Two of the most storied franchises in the history of the NFL will be meeting in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboy Stadium on February 6 as the Packers and Steelers advanced to the championship game on Sunday.

Green Bay won its third straight playoff game on the road, defeating the Chicago Bears 21-14. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers led the Pack to a 14-0 halftime lead and Green Bay hung on to win with an interception by rookie cornerback Sam Shields late in the fourth quarter.

The most talked about part of the game was Chicago starting quarterback Jay Cutler getting pulled in the third quarter with a knee injury. Several of his peers from around the league, along with journalists and analysts seemed to question the move, many going so far as to say he quit on the team.

In the second game, the Pittsburgh Steelers also jumped out to a big lead before hanging on to defeat the New York Jets 24-19. Pittsburgh led 24-0 late in the first half, mainly behind a stifling defense and the running of Rashard Mendenahll, who wound up rushing for 121 yards and a touchdown.

The Jets rallied for 16 second half points, but couldn’t stop Pittsburgh late in the game, as they were able to run out the clock.

This will be the eighth Super Bowl appearance for the Steelers and the fifth for the Packers, who oddsmakers have listed as the early 2.5 point favorite.

Photo Credit: Taken by Chad Davis, cropped and edited by CPacker, via Wikimedia Commons

• Tag: events, football, Green Bay Packers, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XLV