Hereweald blog

Pack gets two quick TDs for 14-3 lead in 2nd qtr.

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Green Bay Packers scored twice in a 24-second span and had a 14-3 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers midway through the second quarter of the Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh, going for its seventh Super Bowl championship, got on the board on Shaun Suisham's 33-yard field goal.

The field goal came with a 12-play drive that took more than 7 minutes off the clock after the Packers had jumped out to a 14-0 lead with two quick touchdowns.

Aaron Rodgers threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson with 3:44 left in the first quarter. The nine-play, 80-yard drive ended with a perfectly placed pass to Nelson, who had defender William Gay running with him down the right sideline near the end zone.

The Packers then kicked off and the Steelers started at their own 7 after a holding penalty on the return. On the first snap after that, Ben Roethlisberger was under pressure when he threw. The ball floated and Nick Collins intercepted it and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown.

The championship game Sunday put the focus back on the field after a long, cold week in North Texas that included two wintry storms with snow and ice. There were no weather woes inside $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium, and it wasn't bad outside either on game day.

The game comes 3 1/2 weeks before the current collective bargain agreement expires. If the NFL and the players' union can't reach a new labor pact, there could be a lockout.

The 45th Super Bowl, the NFL's signature event, pitted two of its storied franchises and capped a season that saw the league reach new heights of popularity despite a string of off-field incidents and that potential lockout with the current CBA expiring next month.

Green Bay has won the Vince Lombardi Trophy three times. The Packers won the first two Super Bowls under the guidance of the trophy's namesake, and won another title in 1997.