Super Bowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Keeps Composure in 27-23 Victory over Arizona

PITTSBURGH STEELERS OVER ARIZONA CARDINALS, 27-23

Going into the Super Bowl many pundits and bloggers were saying the Arizona Cardinals, a 9-7 team suffering some late season blowouts, did not deserve to be in the Super Bowl. They certainly proved their critics wrong. But for an interception returned for a touchdown, the Cardinals very well may have won. Overall this was an impressive performance by both teams, although a bit sloppy and unnecessarily chippy at times. So my first thought is congratulations to both teams on a good game.

Even though I was fairly close on my prediction of the final score this game did not turn out like I thought it would. Pittsburgh’s offensive line dominated the first half of the game allowing them to build a 10-0 nothing lead early in the second half and keeping Kurt Warner and his offense on the sidelines and out of sync.

The pivotal play in the game, and the play I think cost Arizona the game, is James Harrison’s 100 yard interception return for a touchdown at the end of the first half. Instead of going up 14-10 at halftime, this 14 point swing meant the Cardinals went to the locker room down 17-7.

And what an amazing return for a touchdown it was. This play showed why the Pittsburgh Steelers have the best defense in the league and are Super Bowl champions today. It’s at the very end of the first half and Harrison catches the interception in the end zone and starts running. Do his teammates sigh in relief and stand around thinking, “oh good, we stopped them from getting a touchdown before halftime?”

NO – the defense sprinted down the field to block for Harrison who turned in an incredible 100 yard return for a touchdown with no time left on the clock. If the Cardinals could have just stopped this improbable sprint for pay dirt they might be taking the Lombardi Trophy to Arizona instead tears and “what ifs?”

You have to give credit to the Cardinals though. Often a team down 17-7 at halftime in the Super Bowl panics and ends up getting blown out. The Cardinals played much better in the second half. The Cardinals defense really stepped it up, particularly defensive tackle Darnell Dockett. Dockett was handled by Pittsburgh’s centers and guards in the first half but he seemed like a different player in the second half.

The only problem was they let Pittsburgh go on a long drive, thanks to several personal foul penalties (at least one a bit questionable), and eat up all the time in the third quarter. The Cardinals took too long to get their offense going and put points on the board.

But the Cardinals played a brilliant fourth quarter, with their two drives resulting in touchdown catches for Larry Fitzgerald and recording a safety to go up 23-20 with 2:37 seconds left in the game.

And what can you say about Pittsburgh’s last drive for the winning touchdown? I’ve been critical of Big Ben all year but he was fabulous on this drive, leading his team down the field for the winning score. And Santonio Holmes’ catch for a touchdown was superlative.

Frankly I am very torn on who should get my Super Bowl MVP Award. While Santonio Holmes was the go to receiver all night and had 9 receptions for 131 yards and his brilliant, game winning catch for a touchdown, James Harrison also deserves consideration. Harrison’s 100 yard touchdown return really put the Cardinals in a hole and was a key factor in the Steelers’ win. He also kept getting holding penalties called against offensive linemen trying to block him (poor Mike Gandy).

But, given the Holmes had a great fourth quarter and made the game winning catch, I am going with Santonio.

 

Santonio Holmes, Super Bowl XLIII MVP

MVP: Santonio Holmes, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Offensive Player: Santonio Holmes, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Defensive Player: James Harrison, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Offensive Lineman: Mike Starks, LT, Pittsburgh Steelers
Special Teams Player: Steve Breaston, WR/KR, Arizona Cardinals (for his one good punt return)

 

 

Super Bowl XLIII Prediction

I still find it hard to believe that the Arizona Cardinals are in the Super Bowl. I watched them get trounced this year on the road several times. Being a New England Patriots fan it kind of makes me mad to see a team that didn’t even show up for their game against the Patriots and got embarrassed to be playing for the championship.

On the other hand, I find it rather interesting to see the Cardinals finally make it to the big game. They have played much better in the playoffs than they ever did in any regular season game I saw them in, mainly because they are running the ball more and playing better defense. Of course Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin have mostly played very well all year long. Those three certainly have played championship level football.

It does not surprise me to see the Steelers in the Super Bowl. Nor would it have surprised me to see the Ravens. I am a believer that defense wins championships and the Steelers and Ravens both have championship caliber defenses.

So how do I see Super Bowl XLIII shaping up?

