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Super Bowl XLV opponents Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers are tough, aggressive and creative quarterbacks with nearly identical statistics across major categories during the 2010 regular season. But a comparison of the two's playoff and career numbers paints Rodgers as the clearly dominant quarterback.

The following is a visual comparison of Roethlisberger's numbers versus Rodgers's, sliced by category and timeframe. Although their averages are quite even during the 2010 regular season, you will notice Rodgers significantly outperforms Roethlisberger when comparing their playoff and career averages.

Anyone with sense respects Rodgers's game. But with relative inexperience and a lack of championships, he can't yet be definitively ranked alongside Ben. So, despite comparable 2010 seasons, are Rodgers's surging playoff numbers a sign of things to come on Sunday and beyond?

Decide for yourself below. As you analyze the numbers, keep in mind that Roethlisberger played in only 12 games in 2010 due to his 4-week suspension while Rodgers played 15 games, missing one game in Week 15 due to a head injury.

During the regular season, the two's passing numbers were almost exactly the same. Roethlisberger averaged 20 completions for 267 over the course of 12 games, while Rodgers averaged 21 completions for 261 yards of the course of 15. Their passer ratings were also nearly identical: Roethlisberger posted a 97 while Rodgers posted a 101. Rodgers was a substantially more effective scorer, however, totaling 27 pass touchdowns for the season (1.9 average) versus Roethlisberger's 18 (1.4 average).

Both gifted rushing quarterbacks, they also posted similar regular season numbers on the ground. Roethlisberger averaged three attempts for 14 yards per game (5.2 yards/attempt) while Rodgers averaged four attempts for 23 yards per game (5.6 yards per attempt). Rodgers edged out Roethlisberger in rushing touchdowns as well - running in five (0.3/game) versus his opponent's two (0.2/game).

Over the course of their playoff careers, however, Rodgers comes out far ahead of Roethlisberger. Over four career playoff games, Rodgers has averaged 24 completions for 303 yards, 2.5 touchdowns per game and a passer rating of 113. Over twelve career playoff games, Roethlisberger has performed much worse. Roethlisberger has averaged seven fewer completions (17/game), 86 fewer yards (217/game), 1.1 fewer touchdowns (1.4/game) and nearly 30 fewer passer rating points (86).

So is Rodgers the superior quarterback? Not yet. Despite his stats, Ben is vying for his third championship while Rodgers is still anticipating his first Super Bowl appearance. We only have four games to look at for Rodgers versus Roethlisberger's 12. Ben always been a characteristically unpredictable and unconventional quarterback that manages to pull out wins no matter how ugly. And maybe these stats aren't the best comparators. The relative age and statistical trajectory of the two, however, certainly show the winds shifting in the younger Packer's favor.

Will Rodgers lead the Packers to victory and cement himself as the new Green Bay legend? Or will the veteran Roethlisberger grind out a third ring for Pittsburgh with characteristically reckless abandon?

Either way, it is precisely the matchup of these two that will make this a Super Bowl to remember.