SUPER BOWL XLIII
PITTSBURGH STEELERS VS. ARIZONA CARDINALS
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2009 6:20 P.M.
RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM - TAMPA, FLORIDA
Pittsburgh (14-4) is not a particularly surprising team to win the right to play in the Super Bowl this year. For Arizona (12-7) to earn the right to participate is both surprising and historic. In professional sports only one team has experienced a longer drought in winning a championship. That mark of distinction belongs to the Chicago Cubs, who are at 100 years and counting. The Arizona (formerly Chicago & St. Louis) Cardinals are 2nd at 61 years… but they can stop counting if they win Super Bowl XLIII. Another irony is that this year’s combatants, for one year (1944), were the same team. With a shortage of NFL players due to WWII, the teams combined and played under the name of Card-Pitt. They were a perfect 0-10 that season. The 2009 Super Bowl teams have considerably better records. The Cardinals’ Super Bowl appearance reduces to five the number of teams who have never seen Super Bowl action… the Browns, Saints, Lions, Jaguars and Texans.
Pittsburgh: UP: The Steelers became the 12th team in NFL history to sweep a 3-game series in a single season with their AFC championship win over the Ravens. Pittsburgh has the top-ranked defense in the NFL. A Super Bowl victory will make them the 1st team to win six titles. Dallas and San Francisco are tied with them at five. The win against Baltimore made the Steelers 8-0 in post-season wins over division opponents. Coach Mike Tomlin is the youngest coach ever to lead his team to the big game. He beats out Bill Cowher by almost 2 years. All-Pro Safety Troy Polamalu intercepted a pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown last weekend. The defense intercepted Ravens QB Joe Flacco 3 times, sacked him 3 times and held him to just 13 of 30 completions and no TD passes. DOWN: The rush offense is struggling. The Steelers gained only 52 yards against the Ravens. RB Willie Parker had 47 yards in 24 carries, a meager 1.9 average. Special teams play was weak, as the Ravens returned one punt 45 yards to set up a score. Pittsburgh’s Punter Mitch Berger was pathetic. One of his punts was just 21 yards, setting up another Ravens score in the 4th which cut the Steelers lead to just 2 points. Coach Tomlin made some questionable decisions, including a pass play to mid-field with 16 seconds left in the 1st half and no time-outs that allowed time to expire without a field goal attempt.
Arizona: UP: QB Kurt Warner is only the 2nd QB to start the Super Bowl for two different teams. Craig Morton was the other, who started the 5th Super Bowl for Dallas and the 12th for Denver. Warner has 2 season MVP awards and was the 2000 Super Bowl MVP. His leadership has inspired the Cardinals through the regular season and the playoffs. Last week, in the NFC championship game against the Eagles, he threw 4 TD passes and had no interceptions. WR Larry Fitzgerald caught 3 of those TDs and has an NFL record 419 receiving yards this post-season with one game yet to play. RB Edgerrin James rushed for 73 yards in 16 attempts. The team had 102 yards rushing, averaging 3.5 per carry, which is superb for the Cardinals. The rushing defense was good against the Eagles, holding RB Brian Westbrook to just 45 yards. DOWN: WR Anquan Boldin had a televised shouting match with Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley during the game. Boldin complained about playing time during what turned out to be the game winning drive for the Cardinals. He has been nursing a hamstring injury and had only 4 catches for 34 yards in the game. He requested to be traded before the season began because he is unhappy with his $2.75 million per year contract. The Cardinals do not need off-field distractions as they prepare for the Super Bowl. DE/OLB Travis LaBoy suffered a biceps injury. If it is torn, he will miss the big game. DE Antonio Smith and CB Rod Hood were hurt in the Eagles’ game, but should play in the Super Bowl.
KEYS TO THE GAME: Pittsburgh’s #1 defense will have to contain the Warner to Fitzgerald express. Even in double-coverage Fitzgerald finds ways to catch Warner’s tosses with outstanding vertical leaps and sure hands. The Steelers offensive line must protect QB Ben Roethlisberger, who was sacked 4 times by the Ravens. Arizona’s #4 offense should attack the Steelers linebackers with short passes and pound the line with James rushing. This will set the stage for an occasional long throw to Fitzgerald on the sidelines. If Warner gets it close, Larry will catch it. Defensively, the Cardinals linebackers must cover Roethlisberger’s receivers perfectly, especially WR Santonio Holmes.
BY THE NUMBERS: The Steelers are favorites by 6 ½ with the points at 46 1/2. Pittsburgh is 11-7 ATS and 10-8 O/U. Arizona is 12-7 ATS and 13-6 O/U. As a favorite the Steelers are 10-3 SU and 7-6 ATS while the Cardinals are 3-6 SU and 4-5 ATS as underdogs. In non-conference games both teams are 2-2 SU and ATS this season. Pittsburgh is 5-1 in the Super Bowl. Arizona is 0-0. The odds are in the Steelers favor, but most of the fans will be rooting for the Cardinals. Both quarterbacks have Super Bowl experience. Each team has a Super Bowl MVP on its roster…QB Warner for Arizona and WR Hines Ward for Pittsburgh. This Super Bowl has the potential to turn out much different than the odds-makers envision.