Arizona’s Offense versus Pittsburgh’s Defense

This is the matchup that is going to decide who wins this game. The matchup is not good for Arizona.

If there is any weakness in the Steelers’ defense it is the cornerbacks. Now don’t get me wrong, Ike Taylor and Deshea Townsend are pretty solid defensive backs. It’s just that the rest of the defense is great. And they are going against great receivers in Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston, and Anquan Boldin, who match up very well against them. All things being equal the Cardinals should eat the Steelers secondary up just like they did the Panthers and Eagles. The X Factor is Troy Polamalu and how they use him to limit the damage.

But will Kurt Warner have enough time to throw the ball? The heart of the Steelers defense is the linebackers. And the Cardinals offensive line, as well as they have played to this point, have not seen a defense like this since they played, and lost, to the Giants. While Warner and the offensive line did well against the Eagles’ blitzes, the Steelers are better athletically at the linebacker position and have a better all around defense.

And running the ball? Forget it. The Cardinals will have to run the ball some but they won’t get anywhere against this defense. This game will come down to Warner flinging the ball down the field to his receivers. I suspect he’ll spend a lot of time on his back, fumbling, or throwing interceptions.

Pittsburgh’s Offense versus Arizona’s Defense

The Pittsburgh offense actually does not match up that well against the Cardinals, at least not the Cardinals we’ve seen in the playoffs.

I don’t know why people want to insist that Big Ben is some kind of great All Pro quarterback. He isn’t. He’s big, strong, and hard to bring down. He’s also great on broken plays. But he also tends to hold the ball too long and make mistakes. And the running game has been inconsistent. That is not to say I don’t think Big Ben is an excellent quarterback, but Canton bound he is not. His goal should be to play mistake free football, which he has managed to do so far in the playoffs.

Arizona’s Rodgers-Cromartie is an excellent cornerback with a great future who should be able handle Santonio Holmes and his speed. And if the Cardinals defensive line and linebackers play as well has they have the last few weeks they should be able to limit Willie Parker in the running game.

And like Troy Polamalu on the other side of the field, Cardinal strong safety Adrian Wilson is an excellent player against the run and the pass.

The X Factor for the Steelers on offense will be Hines Ward. If he can make the tough inside catches he’s known for, that will allow the Steelers to move the ball down the field.

I don’t expect the Steelers offense to score a ton of points, however.

Special Teams

On paper special teams are pretty even, although Steve Breaston returning kicks gives the Cardinals a better opportunity for a big return. Despite an awful kicking game last week by the Cardinals, both on kickoffs and punts, I don’t expect to see the same level of performance in the Super Bowl. The Cardinals Neil Rackers has a stronger leg than Jeff Reed but I don’t foresee long field goals being a factor unless it’s at the end of the game in a desperate situation. So mark this as a draw.

SO, THEN WHO AM I PICKING?

The Steelers defense is so good that they should be able to do enough to win. I would not be surprised to see a turnover fest by the Cardinals if they get behind early and have to throw the ball. Warner is not always known for being careful with the football. If that happens it could be a Steelers blowout. But let’s give the Cardinals the benefit of the doubt and say it’s going to be close.

Pittsburgh over Arizona, 27-21

NFC and AFC Championships Review

 Arizona Cardinals over Philadelphia Eagles, 32-25

The Arizona Cardinals are in the Super Bowl. Has a weird ring to it doesn’t it? The Arizona Cardinals? Are you sure? The same team that got blown out in the regular season every time they stepped out of the comfortable confines of the Arizona desert? What gives?

What gives is this is not the same Arizona Cardinals team we saw in the regular season. They still have the high flying offense lead by Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin. But they finally found that running the ball, and sticking with it enough to keep defenses honest, makes their offense even better. And the Arizona defense is playing better than it has all season and right in time for the playoffs.

They Cardinals offense is fun to watch. They put some very nice drives together, and throw in a big play or two, and it results in a 24-6 halftime lead.

The Philadelphia Eagles made a valiant comeback in the second half with tight end Brent Celek catching pass after pass, and DeSean Jackson making a great play on a tipped ball for a touchdown to take a 25-24 lead in the fourth quarter. At that point I suspect many people felt the Cardinals would fall apart and lose the game. Their offense had gone three and out a few times in the half and really didn’t have much of an opportunity to do anything. But Kurt Warner calmly lead the team on a 72 yard drive resulting in a game winning touchdown pass to Tim Hightower and a Super Bowl birth.

