• The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals was one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever
• Two amazing plays at the ends of each half keyed the Pittsburgh triumph in Super Bowl XLIII
• Steelers’ Wide Receiver Santonio Holmes was the Most Valuable Player

A Six-Pack for Steel City
The Pittsburgh Steelers became the first team to win six Super Bowls. Its other triumphs came in 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, and 2006.

Hall of Fame Quarterbacks
Both Cardinals signal-caller Kurt Warner and Steelers’ general Ben Roethlisberger took another step closer to the Hall of Fame. Warner passed for 377 yards against a team that had given up 300 yards passing in only one previous game the entire season. Roethlisberger led his team to a Super Bowl win for the second time. Both have had many stellar NFL seasons.

Saving the Best for Last
The last play of the first half was the longest touchdown in Super Bowl history. NFL defensive-player-of-the-year James Harrison intercepted a pass at the goal line and chugged 100 yards the other way, scoring as the gun went off to end the half. Ironically, Harrison had been cut four times previously in his NFL career . . . three times by the Steelers! He also is the youngest of, count ’em, 14 children.
And with just 35 seconds left in the second half, Roethlisberger connected with Santonio Holmes on a diving touchdown catch that was barely inbounds. It was the deadly goal-line combination of great throw and great catch.

Larry’s Smokin’ Second Half
Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald continued his amazing postseason run. After being held in check by the Steelers during the first half, he exploded for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. The second TD was a 64-yard catch and run on a slant. When he turned the play up he middle of the field, it looked as if the Steelers pursuers were running in quicksand.

Getting a Grip
Cardinals left tackle Mike Gandy was a goat with three holding penalties. The game had seven holding penalties overall, well above the two-per-game average of the regular season. One of Pittsburgh’s holding penalties occurred in its own end zone, resulting in a safety for Arizona.

The MVP
Santonio Holmes had eight other catches besides his game winner, and he totaled 131 yards in receptions. But his winning catch will be remembered as one of the greatest in the history of the game. He snagged the ball in a sea of tight coverage and barely got the tips of his toes inbounds.

Close But No Cigar
Before Holmes’s winning catch, the Cardinals had engineered the greatest fourth-quarter comeback in Super Bowl history, scoring 16 unanswered points to take the lead. Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett helped keep the Steelers in check until the end.

Flipping Out
The Cardinals make the unusual choice of choosing to play defense when they won the pre-game coin toss. The move backfired when Pittsburgh jumped out to a 10-0 lead.

A Quick Study
At age 36, the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin became the youngest head coach in the Big Game . . . and he won! Tomlin was in his second season as Pittsburgh’s coach.

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