"It came down to the last play, and we made it." "Was that a 60-minute game, or what?" exclaimed Steelers linebacker James Farrior. Just when it looked like the Arizona Cardinals had authored the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history - scoring 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter - the Steelers answered with a monstrous, improbable drive.īen Roethlisberger's 6-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds left gave Pittsburgh a soaring 27-23 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday night at Raymond James Stadium. When it was over, it may well have been the most exciting Super Bowl ever. What can you say about a game in which the longest play in Super Bowl history - a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown by Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison - was almost rendered a mere footnote? A contest that virtually eclipsed the highly anticipated glory-days halftime set of Bruce Springsteen?įor more than three quarters, Super Bowl XLIII was idling along toward yet another Pittsburgh Steelers victory when, well, all hell broke loose. That is what championship teams are all about.TAMPA, Fla. "I have to give credit to the Steelers and their tremendous drive at the end. "It is always disappointing when there is a chance at the end and you are leading late in the game," Warner said. The extra point put 27 on the board for the Steelers against the Cardinals' 23. With 42 seconds left on the clock Roethlisberger shot a six-yard short, right pass to Holmes that he caught at the edge of the end zone. Arizona took the ensuing kick and drove for another score with Warner hitting Fitzgerald for TD, giving Arizona 23 to Pittsburgh's 20.Įmotions were on fire in the stands as the clock ticked down to the last minute with the Steelers in possession of the ball. Warner threw a touchdown pass to Fitzgerald the Steelers were called for defensive holding in the end zone on Arizona's next drive, giving the Cards a safety and two points. In a 1:10 stretch late in the fourth quarter, Arizona scored 16 points to take its first lead in the game. But it was fourth-quarter holding penalty against the Steelers that gave the Cardinals the opening they needed for a rally that ultimately put them in the lead for the first time during the game. Penalties clearly hurt the Cardinals, who gave up 106 yards compared with the 56 yards against the Steelers. I was just thinking I had to do whatever I could to get to the other end zone and get seven." "It was very tiring," he said of the full-field return, "but it was all worth it. "We had them matched up and it was kind of like, give it time, and I slid over to the right and he threw it right to my hands and I took off. "I got the pick," said Harrison, who also made the record books with the longest play in NFL history. They ended the second quarter - with no time left on the clock - with James Harrison's jaw-dropping 100-yard return for a touchdown after intercepting Warner's short pass attempt to Anquan Boldin. The Steelers took charge early on, beginning the first half with a field goal within five minutes of kick off.
"I feel just empty right now," Fitzgerald said after the game. That set NFL records in all three categories for a single postseason.
In four games in the 2008 postseason, Fitzgerald caught 30 receptions for 546 yards and seven touchdowns. He also made the Super Bowl history books with the most 300-yard passing games and the most passing yards at 1,156.Ĭardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr. Roethlisberger completed 21 of 30 passes for 256 yards.Ĭardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, who is the NFL's only QB ever to wear gloves, completed 31 of 43 passes for 377 yards. You'll be remembered forever if you do this,' " Roethlisberger said. "I just said to the guys, 'It's now or never. It was that final Steelers drive that won it for them. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, at 26, becomes the youngest QB to earn two Super Bowl rings. The storied team, whose coach Mike Tomlin, 36, is the youngest coach in Super Bowl history, is now the winningest team in Super Bowl annals. The Vince Lombardi trophy gave the Steelers other rounds of firsts. "I wanted to be the guy to make the plays for this team," he said after the game. Holmes caught nine passes for 131 yards, easily surpassing other receivers and accounting for more than half of all yards gained on receptions. That capped it for Holmes, who was named the MVP. The Steelers recaptured the lead after an amazing Cardinals comeback in the last three minutes of the game at the Raymond James Stadium here.
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