Madden NFL 11 called Sunday's big game for the Steelers. There's still a robust roster-editing culture for the exiled, six-year-old NFL 2K5. Using current rosters, one devotee offered his own prediction for Super Bowl XLV.
It's still Pittsburgh. Sorry to get your hopes up, Green Bay fans, but Operation Sports commenter VLN13 calls the game 28-14 for the Steelers. He's had a decent track record for the Jets' playoff matchups, calling all three winners correctly and coming very close to the final scores, and margins of victory.
VLN13 used eight-minute quarters, which translated to a real-world number of plays called. He adjusted sliders to favor the defense but reduce turnovers. What he got was a tale of two halves: Green Bay got out to a 14-6 lead. Pittsburgh then rattled off two touchdowns, one set up by an interception, converting the 2-point try on the second score to make it 21-14.
Like the Madden simulation, a late interception proved decisive. After the Steelers turned Packer fumble (on Green Bay's 22) into a touchdown and a 28-14 lead, Aaron Rodgers began Green Bay's final march, driving the Packers to a first-and-goal. But Pittsburgh's Lawrence Timmons intercepted Rodgers with a little more than two minutes left to salt the game away.
For those who still have a copy of NFL 2K5 on the PlayStation 2, and are interested in updating their roster files, this YouTube video provides a tutorial.
NFL 2K5 Super Bowl Sim [Operation Sports. Image by Getty Images]