This one will definitely go down as a Super Bowl for the ages, even after a subpar first half. What made this game so dramatic was that at several points, everything seemed to be going one way, then one play completely changed the momentum. Obviously the first play I’m referring to is the James Harrison interception. It was a horrible throw by Warner because he had two more downs to try to get a touchdown, and had to at least play it safe enough to ensure a tie going into halftime. That would have been a huge boost for the Cardinals because they deferred and got the ball first in the second half.
When the Cardinals try to figure out why they lost this game, not being able to tackle Harrison will be number one.
But when the Cardinals completed their comeback with that long pass to Fitzgerald I declared, incredulously "the Cardinals are going to win the Super Bowl!"
But the Steelers came back and one the game on one of the best pass-catch combos you will ever see. Sure Santonio Holmes did a great job grabbing it and getting both feet inbounds. But a brilliant job by Roethlisberger putting it right over the hands of 3 defenders and into Holmes's arms.
The Best Super Bowl Ever, Again
After a string of blowouts in the 80s and 90s (14 out of 16 were decided by 7 points or more), in the last 8 years we've had 5 great Super Bowls. And the last two are probably the best.
Nice Catch
Santonio Holmes is the 6th wide receiver to win a Super Bowl MVP Award. Three of those receivers (Holmes, Hines Ward and Lynn Swan) won it while playing for the Steelers.
Best Super Bowl QB Ever
Of the top three Super Bowl performances by a quarterback, in terms of most passing yards, Kurt Warner holds the top 3 spots. 414 yards in the Rams win over the Titans. 365 yards against the Patriots in a loss and 377 in this game against the Steelers. Three Super Bowl appearances, even with two losses, two MVP awards, and these 3 prolific performances, I think Kurt Warner is a Hall of Famer.
The Model Franchise
The Pittsburgh Steelers are now the first team with a Super Bowl ring on the other hand (breaking a 3-way tie with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys). They also have never lost a Super Bowl [correction: the Steelers are 6-1 in Super Bowls]. When it comes to the NFL, you’d have to consider the Pittsburgh Steelers the most successful team of the Super Bowl era. And with the team’s ownership being a driving force for racial equality in coaching, and then backing it up by hiring Mike Tomlin, you’d have to consider the Steelers a model organization off the field as well. Although, an ownership squabble is dragging on threatening to turn ugly if the Rooneys don’t sell.
Just Crazy Enough to Work
I'm not saying this would ever happen, but what if Larry Fitzgerald took a knee at the one yard line?
At the very least, it would have killed another 30 seconds, and if they didn't get in on first down, maybe even more than that.
No player should ever do that (maybe trailing by 1 or 2 points with a field goal to fall back on, but never down by 4) but if you break it down mathematically it might make sense. Let's say he stops at the 1. I'd say that only hurts their chances of scoring a TD by about 10%. Don't you think that even with 30 fewer seconds to play with, the Steelers chances of winning (or even tying the game) fall by much more than that?
Just in the Nick of Time
The craziest "coincidence" (I don't use that word, but I think people are sick of reading about the Universe) that I haven't heard anyone mention is this: Santonio Holmes's amazing Super Bowl-winning catch and the one last year by Plaxico Burress both came with exactly 35 seconds remaining in the game. And the previous "greatest touchdown catch to win a Super Bowl, by John Taylor in XXII, came with 34 seconds left.
I singlehandedly lost a Super Bowl for Pittsburgh.
ReplyDeleteI was also going to point that error by Poop.
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