All I have been seeing in my sleep is gold and black Terrible Towels waving in the air celebrating the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XLIII victory. The Steelers set a new NFL record last Sunday with their franchise’s sixth NFL championship. Although Super Bowl Sunday made a lot of Cincinnati Bengals fans hate the Pittsburgh Steelers just a little bit more than before, the game itself was one for everyone to enjoy. Super Bowl XLII was an outstanding game, but Super Bowl XLIII brought the classic David versus Goliath scenario alive. The Pittsburgh Steelers were chasing after their sixth championship, while the Arizona Cardinals remained titleless since 1947, when the franchise was located in Chicago.
Ben Roethlisberger showed poise and determination, like a ten year veteran. The way Big Ben dodged and weaved out of trouble in the pocket reminded me of John Elway in his final game as an NFL quarterback in Super Bowl XXXIII, when the Denver Broncos Defeated the Atlanta Falcons.
Although the Arizona Cardinals have an explosive offense, it was no match for the NFL’s top defense, schemed by Dick Lebeau the inventor of the zone blitz. Lebeau is the greatest defensive coordinator of all time, and when he is given two weeks to prepare for the Cardinals’ air raid offense you better believe the odds are in Pittsburgh’s favor.
The Arizona Cardinals were ineffective in the first half, but we all knew it was a matter of time before the best wide receiver in the NFL, Larry Fitzgerald, made his presence felt with seven receptions for 127 yards. Kurt Warner threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns in the defeat, so I wouldn’t put this loss solely on the offense’s shoulders. The Steelers offense converted on four third and long opportunities through Roethlisberger’s savvy presence under center.
Santonio Holmes had a game leading nine receptions for 131 yards and the game winning catch with 35 ticks left on the clock. Santonio’s end zone celebration should have cost the Steelers 15 yards on the kickoff, but it was overlooked by the referees.
So was Kurt Warner’s fumble on the final offensive drive. The fumble was clearly a pass and should have been overturned by the officials or by the booth and why it was not reviewed I do not know.
Nevertheless, Kudos to the Pittsburgh Steelers on their sixth Super Bowl victory, and hats off to the Arizona Cardinals for an effortful performance.