Packers Beat Bears, Advance To Super Bowl
Sunday, January 23, 2011 at 12:24PM 
By JOHN P. WISEOne Great Season
If the opening drive was any indication, it looked like the frigid weather alone wasn't going to cool off the hottest quarterback in the NFL.
But eventually, the Chicago Bears defense kept Aaron Rodgers and the high-octane Green Bay attack in check enough to make the fourth quarter relevant in Sunday's NFC Championship Game at Soldier Field. That's when third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie threw two touchdown passes, but sandwiched in between them was an interception returned for a short but decisive score by Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji.
Hanie got the ball back with less than three minutes, and even got the Bears to the Green Bay 29-yard line, but his final pass of the game was intercepted by Sam Shields with 40 seconds left, allowing the Packers to escape with the 21-14 victory.
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Green Bay advances to its fifth Super Bowl, and first since Brett Favre led the Packers to back-to-back appearances that they split in 1997 and 1998.
Despite sneaking into the NFC Playoffs as the final seed, many thought the Packers would be the most dangerous team, thanks in large part to Rodgers and a swarming defense led by high-energy linebacker Clay Matthews and veteran cornerback Charles Woodson.
Just a few short weeks ago, Rodgers was the subject of ridiculously premature talk of whether he can win in the postseason. In his first and only playoff game before this season, he led the Packers to 35 second-half points in a 51-45 overtime loss at Arizona in last year's playoffs. Hardly his fault.
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But in the last two weeks, Rodgers led the Packers to 69 points in road wins at Philadelphia and Atlanta, earning respect from all corners, including Las Vegas, which had the Packers as 3.5-point favorites before Sunday's kickoff.
Rodgers started quickly, leading his team down the field for a touchdown on the game's opening possession. In three of Green Bay's first five plays, he completed three passes for gains of at least 22 yards each. He capped the seven-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run on a naked bootleg.
The Packers stretched their lead to 14-0 and 21-7, but the second half wasn't easy. Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler left with a knee injury, and backup Todd Collins wasn't terrible effective. Bears coach Lovie Smith inserted Hanie, hoping the young quarterback with nimble feet could jumpstart the home team's offense. An exciting fourth quarter followed three fairly boring ones, bringing the Soldier Field crowd to life before that final pick by Shields.
Sunday's meeting was the 182nd between the Packers and Bears, the oldest rivalry in the NFL. It was only the second time the teams met in the postseason, and the first with an invitation to the Super Bowl on the line.
Green Bay, 3-1 in Super Bowls, will play the winner of Sunday night's AFC Championship Game between the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers.
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