Super Bowl XLIII- One Great Game!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 -- If you missed the Super Bowl this year, then you missed one great game! Super Bowl XLIII, in which the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals was as unpredictable and exciting as any football game can be.

Although the Steelers seemed to be in control through the third period, they did not have the contest won for sure until the final seconds ticked off. The highlight of the first period was James Harrison’s 100-yard interception runback of a Kurt Warner pass. The Steeler pick was the final play of the first half and it put the guys in yellow and black ahead of the Arizona Cardinals 17- 7. It was a massive play with massive implications.

In the third, Pittsburgh went ahead 20- 7 when kicker Jeff Reed hit a 21-yard field goal. But in the fourth, it was all (or mostly all) Arizona. Larry Fitzgerald caught a one-yard pass from Warner to make it 20- 14. The Steelers then gave two points to the Cards by getting charged with a safety. With 2:37 left in the game, Warner hit Larry Fitzgerald with a 64-yard pass to put Arizona ahead 23- 20.

But the Cardinals left the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger too much time on the clock and they exploited it. Roethlisberger took the team 78 yards on eight plays, hitting Santonio Holmes with a six-yard touchdown pass. The score happened with 35 seconds left in the game. That was the same mark at which the New York Giants tossed their game winning pass in last year’s Super Bowl. Pittsburgh was now in the lead 27- 23.

Although Warner looked to be mounting a comeback, hitting two straight passes, he fell short when he was sacked at the Pittsburgh 49, fumbling and losing the ball. With the ball recovered by the Steelers, they game was over as Roethlisberger took a knee and the final five seconds ticked off the clock.

That was the game with the Pittsburgh Steelers winning 27-23 and being crowned the Super Bowl XLIII champs.