Steelers' Opponent The Packers And Mike McCarthy Kept A Forbidden Secret From Pittsburgh The Night Before Super Bowl XLV

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most successful franchises in all of American sports. They are tied for the most Super Bowl victories in NFL history with six, and they had a chance to capture their seventh Lombardi Trophy during the 2010 NFL season. Pittsburgh found themselves representing the AFC in Super Bowl XLV, when they took on the Green Bay Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Pittsburgh lost the game despite a late comeback effort, and Rodgers won his only Super Bowl up until this point in his career.

Pittsburgh was going to their third Super Bowl in six seasons, while the Packers were playing in their first Super Bowl since they lost the big game at the end of the 1997 season. The Packers were the sixth seed in the NFC, and they had been playing lights out throughout the playoffs. The group was so confident going into the game that Head Coach Mike McCarthy had his team get sized up for their Super Bowl rings the night before the game. 

This story was recounted in the biography of Rodgers, Out Of The Darkness: The Mystery Of Aaron Rodgers, which was written by Ian O'Connor. The author got stories from Rodgers himself, and also interviewed McCarthy for the book.

"McCarthy had the nerve to get his players measured for Super Bowl rings," O'Connor wrote. "It was a major gamble. If word got back to the Steelers and their players cited the move as a source of inspiration in a winning effort, McCarthy never would have lived it down."

A team getting sized up for championship rings ahead of the Super Bowl is a unique practice. Teams don't usually do this. Had Pittsburgh found out about this move, it could have been used as material to motivate the Steelers and made them play harder. Unfortunately for the Steelers, they never had the lead in the game in what was a losing effort.

It is unclear if Pittsburgh ever found out about the Packers getting measured for their rings prior to the contest. It sure didn't seem like they did as the Packers at one point held a lead of 21-3 in the first half. Regardless, it was still a bold move by Green Bay's coach to do something like this before even playing the Super Bowl. McCarthy sat down with O'Connor and gave his reasoning for the decision.

"I felt that the measurement of the rings, the timing of it, would be special," McCarthy said. "It would have a significant effect on our players doing it the night before the game."

In a similar way that this information could have motivated Pittsburgh, it certainly motivated Green Bay. Pittsburgh struggled to keep up with Green Bay in the big game, as they were down 14-0 in the blink of an eye at the end of the first quarter after the Packers scored back-to-back touchdowns.

Steelers Were Out-Dueled Throughout The Entirety Of Super Bowl XLV

The Steelers were playing from behind nearly the entire game, and it was one of the rare occurrences where Ben Roethlisberger was out-played by the opposing team's quarterback. Almost immediately after the Packers scored their first touchdown of the game, Roethlisberger came out and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown, which gave the Packers a 14-0 lead. 

Pittsburgh climbed back late in the game and they were driving down the field in the fourth quarter facing a four-point deficit. Rashard Mendenhall then fumbled, which led to another score for Green Bay that grew their lead to 11. Pittsburgh was then down six points needing to march down the field for a touchdown to win the game, but they wound up failing to convert on a fourth down play. Pittsburgh nearly captured their seventh Super Bowl victory, but fell just short thanks to too many self-inflicted wounds.

What do you think about McCarthy measuring his team for Super Bowl rings the night before the big game? Let us know in the comments below!

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