A few things of note in this game. Larry Fitzgerald continues to raise his game above his already Pro Bowl level. He has had a phenomenal postseason and is simply amazing.

On the other side of the ball, Donovan McNabb was awful. While he put up a great effort, he missed receivers on many occasions and was often inaccurate with this throws.

And the kicking game by both teams was atrocious. I have never seen so many kickoffs go out of bounds, so many lousy punts, and we even had a missed extra point by the Eagles. In fact, it was a game with maybe the poorest special teams play I have seen in quite some time by both teams.

But overall, this was an exciting game to watch.

MVP: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals

Troy Polamalu Intercepts Joe Flacco (NFL.com)

Pittsburgh Steelers over Baltimore Ravens, 23-14

Wow, these two defenses are good. Very, very good. This was one of the hardest hitting games I’ve seen in a long time. The key difference in the game was the Steelers defense was able to make more plays and get three interceptions off of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, which lead them to victory.

Pittsburgh basically just outplayed the Ravens by a slim margin. They got a big play on a touchdown to Santonio Holmes in the first half to take a 13-7 lead to the locker room. Then nursing a 16-14 lead in the fourth quarter, Troy Polamalu intercepted a Flacco pass and ran it back for a touchdown and sealed the deal.

This game, as expected, was about defense and hard hitting. It didn’t disappoint.

MVP: Troy Polamalu, SS, Pittsburgh Steelers

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offensive Player: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Defensive Player: Troy Polamalu, SS, Pittsburgh Steelers
Offensive Lineman: Lyle Sendlein, C, Arizona Cardinals
Special Teams: Jeff Reed, K, Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC and NFC Championship Predictions

Pittsburgh Steelers over Baltimore Ravens

This is the two consistently toughest defensive teams in the league this year. I am very impressed with both teams and particularly their defensive prowess. Whoever wins this game should be favored in the Super Bowl.

I expect this game, like most Pittsburgh-Ravens matchups, to come down to the bitter end. But I give the edge to Pittsburgh for two reasons. First, they are at home. And while that hasn’t meant much in these playoffs, it should count for a slight edge for the Steelers. Second, even though Flacco has played great this year, Pittsburgh seems just a bit more consistent and better able to generate points than the Baltimore offense. Baltimore should have scored more last week against the Titans after being handed three turnovers.

I look forward to seeing this slugfest.

Arizona Cardinals over Philadelphia Eagles

I have a gut feeling that the Cardinals are not going to lay and egg in this game like they did against the Eagles not too many weeks ago in Philadelphia. They seem to be a revived team in the playoffs and I really don’t believe in McNabb or the Eagles. The beat the Giants last week but both Eli Manning and Donovan McNabb had shaky games. The Cardinals are on a roll and I think they will take there new found running game and great the Larry Fitzgerald and roll right into the Super Bowl.

Thing is though, they are going to roll right into a brick wall regardless of which AFC team’s defense they face.

2008 NFL Divisional Playoffs Review

Larry Fitzgerald Scores against Carolina (NFL.com)

I know it’s 2009 but this is the 2008 NFL Football Season so that is what I am calling the playoffs.

General Observations

If someone told me four weeks ago we would be seeing the Philadelphia Eagles versus the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship I would have them committed to an insane asylum.

Defense and turnovers win championships and that is certainly what happened in this weekends’ playoff matchups. The Ravens, Cardinals, Eagles, and Steelers all played great defense and generated turnovers that ultimately lead to their taking the next step in the playoffs and a right to play for an entry into Super Bowl XLIII.

Now putting my New England Patriots’ hat on for a moment, I am thrilled we won’t be seeing a Manning in the Super Bowl. I don’t really root for any teams in the playoffs when the Patriots don’t make it I just root against the teams I least want to see in the Super Bowl. The Chargers and Eagles get kudos for knocking off the two teams I least wanted to see.

I still find it a bit whacky to see the Eagles and Cardinals in the NFC Championship game. The Eagles looked awful for a long stretch this year and only made the playoffs because the circus act in Dallas imploded. And the Cardinals? They didn’t look like they could win a game on the road or run the ball late in the season. They’ve done both in these playoffs.

