Super Bowl power rankings: Who’s the best loser?
By John Buhler
23. 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XLV
The 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers were only two years removed from winning their NFL-best sixth Super Bowl in franchise history when they knocked off the 2008 Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
In 2010, Pittsburgh went 12-4 and won the AFC North. They beat their arch rival in the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional round and the New York Jets in the 2010 AFC Championship, both by less than 10 points.
Pittsburgh still had Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback — who had already won two Super Bowls — and Mike Tomlin who won Super Bowl XLIII only two years prior. Much of the Steelers defense remained intact from the 2008 NFL season.
Unfortunately, they ran into the hottest team in football in the Green Bay Packer who were absolutely on fire with new franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay was a three-point favorite over Pittsburgh and ended up beating the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV in Cowboys Stadium by six points, 31-25.
Pittsburgh was good enough to win Super Bowl XLV, but they couldn’t stop Aaron Rodgers from arriving as an elite quarterback on their watch. No one thinks of the Steelers as a horrible franchise, and this Super Bowl loss is proof of the fact that even when they lose, they still look good enough to have won.
Next: 22. 1978 Dallas Cowboys