Super Bowl XLV — 2010 Season
February 6, 2011 · Arlington, TX (Cowboys Stadium)
Super Bowl XLV result: GBPGreen Bay Packers def. PSPittsburgh Steelers, 31-25, February 6, 2011, at Arlington, TX (Cowboys Stadium).
Result
| Team | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | GBPGreen Bay Packers | 31-25 |
| Runner-up | PSPittsburgh Steelers |
Super Bowl MVP
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers
Starting lineups
Starting offense
| Green Bay Packers | Pittsburgh Steelers |
|---|---|
| Aaron Rodgers (QB) | Ben Roethlisberger (QB) |
| James Starks (RB) | Rashard Mendenhall (RB) |
| Greg Jennings (WR) | David Johnson (FB) |
| Jordy Nelson (WR) | Hines Ward (WR) |
| James Jones (WR) | Mike Wallace (WR) |
| Chad Clifton (LT) | Heath Miller (TE) |
| Daryn Colledge (LG) | Matt Spaeth (TE) |
| Scott Wells (C) | Jonathan Scott (LT) |
| Josh Sitton (RG) | Chris Kemoeatu (LG) |
| Bryan Bulaga (RT) | Doug Legursky (C) |
| Ramon Foster (RG) | |
| Flozell Adams (RT) |
Starting defense
| Green Bay Packers | Pittsburgh Steelers |
|---|---|
| Ryan Pickett (DE) | Casey Hampton (NT) |
| B.J. Raji (NT) | Brett Keisel (DE) |
| Cullen Jenkins (DE) | Ziggy Hood (DE) |
| Clay Matthews (OLB) | LaMarr Woodley (OLB) |
| A.J. Hawk (LB) | James Harrison (OLB) |
| Desmond Bishop (LB) | James Farrior (ILB) |
| Frank Zombo (OLB) | Lawrence Timmons (ILB) |
| Charles Woodson (CB) | Ike Taylor (CB) |
| Tramon Williams (CB) | William Gay (CB) |
| Nick Collins (S) | Ryan Clark (S) |
| Charlie Peprah (S) | Troy Polamalu (S) |
Note: Green Bay's starting tight end and fullback/extra-skill slot could not be cleanly resolved this pass — regular starting TE Jermichael Finley was on injured reserve all season, and the rookie who caught a pass in this game started only 3 of 13 regular-season games, making his "starter" status for the Super Bowl itself ambiguous rather than confirmed. Left as an honest gap (10 of 11 offensive slots reported) rather than guessed.
Box score
Passing
| Team | Player | Comp/Att | Yds | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | Aaron Rodgers | 24/39 | 304 | 3 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Ben Roethlisberger | 25/40 | 263 | 2 | 2 |
Rushing
| Team | Player | Car | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | James Starks | 11 | 52 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Rashard Mendenhall | 14 | 63 | 1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Isaac Redman | 2 | 19 | 0 |
Receiving
| Team | Player | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | Jordy Nelson | 9 | 140 | 1 |
| Green Bay Packers | Greg Jennings | 4 | 64 | 2 |
| Green Bay Packers | James Jones | 5 | 50 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Mike Wallace | 9 | 89 | 1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Hines Ward | 7 | 78 | 1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Antwaan Randle El | 2 | 50 | 0 |
Game context
Super Bowl XLV pitted the Green Bay Packers, a No. 6 seed that had to win three road playoff games to reach the title game, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, seeking their record seventh Lombardi Trophy. Green Bay came out fast, with Aaron Rodgers throwing a 29-yard touchdown to Jordy Nelson and safety Nick Collins returning an interception 37 yards for a score to stake the Packers to a 14-0 lead. Pittsburgh answered before halftime with a field goal, but Green Bay took a 21-10 advantage into the break after another Rodgers scoring strike. Pittsburgh mounted a second-half push behind Ben Roethlisberger, cutting the deficit with a Rashard Mendenhall touchdown run and then, in the fourth quarter, a touchdown pass to Mike Wallace plus a two-point conversion that trimmed Green Bay's lead to 28-25 with time still on the clock. It set up a tense finish, but the Packers' defense, playing without star linebacker Clay Matthews for stretches and missing several other starters to injury throughout the postseason, held firm on Pittsburgh's next possession. Mason Crosby's 23-yard field goal extended the Packers' lead to 31-25 with just over two minutes remaining, and Green Bay's defense closed out the win by stopping Pittsburgh's final drive, highlighted by cornerback Tramon Williams's pass breakup on fourth down. Aaron Rodgers, in just his third season as Green Bay's full-time starter after replacing the retired Brett Favre, was named Super Bowl MVP after completing 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, silencing years of comparisons to his predecessor and cementing his status among the league's elite quarterbacks. Jordy Nelson had a breakout performance with nine catches for 140 yards and a score. The win gave Green Bay its fourth Super Bowl title and its first since the Brett Favre-led team won Super Bowl XXXI following the 1996 season, and it validated general manager Ted Thompson's draft-and-develop roster-building approach, since the championship team was assembled almost entirely through the draft. For Pittsburgh and coach Mike Tomlin, the loss denied the franchise a seventh title and remains the Steelers' most recent Super Bowl appearance as of this writing. Played before a Super Bowl-record crowd of 103,219 at the newly opened Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas — a game marred off the field by a seating snafu that left roughly 400 ticketed fans without seats, leading to litigation and league reforms — Super Bowl XLV remains remembered as much for its record attendance and Rodgers's coronation as a franchise quarterback as for the game's back-and-forth drama.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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