethlisberger three sizzling targets. Backups Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders have combined for nine catches in the playoffs.

Defensively, linebackers James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley and James Farrior, safeties Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark, and defensive end Brett Keisel are six of the most physical players in the NFL. If Starks can't give the Packers some kind of ground attack, look for the Steelers to tee off on Rodgers.

Steelers' weaknesses

There is not a lot to work with here. The special teams have not been so special, although kicker Shaun Suisham has made 16 of 18 field goals. The Steelers have not covered punts especially well, and points from the special teams have been hard to come by.

The offensive line is thin with Pouncey out. At 14-4, this team doesn't have many glaring weaknesses.