Pack's big run started against Big Blue

DALLAS - The road to Super Bowl XLV was more of a struggle than the Packers ever envisioned. Once among the preseason NFC favorites, they struggled early and battled crippling injuries. Just to get to the playoffs they had to fight until the very end.

Through it all, their confidence never wavered. And as soon as they locked up that postseason berth, they knew their journey would end right here. "Once we got in," said Packers receiver Donald Driver, "we told everybody, 'You don't want to see us.'"

They weren't kidding, either. The sixth-seeded Packers ran the gauntlet to reach the Super Bowl. They won in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Chicago, beating the NFC's top three seeds, to become just the fourth team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl by winning three straight road games and the first sixth-seeded team to get there from the NFC.

Their roll goes back farther than that. The flashpoint for the NFC champs, who arrive in town Monday, came the day after Christmas when they hammered the Giants, 45-17, at Lambeau in what was essentially a play-in game for the final wild-card spot. That win served notice the Packers were a serious contender, which they proved by winning five in a row.

"Everybody keeping an eye on their target," said Packers coach Mike McCarthy. "Really, coming down to the New York Giants game, that's the one thing we just kept reiterating to our players: All of our goals are still in front of us. We didn't need any help. And I think that really helped our guys stay focused, stay on point."

Before that, the Packers had wavered. After a 7-3 start, they had lost three of four and Rodgers' health was a concern after he suffered his second concussion. They were 8-6 and on the brink of missing the playoffs when the Giants came to town."With the injuries we had early in the season, maybe some people wrote us off," said tackle Chad Clifton. "But I think that's just a credit to the players we have in the locker room. Guys stepped up and played well and put us in position to get us where we're at today."