Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Super Bowl XLIII Halftime Update

We're at halftime of the Super Bowl and here is a quick update of the Fighting Ben Roethlisbergers v. The Fighting Kurt Warners:

First-Half MVP: James Harrison - He has shown why he won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award. This looked like a guaranteed tie game until he rumbled 100 yards to paydirt with an errant Kurt Warner throw to close out the first half.

First-Half LVP: Kurt Warner - His line looks alright, but he has only found the best player on the field (Larry Fitzgerald) once, which isn't good enough. He needs to meet Fitzgerald some time in the next half for the Cards to have a chance.

Misleading Stat Line of the Half (For the Better): Willie Parker - 8 Rushes, 34 yards. Averaging 4.3 yards a carry does no justice to what Willie Parker has done for the Steelers. He has been wrapped up in the backfield multiple times and escaped to save three and four yards. In those situations, 4.3 yards isn’t average, it’s extraordinary.

Misleading Stat Line of the Half (For the Worse): Ben Roethlisberger - 11-of-14, 130 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT. His yardage was excellent, and his completion percentage was good as well. However, his night has been a series of low-risk throws with huge chunks of yardage after the catch. Here is a quick recap of the Roethlisberger’s night:

• Drive 1:  Play Action Pass,  Quick Pass, (Drive Result: Field Goal)
• Drive 2: Play Action Screen Pass, Play Action Deep Ball (Incomplete), Screen Pass, 11-yard Pass, 7-yard Pass, Screen Pass (Drive Result: Touchdown Run)
• Drive 3: Play Action Pass, Deep Ball (Incomplete), Play Action Screen Pass, minus-2 yard Pass (Drive Result: Punt)
• Drive 4:  Interception.

The Steelers Win If: The D keeps trucking. They are blitzing the A-gaps and pressuring Warner, and if they can continue to shut down the run game while pressuring Warner into bad throws, it’s game over. The Pitt offense doesn’t matter — as long as the D keeps rolling.

The Cardinals Win If: Roethlisberger turns it over again (and again). The Arizona offense has shown signs of life (two drives inside the 5-yard line), but if they don’t force the Pittsburgh offense into mistakes, the Cards might not have the stamina to make long drives.

Prediction: One more Big Ben turnover and the Steelers win by 4. Any more than that and the Cardinals could steal this one. Probable outcome: Steelers by 6.