Steelers Win Record Sixth Super Bowl

The Pittsburgh Steelers ended the Arizona Cardinals’ Cinderella story Sunday night and captured a league record with their sixth Super Bowl victory. The final score was 27 to 23.

Expectations for the Cardinals were grim going into the game. Arizona was entering their first Super Bowl following a strong playoff run, but their regular season record of 9 and 7 was less than compelling. On the other hand, the Steelers were just three years removed from their last world championship and boasted the league’s best defense.

Pittsburgh controlled the flow of the game in the first half and dominated in time of possession. Sitting on Pittsburgh’s 1 yard line with 18 seconds left on the clock, the Cardinals were poised to either tie the game or take the lead going into Halftime. That is until Kurt Warner’s pass was intercepted and Steelers’ linebacker James Harrison ran the length of the field for a record breaking 100 yard touchdown return.

Arizona regrouped in the second half, allowing only a field goal in the 3rd quarter and scoring 16 unanswered points in the 4th. The Cardinals’ high flying offense kept them in the game, but their final touchdown was scored too quickly. The Steelers got the ball back with two and a half minutes left in the game and drove 78 yards in 8 plays. Pittsburgh receiver Santonio Holmes held on to an awe inspiring touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to give the Steelers a 4 point lead with only 35 seconds left on the clock. The game was sealed when Warner was sacked by Steelers’ linebacker Lamar Woodley and the fumbled ball was recovered by Pittsburgh. For the second year in a row, the Super Bowl was decided by a touchdown scored in the last 35 seconds of the game.

The unexpectedly close match turned out to be a night of new records. Warner threw for 377 yards and now has the three highest passing-yardage totals in Super Bowl history. Cardinals Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald set the record for receptions, yards and touchdowns in a single postseason. Also, Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin is the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl.

Holmes was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Warner was honored before the game with the Walter Payton man of the Year award for his charity work off the field. He was quoted saying before the game that regardless of the outcome he would consider making this his final season.

-Joe Lewis