The Pittsburgh Steelers broke all sorts of record on Sunday, February 1st, 2009. Coach Mike Tomlin became the youngest coach to coach in a Super Bowl (and win one of course). Linebacker James Harrison, the 2009 defensive player of the year, intercepted a pass and took it 100 yards for a touchdown, the longest play in Super Bowl history. But the most important record to the Steelers was winning the franchise's sixth Super Bowl title, surpassing the record held between the Steelers, the 49ers, and the Cowboys.
What looked to be a rout for Pittsburgh on paper and in the first quarter turned out to be a game filled with the same intensity and spectacular play-making abilities that Super Bowl 42 displayed last year when the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots. The opening 15 minutes were owned by the Steelers, as they had possession of the ball for over 12:30 of the 15. But the Cardinals defense made key goal-line stands and held Pittsburgh to only 3 points, despite the Steelers having 140 yards of total offense. Pittsburgh kept possession between quarters and finally scored a touchdown, making the lead 10-0 and making the top ranked post-season offense in the Arizona Cardinals seem like a joke. Then Arizona unleashed Kurt Warner.
In the first offensive drive for Arizona, the Cardinals ran the ball 4 out of 5 times. The drive resulted in a punt. For the rest of the game, the Cardinals seemed to rely soley on the pass, and their second drive ended with a beautiful high pass to Ben Patrick from Kurt Warner for a 1 yard touchdown score. The Cardinals stifled the Pittsburgh offense and all momentum seemed to go Arizona's way. But with under 30 seconds left in the second quarter and the Cardinals 2 yards out of the end zone, James Harrison faked a pass rush, dropped back in coverage, and picked off an intended pass for Anquan Boldin in the end zone. Harrison then took the ball 100 yards, breaking and dodging multiple Cardinal tacklers on the way, and ended the half with Pittsburgh leading 17-7.
The Arizona Cardinals were not discouraged, and they owned most of the second half. The defense held the Pittsburgh offense to 3 points in the third quarter after their offense began struggling again. In the fourth quarter, the Arizona began what looked to be an improbable comeback. Kurt Warner led the Arizona offense to a no huddle, and began driving the ball down the field without any problems. Larry Fitzgerald, who was held to 1 catch for 11 yards in the first three quarters, exploded in the fourth quarter. He had 6 catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns, the first of which put the Cardinals back within reach of the lead 20-14. A good Arizona punt by Ben Graham, the first Australian to play in a Super Bowl, pinned the Steelers on their own 1 yard line. Ben Roethlisberger made a 15 yard pass to Santonio Holmes on a third and 10 on what seemed to be a game saving pass, but a holding penalty in the end zone turned the tables entirely, giving the Cardinals a safety, closing the lead to 20-16, and giving the Cardinals the ball back. Warner and Fitzgerald capitalized on the huge chance, as they connected down the middle for a 64 yard touchdown pass two plays later, and taking the lead 23-20.
But Big Ben and the Steelers finally broke past the wall that was the Arizona defense. Roethlisberger and Holmes did not lose their connection, and they won the game for the Steelers. In their game-winning 9 play, 88 yard drive, Santonio Holmes and Big Ben connected 4 times for 73 yards and the touchdown score that would finalize the win for the Steelers 27-23 with 35 seconds to go. Holmes was named Super Bowl MVP, finishing the night with 9 receptions, 131 yards, and a touchdown.
Penalties played a big part in the game. The Cardinals averaged a little over 40 yards of penalties throughout the regular and post season. In the Super Bowl, they were penalized 11 times for 106 yards, including three personal fouls for 35 yards on Pittsburgh's 3rd quarter drive that resulted in a Jeff Reed field goal.
Kurt Warner was by far the best player on the field, completing 31 of 43 pass attempts for 377 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception (which proved to be costly). Big Ben paled in comparison, going 21/30, with a touchdown and an interception. However, the key stat would be the game winning drive, in which he went 5 for 7 for 84 yards and his only touchdown. As John Madden said, "There are all these stats, and numbers... but the only thing that matters is did you do it? Did you win the game?" Roethlisberger overcame his nerves and won the game.
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