When James Harrison ran back a Kurt Warner interception 100 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half in last night’s Super Bowl, it appeared that we had seen the biggest play of the evening. But amidst all of the big plays in the second half, Harrison’s unbelievable play was actually forgotten momentarily. The Cardinals and Steelers traded blows in one of the Super Bowl’s most memorable fourth quarters ever, and when it was over, the Harrison pick was only one of many plays that we will never forget from last night’s game.
BIG PLAYS
The Harrison return was the longest play in Super Bowl history, and it will also go down as one of the greatest. With the Cardinals on the Pittsburgh 1-yard line late in the second quarter and seemingly on their way to the tying touchdown just before the break, the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year picked off Warner in the end zone, and then weaved his way through would-be tacklers like a kick returner en route to the end zone. The defensive score gave the Steelers a 17-7 lead at the half.
It was the Cardinals who stepped up first in the fourth quarter to get back into the game. Trailing 20-7, all-world wideout Larry Fitzgerald and 2000 Super Bowl MVP Warner brought Arizona back. Warner completed 11-of-15 passes over two drives in the final 11 minutes.
Both of his touchdown passes went to Fitzgerald, who had only caught one ball for 12 yards entering the final quarter. First he snagged a touchdown over Ike Taylor on a fade route to make it 20-14.
Then ‘Zona forced a safety with 3:04 to go when they forced Justin Hartwig into a holding penalty in the end zone, one of many huge plays they have come up with during the postseason, closing the gap to 20-16.
Then Fitzgerald made another play. He caught a Warner pass over the middle, and then showed off his speed by splitting both safeties down the middle of the field, running untouched to paydirt to give the Cards a shocking 23-20 lead with 2:47 left.
Then it was time for the Steelers offense to rise to the occasion. Ben Roethlisberger and company got the ball at their own 22 with to play. Big Ben was money on what would end up being the winning drive. He evaded pressure on several occasions, throwing strikes to his receivers in the process.
One of those receivers was Santonio Holmes, the man who was named Super Bowl MVP after the game, largely in part due to his efforts on the game-wnning drive. He caught a 40-yard pass from Big Ben, doing most of the work with his legs after the catch before being taken down at the Cardinals 6. Then he made an unbelievable catch to give Pittsburgh the lead for good, somehow managing to tap the tips of both toes on the grass while making the catch.
WHAT A GAME!
There has been a lot of talk today on topics such as whether Mike Tomlin won the Super Bowl with Bill Cowher’s players, whether Kurt Warner’s fumble to ice the game should have been reviewed, if the Steelers are the best franchise ever, and the like.
Can’t we save that for later? For a few days, let us just enjoy the game we saw in Tampa, which will surely go down as one of the greatest in the history of the NFL.
Last night was about the game, and so should today be as well. We had a chance to see some of the world’s greatest football players make play after world-class play in pressure situations last night. Today should be about how incredible last night’s game was, and nothing else.
Let us dissect, crticize, and compare in a few days. For now, we should be talking about the game, and the unbelievable plays that were made to determine the result
AS FOR THE FALCONS …
It was no secret that Atlanta’s weakness this season was its defense. We saw how important that side of the ball was last night. Several defensive plays greatly swayed the momentum, plays that simply weren’t made by the Atlanta defense all season.
Much was made about the Arizona offense, but it was the defense that began to fire on all cylinders in the postseason. Playmakers such as cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, safety Antrel Rolle, and defensive tackle Darnell Dockett helped the Cardinals shut down Pittsburgh in the second half until the final drive, allowing the Cards to get back into the game.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh defense played a huge role as well. That will come as no surprise from what was one of the best defenses in the league. James Harrison showed why he was the Defensive Player of the Year, and ball-hawks like Troy Polamalu and James Farrior keep even the best of offenses guessing all day.
There were a multitude of plays made by both defenses that Atlanta hadn’t made all season. With a lack of playmakers outside of John Abraham on D, the Falcons will have to greatly improve on that side of the ball if they expect to reach the level that Pittsburgh and Arizona did this season.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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