Super Sunday: Super Bowl XLIII Preview

Today is the day. After all the insanity of the 2008 season, it all comes down to tonight. Representing the AFC is Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers. For the NFC, we have Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals.

Let's take a look at the matchup as we see it today.

AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers

The terms powerhouse and juggernaut get thrown around a lot. But for Pittsburgh, it all makes sense. In a division that thrives on the play of their defense, these guys followed suit.

And it couldn't have happened sooner for them. Despite being in the same division as defense happy Baltimore, Pittsburgh managed to get as much done on the offensive side of the ball for the win. But it was the play of Troy Polamalu and James Harrison that made the defense so tough this season.

Because of that, Roethlisberger is back in a familiar place: The Super Bowl. Only this time, he doesn't see Bill Cowher with a headset on the sidelines...he sees Mike Tomlin. In a short amount of time, Tomlin joins an elite group as he is the third coach to lead the Steelers to the Super Bowl. Today he has a chance to make history not just for the Steel City but also in the NFL.

But more on that one later.

NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals

The Ultimate Underdogs of this year's playoffs has to be Arizona. No one expected them to get past Matt Ryan and the red hot Falcons, let alone travel to Carolina and defeat Jake Delhomme and the sizzling Panthers.

But in impressive and sometimes shocking fashion, they did just that. They broke a beyond mediocre streak and defeated a team on the East Coast for the first time this season, then they outlasted both Atlanta and Philadelphia at home to get their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Now most would think that would be a downside for them...

...that would be the case if you didn't have a Super Bowl quarterback leading the way.

Thanks to Matt Leinart's shenanigans in the offseason, Kurt Warner was able to resurrect his career and be one of the very few quarterbacks to say that he has led two teams from the same division to the Super Bowl in the same decade. Now can he say that he is one of the very few to lead two teams from the same division to a Super Bowl victory after tonight?

The Equalizers

For Pittsburgh, it's all about their defense. To say this defense is stingy is an understatement. Forget about the fact that their defense is ranked in the top five in the league in almost every category. Forget about the fact that they only give up roughly 200 yards per game. Forget all that...and you're not going to make it against these guys. There is a reason why Troy Polamalu and James Harrison are two of the most dangerous men in professional football right now.

There is a reason why Pittsburgh is picked to win this game: Their defense went toe to toe with arguably one of the best defenses in the league in Baltimore. For Pittsburgh, they have to stick to what got them there, which is that stingy defense that rattles quarterbacks constantly. For Roethlisberger, he has stay cool under pressure and realize that even without Hines Ward, he has a great go-to guy in Santonio Holmes.

If the defense plays better in this meeting than their last, the Steelers will win their sixth Super Bowl Championship.

For Arizona, it will be all about the tag team tandem of Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitgerald. Forget about the fact that Boldin and his OC got into a shouting match during the closing minutes of the NFC Championship. Forget about the fact that Boldin didn't even join his teammates on the field to celebrate shocking the world. Forget about the fact that almost everyone has gotten past the two incidents in Arizona.

But don't forget that the Cardinals aren't even supposed to be here in most people's eyes.

Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald put on a clinic two weeks ago, and they will look to continue that tonight. For most of the Cardinals, this is their first trip to the big game, and the butterflies are there. But those butterflies will soon be extinguished due in large part to an unknown defense. I'm not saying that no one knows this defense...I'm just saying that no one really talks about this defense much.

But that's fine with them. They're not supposed to be here, remember?

For Arizona, they have to go back to the basics. They have to remember that they defeated these same Steelers this season in the desert. But this isn't the desert...this is the East Coast, where the Cards have only won once this year. But this is the Super Bowl, a place that Warner knows very well.

The Cards aren't supposed to be here...but they already know that.

The Outcome

After viewing what the so-called experts have to say over in Bristol, I have to partially agree and completely disagree with them. Everyone is talking about experience in this game and who has it. Unfortunately, we got two Super Bowl rookie coaches coming into this game. We have two quarterbacks who have tasted victory in this game, but only one of them knows what it's really like to have it slip through his fingers.

With two very talented teams coming into Tampa to fight for Vince Lombardi's most prized possession, it's hard to pick a clear cut winner...but we'll sure as hell try. This will be Big Ben's second trip, while this is Kurt's third trip to the dance. Hines Ward is still up in the air in regards to playing status, but Boldin and Fitzy are playing tonight. As for those big guys on defense, they'll be there too.

So what happens when a potent offense meets a stingy defense? You get old school smashmouth football. The Ultimate Heavyweights in Pittsburgh versus the Ultimate Underdogs in Arizona? You couldn't ask for a better football game than this?

So with all that being said, who takes home the hardware?

Everyone is picking Pittsburgh. My mom, my kids, my bartender, even my cat. So I would have to go with....'Zona. The Cardinals have a terrific option: If Boldin can't get it done, Fitzy can. The Steelers will have to rely on the running game a lot more than usual. No trick plays will get the job done against these guys. This isn't Seattle.

The Cardinals will deal the final blow in a shootout/slugfest, Warner will do his part, the Cards will win this one...and Arizona will shock the world...one more/last time.

Final Score: Cardinals 27, Steelers 19