Baltimore Ravens over Tennessee Titans, 13-10

This was a game dominated by the defenses. Three turnovers by Titans, two in scoring position, were the difference in this game. I won’t say the Titans outplayed the Ravens because the Ravens earned their turnovers, but if the Titans had scored even field goals instead of giving the ball back to the Ravens, the outcome would likely have been different. After two touchdowns in the first quarter, there wasn’t another score until the fourth quarter.

Both defensive lines played phenomenal games. Unlike their last meeting, Tennessee’s defensive front throttled the Ravens running game. The Ravens did give up a good chunk of running yards in the first half, but two turnovers thwarted Tennessee’s scoring opportunities. Tennessee was badly hampered when their best offensive player, running back Chris Johnson, was injured in the second quarter and never returned to the game. Tennessee also clearly missed Kevin Mawae at center. Haolti Ngata got great penetration most of the game, particularly in the first and fourth quarters.

Probably the most damaging blow to Tennessee, other than injuries, was an interception by Kerry Collins in the second quarter around the Baltimore 32 yard line after having driven from their 1 yard line. That seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game.

For Tennessee this was a huge blow after the great season they had and having home field advantage throughout the playoffs. After blowing out the Steelers at home late in the season I really thought we would be seeing them in the Super Bowl. They certainly looked like Super Bowl contenders. But it wasn’t to be.

MVP: Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore Ravens

Arizona Cardinals over Carolina Panthers, 33-13

I was stunned by this game. After seeing the Cardinals get blown out by the Jets, Eagles, and Patriots and losing badly at home to Giants, I did not believe they could beat the Panthers in Carolina. Of course six turnovers, 5 interceptions and a fumble by quarterback Jake Delhomme, was the difference in the game.

But the Cardinals offense didn’t rest on their heels. They once again established a running game to ago along with their passing attack and turned those turnovers into points. Larry Fitzgerald had another stellar game with 8 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown. And the defense, like last week, did a great job shutting down the running attack.

The Cardinals have played like a legitimate playoff team and if they continue to perform at this level and do not revert back to their late season swoon, the sky is the limit for this team. It just depends on which team shows up.

MVP: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals

Philadelphia Eagles over New York Giants, 23-11

I don’t know if it was the wind or not but neither Eli Manning nor Donovan McNabb had a particularly good day. Both were mostly inaccurate with their passes and neither team really established much on offense. The Giants were able to run the ball at times but their inability to do much in the passing game really hurt them. The offenses and the quarterbacks looked average not like to teams meeting in the playoffs.

The defenses did play well and this game came down to turnovers and defense. The Eagles’ defense played just a little better than the Giants’ and McNabb played just a little better than Eli and made a few good throws when the Eagles really needed it. To me the key play in the game was Asante Samuels interception of Eli Manning in the first quarter, giving the Eagles the ball near the goal line and an easy touchdown. Even though it was early in the game and only a 7-3 lead, scores were hard to come by and this gave the Eagles a leg up. Also impressive were two fourth down stops by the Eagles in the fourth quarter.

MVP: Brodrick Bunkley, DT, Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers over San Diego Chargers, 35-24

The Pittsburgh Steelers, leading 14-10 at halftime, controlled the ball nearly the entire third quarter going up 21-10. They just wore out the Chargers defense and the game was all but over after that. The Chargers did a good job of putting up a few scores late in the game but the Steelers were playing loose on defense just chewing up the clock.

This was an extremely impressive effort by the Steelers offensive line. Their defense also played extremely well, holding Darren Sproles, last week’s superstar, to only 15 yards rushing. Most of San Diego’s offensive output came in the fourth quarter when the Steelers were mostly playing prevent defense and the Chargers were scrambling to catch up.

Running back Willie Parker ended up with 146 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries, while Big Ben had an efficient, mistake free afternoon at quarterback. He did miss a few deep throws down the field, but he hit a few as well, including one that ended up netting a touchdown after a pass interference call in the end zone.

If the Steelers can continue to play lights out defense, run the ball well, while Ben makes plays with his arm down the field, they will be tough to beat. But they face a nasty defensive team in the Ravens next week, which will be another slugfest.

MVP: Willie Parker, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Offensive Player of the Week: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Defensive Player of the Week: Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore Ravens
Offensive Lineman of the Week: Jeff Hartwig, C, Pittsburgh Steelers
Special Teams Player of the Week: Santonio Holmes, KR, Pittsburgh Steelers