Super Bowl XLIII: A Fan's Opinion

Super Bowl XLIII would prove to be every bit as exciting and intense as both the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers engaged in a tug of war that would see James Harrison return an interception 100 yards for a touchdown and give Pittsburgh a 17-7 lead at the half and end with not only a game winning touchdown catch by Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes, but a key defensive play to preserve a hard fought 27-23 win for the Steelers, who would become the winningest Super Bowl team of all time with its sixth Super Bowl championship in seven appearances.

I was home watching Super Bowl XLIII with a group of friends and being a true blue Pittsburgh Steelers fan, my loyalties were clearly with the Steelers.  I just knew in my gut that Pittsburgh would win this game, but it would pit two teams who had excellent defenses and very good offenses as well.

When James Harrison returned an errant Kurt Warner pass 100 yards for a touchdown, it would set a new Super Bowl record for the longest interception return in Super Bowl history.  It also give the Steelers a 17-7 lead at halftime.  Rule Arizona out?  With its potent offense, it was the last thing on my mind.

Although Pittsburgh would be outscored 16-10 in the second half by the Cardinals, there was no way I would rule out the chance that Pittsburgh would still win.  Although Arizona would take a brief 23-20 on Larry Fitzgerald's 64 yard TD catch, I just had a feeling that Pittsburgh was far from done.  Sure enough, Santonio Holmes would give Steelers fans a reason to believe.

It was Santonio's game winning catch that would decide the final margin of victory for the Steelers, but don't rule Kurt Warner out by any means.  On the other hand, don't think that the Steelers defense was going to give up either.  Under considerable pressure, Warner fumbled the ball and the Steelers made the recovery.  The Steelers ran out the clock and Pittsburgh made Super Bowl history by winning its sixth Super Bowl in the fewest attempts (seven).

Thank you, Pittsburgh, for giving us Steelers fans something to truly celebrate about.