The Green Bay Packers increased their lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second quarter of Super Bowl 45, but a late half strike by the Steelers pulled the AFC Champions within two scores.
Pittsburgh got on the board early in the quarter with a Shaun Suisham field goal, but interceptions continue to haunt Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers, as two of the Packers' three thouchdowns have now come off interceptions. Jarrett Bush's interception in the second quarter led to a four-play 53-yard drive by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, capped off by a 21-yard pass down the middle of the field to Greg Jennings.
A developing headline towards the end of the first half is the troubling injuries to members of Green Bay's secondary. Sam Shields appeared to injure his left arm in making a tackle on a . Charles Woodson injured on his left arm on the very next play in defense of a long pass to Mike Wallace. Woodson returned to the field for a few plays following a timeout, but both players would ultimately enter the locker room for treatment.
Pittsburgh took advantage of the injuries, and with the two-minute offense deployed, Roethlisberger connected with Hines Ward for the team's first touchdown of the game. The score came on what looked like a somewhat broken and improvised play. While under pressure, Roethlisberger tossed the ball to Ward who had beaten his defender in the back corner of the end zone. Following the touchdown, Green Bay safety Nick Collins joined his two secondary teammates in the locker room, with an apparent unknown injury.