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      ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Aaron Rodgers grew up in Northern
California watching Joe Montana and Steve Young have their best
games on the biggest stage.


      Rodgers carried a patchwork lineup into the Super Bowl, then
kept things calm when Green Bay's depth was tested further. His
most accomplished receiver and the heart-and-soul of his defense
were knocked out by halftime, yet Rodgers still guided the Packers
to a 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.


      So now the Vince Lombardi Trophy is headed back to Titletown for
the first time in 14 years, and Rodgers can lead the championship
parade with the shiny hardware riding shotgun in the red
convertible he received as Super Bowl MVP.


      "It's the top of the mountain in my sport, my profession,"
Rodgers said. "It's what you dream about as a kid and think about
in high school, junior college, D-I - getting this opportunity and
what would you do?"


      Here's what Rodgers did: He put his team ahead on their second
drive and made sure they never trailed. He went back to receivers
even after they dropped passes, sometimes on the very next snap. He
threw three touchdowns and had no turnovers.

      He also proved Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson was right
to draft him and to trade Brett Favre so he could become the
starter. Favre led the Packers to their last championship, but was
never the Super Bowl MVP.

      "I told Ted back in 2005 he wouldn't be sorry with this pick,"
Rodgers said. "I told him in '08 that I was going to repay their
trust and get us this opportunity."


      Thompson was right about a lot of guys.


      No matter how many players the Packers lost this season - and
they put 16 on injured reserve, including a half-dozen starters -
someone else was always ready to step in. Holes were still being
plugged in this game.


      Consider these contributions by guys who weren't being counted
on when the season began.


      - On Pittsburgh's first snap after Green Bay made it 7-0,
lineman Howard Green, a midseason pickup, bolted through the line
and hit Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger just as he was
throwing. The ball fluttered to safety Nick Collins and he returned
the interception 37 yards for a touchdown, making it 14-0.

      - The Packers sacked Big Ben only once. The play was made by
Frank Zombo, an undrafted rookie linebacker who became a starter
only after an injury, then became a reserve again when Erik Walden
did a solid job in his place. But Walden was inactive because of an
ankle injury, so Zombo got the start.


      - Jarrett Bush and Pat Lee filled in for Charles Woodson and Sam
Shields at cornerback. Bush had an interception and came
tantalizingly close to another on the play that sealed the game.
Bush only remembered playing two games in the secondary this
season, Lee just one.


      "I don't know if we're just well-coached or what it is," Zombo
said. "We just make plays."


      Green Bay led 21-3 with a few minutes left until halftime, but
the championship-steeled guys from Pittsburgh had plenty of resolve
of their own.


      Roethlisberger got a quick touchdown before the intermission,
then another early in the third quarter. The Steelers were driving
in search of a go-ahead touchdown when Rashard Mendenhall fumbled
on a hit by Clay Matthews at the start of the fourth quarter.

      Rodgers marched from there to a touchdown, stretching the lead
and making the Packers 3-for-3 in scoring touchdowns off turnovers.

      But Roethlisberger brought Pittsburgh back again, throwing a
25-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace and following with a nifty
2-point conversion on an option. Green Bay's 18-point lead was down
to a field goal.

      Rodgers got to the Pittsburgh 5-yard line on the next series,
only to see Jordy Nelson fail to make what would've been a tough
catch in the end zone. Mason Crosby kicked a short field goal, but
the six-point lead left the Packers and their fans uneasy, even if
Roethlisberger had to go 87 yards in 1:59 with only one timeout.

      Some thought about last year's game against Pittsburgh, when
Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass on the final play of the game
and they lost by one point. Others thought about the Super Bowl two
years ago, when Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass in the final
minute to beat Arizona.


      "This time," Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers said,
"it was our turn."


      Roethlisberger got a first down on the first play, then threw
three straight incompletions. His season that began with a
four-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct
policy ended with his head down, hands on his hips, feeling
something he never experienced: defeat in a Super Bowl.

      "I feel like I let the city of Pittsburgh down, the fans, my
coaches and my teammates and it's not a good feeling,"
Roethlisberger said.


      Defensive Player of the Year safety Troy Polamalu and outside
linebacker James Harrison rarely did anything to give a decidedly
black-and-gold crowd reasons to twirl their Terrible Towels.

      "I had some opportunities to make some plays," Polamalu said.
"I was just off a step here or there."


      Woodson wept in the Packers' locker room at halftime. His left
collarbone broken, he tried to give a motivational speech but the
words couldn't come out, trapped by his pain and emotion.

      Still, players got the message - just like coach Mike McCarthy's
gambit of having players' ring sizes measured on Saturday night.

      "Subconsciously, it motivated us," nose tackle B.J. Raji said. "Another great tactic by our head coach."

      The Packers became only the second No. 6 seed to win the
championship. The other was the 2005 Steelers, led by
Roethlisberger. Several players kissed the Lombardi Trophy as
Cowboys great Roger Staubach walked through a line of green and
gold to present the prize to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who in
turn handed it to the team.

      "Wow! It's a great day to be great, baby," said Greg Jennings,
who caught two of Rodgers' three touchdown passes.

      About an hour after the game, Roethlisberger was dressed in a
suit heading down a hallway on his way out of the building. He came
within a few feet of Rodgers, who was still wearing his new
championship T-shirt and cap, surrounded by reporters and others
hanging on every word from the new star.

      Already considered an up-and-comer, Rodgers broke through with
two late-season victories just to make the playoffs as a wild card,
then guided Green Bay to wins at Philadelphia, Atlanta and
archrival Chicago.


      Facing a Pittsburgh team that gave up the fewest points in the
league this season, Rodgers threw for 304 yards, including a
29-yard touchdown to Nelson, who had nine catches for 140 yards to
make up for three big drops. Rodgers found Jennings, normally his
favorite target, for scores of 21 and 8 yards. Veteran standout
Donald Driver was lost to an ankle injury in the first half.


      The Packers upped their record of NFL titles to 13, nine before
the Super Bowl era. The Steelers still own the most Super Bowl
rings - six in eight tries.


      The game capped an interesting week in Dallas for the teams and
fans alike.


      Snow and ice caused traffic snarls, canceled flights and
injuries to several people when it fell from the roof of the
stadium. Sunny skies and milder temperatures returned Sunday, but
issues arose with seats at the game. In all, 1,250 fans with
tickets needed to be re-seated or put elsewhere because temporary
seats were not ready in time for kickoff.

      As that was being settled, Christina Aguilera botched the lyrics
to the national anthem. At least the Packers and Steelers put on a
terrific show after that.

      "Obviously throughout childhood, you dream of having the
opportunity to play in the Super Bowl. And being afforded this
opportunity to fulfill it, it speaks volumes not only about this
organization but about the guys that made up this team this year,"
Jennings said. "We were able to overcome a lot of adversity, even
throughout this game, and we got it done."

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Sports

Capping one of the greatest postseasons for any quarterback, Aaron Rodgers led the Pack to their first NFL championship in 14 years
Sunday, 31-25 over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Packers win Super Bowl, beat Steelers 31-25

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