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Steelers rock in Super Bowl XLIII
By Daniel Dullum February 1, 2009 |
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Pittsburgh survived a late scare from Arizona Sunday, holding off the stubborn Cardinals 27-23 to win Super Bowl 43 in Tampa, Fla., and the Steelers’ sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy. Ben Roethlisberger connected on a six-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter for what turned out to be the game-winning score. As Holmes came down in the right corner of the end zone behind three Cardinal defenders, his catch capped a 78-yard scoring drive. Cardinals’ quarterback Kurt Warner fumbled on a pass play in the closing seconds, and the Steelers took a knee to run the clock out for their second Super Bowl win in the last four years. Holmes received the game’s most valuable player award, snaring nine passes for 131 yards and the game-winning TD. One the previous possession, Arizona took its first lead of the game when Warner found Larry Fitzgerald underneath for a 64-yard touchdown that put the Cardinals up 23-20 with 2:37 to play. The Steelers had a 20-7 lead going in to the fourth quarter, but Warner found Fitzgerald on a fade in the end zone, cutting the Pittsburgh lead to 20-14. Arizona continued its rally with a safety when a holding penalty was called in the Steelers’ end zone with 2:58 left. The ensuing free kick set up Fitzgerald’s second touchdown reception of the game. Fitzgerald, who was bottled up for most of the first three quarters, finished with seven catches for 124 yards. Lost in the excitement was James Harrison’s 100-yard touchdown return of an interception that snuffed out an Arizona threat at the end of the first half. Harrison stepped in front of the Cards’ Anquan Boldin and lumbered down the sideline for the longest scoring play in Super Bowl history. Instead of a possible 14-10 Cardinals lead, Harrison’s pick gave the Steelers a 17-7 halftime advantage. The previous long play in the Super Bowl was a 98-yard punt return for a touchdown by Green Bay’s Desmond Howard in 1997. Roethlisberger completed 21 of 30 passes for 256 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Warner finished 31 of 43 for 377 yards, three TDs and the pick to Harrison. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band provided an energetic halftime performance, leading with Readers’ Digest versions of “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out,” “Born To Run,” and, from his new album, “Working On A Dream.” The Boss finished his 12-minute set with an abbreviated football version of “Glory Days,” while jabbing the pompous NFL by announcing, “We’re going into overtime!” and proceeding to exceed the league’s 12-minute limit. |
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