History of Steelers’ final drive vs. Cards in Super Bowl
Ten years ago, Cardinals fans experienced the full spectrum of emotions that come from caring about a team.
The day started with the feeling of “Wow, are we really in the Super Bowl for the first time?” and ended with “I can’t believe we lost like that.”
The Cardinals’ 27-23 loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla., was filled with memorable plays, from James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a score on the last play of the first half, to Larry’s Fitzgerald’s 64-yard touchdown reception with 2:37 left, to Santonio Holmes’ game-winning 6-yard touchdown reception from Ben Roethlisberger with 35 seconds remaining.
All were game-changing plays, but on the 10-year anniversary of the game, let’s look back at the Steelers’ last possession, from the holding call on the Steelers on first down, to Roethlisberger’s final pass, which was perfectly placed, away from three Cardinals defenders.
We consulted three men who were on the field that day:
❚ Former Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, who guided the 9-7 Cardinals to their first championship game since 1948.
❚ Former Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, who would replace Whisenhunt in Arizona five years later.
❚ Former Cardinals defensive end Bertrand Berry, who was in the game for every one of the final eight plays.
The setup
It might be the most famous play in the Cardinals’ history in Arizona. Fitzgerald ran a simple post pattern and caught a perfectly-thrown ball from Kurt Warner. Fitzgerald darted between two defensive backs and showed more speed than many people gave him credit for.