Super Bowl XLV
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| Date | February 6, 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Kickoff time | 5:25 p.m. CST (UTC-6) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Cowboys Stadium Arlington, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Aaron Rodgers, quarterback | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Packers by 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Walt Anderson | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 103,219
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| Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Christina Aguilera | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coin toss | Deion Sanders, representing the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame class | ||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, and Slash | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Fox | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver, Chris Myers, and Mike Pereira | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 46.0 (national) 59.7 (Pittsburgh) 59.7 (Milwaukee) US viewership: 111 million est. avg., 162.9 million est. total | ||||||||||||||||||
| Market share | 69 (national) 87 (Pittsburgh) 85 (Milwaukee) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of 30-second commercial | $3 million | ||||||||||||||||||
| Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Westwood One | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) Boomer Esiason (analyst) James Lofton and Mark Malone (sideline reporters) | ||||||||||||||||||
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2010 season. The Packers defeated the Steelers 31–25, winning an NFL-record thirteenth championship and their first since Super Bowl XXXI in 1997. The game was played on February 6, 2011, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the first time the Super Bowl was played in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
Unlike most other Super Bowls, this game featured two title-abundant franchises: coming into the game, the Packers held the most NFL championships with 12 (9 league championships prior to the Super Bowl era and 3 Super Bowl championships), while the Steelers held the most Super Bowl championships with 6. The Packers entered their fifth Super Bowl in team history, and became the first 6-seed team in the NFC to compete in the Super Bowl, after posting a 10–6 regular season record. The Steelers finished the regular season with a 12–4 record, and advanced to an, at the time, league record-tying 8th Super Bowl appearance.
Super Bowl XLV was initially dominated by the Packers, jumping to a 21–3 lead before the Steelers cut it to 21–10 just before halftime. Then after the teams exchanged touchdowns, the Steelers cut their deficit to 28–25 midway through the fourth quarter with wide receiver Mike Wallace's 25-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and a two-point conversion. The Packers answered with Mason Crosby's 23-yard field goal with 2:07 remaining, and then prevented the Steelers from scoring on their final drive of the game. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named Super Bowl MVP, completing 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.
The broadcast of Super Bowl XLV on Fox averaged about 111 million viewers, breaking the record for the most-watched program in American television history. The game's attendance was 103,219, just short of the Super Bowl record 103,985 set in Super Bowl XIV at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Super Bowl XLV halftime show featured the American hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas, with additional performances by Usher and Slash.
This is the most recent time either of these teams have made the Super Bowl, despite appearing in a combined five conference championships since then.