The Pittsburgh Steelers have won Super Bowl XLIII after defeating the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in a classic Super Bowl. The Steelers have won an NFL record six Super Bowls with their win. The win didn't come easily for the Steelers though. The ending was dramatic, with the Steelers eventually coming out on top with 35 seconds left for good.
The Steelers jumped out to a 10-0 lead after Gary Russell's 1 yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. The Cardinals looked flat, not establishing themselves on offense early on. However, they were able to score on the next possession after a big catch from wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner then threw a touchdown pass to Ben Patrick to make it 10-7.
The Cardinals had another chance to score when they were in a 1st and goal situation with under 30 seconds left. However, Steelers linebacker James Harrison intercepted Warner's pass and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown as the first half expired for the longest return in Super Bowl history. The Cardinals defense stepped up in the second half, only giving up a field goal in the third quarter.
The Cardinals got rolling in the fourth quarter. Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald scored two touchdown receptions, with the second one giving the Cardinals a 23-20 lead with just over two minutes remaining. However, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was able to lead a 78 yard drive and threw a six yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Santonio Holmes, who ended up as the Super Bowl MVP, with 35 seconds left. The Cardinals last attempt to score again was ended with five seconds left when Warner fumbled the ball away.
This was a classic Super Bowl and was just as good as Super Bowl XLII between the New York Giants and New England Patriots. However, I feel like the Cardinals were robbed of a victory in a way. There were calls that were curiously going the Steelers way. For instance, there was a play where Roethlisberger threw the ball away where he seemed to be in the pocket. It was believed to be intentional grounding but they called a roughing the passer penalty on linebacker Karlos Dansby which was very questionable. They also didn't stop the game to review the Warner fumble with five seconds left. It appeared that it still could've been an imcomplete pass, but they let the Steelers continue and run the final five seconds out. In my opinion, it was a cheap championship for the Steelers and it was probably because of a fascination with the Steelers because of their historical success.
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