Joe Rimkus Jr. / McClatchy Tribune
TAMPA, Fla. – Santonio Holmes hauled in a 6-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger with 35 seconds to play, giving the Pittsburgh Steelers a wild 27-23 victory in Super Bowl XLIII.
The victory, the Steelers̢۪ record sixth, rescued Pittsburgh, which had blown a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Holmes had nine catches for 131 yards, stealing the show from Arizona̢۪s Larry Fitzgerald and earning the Super Bowl MVP award.
Fitzgerald, quiet most of the game, rallied the Cardinals from a 20-7 deficit with a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, a 1-yard reception with 7:33 to play and a 64-yard dash with 2:37 left, helping Arizona take its first lead.
The late offense was a stark contrast to a first half dominated by NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison.
Harrison intercepted Kurt Warner̢۪s pass and rumbled 100 yards as the first half expired, helping the Steelers to a 10-point lead at the break.
Harrison turned a potential halftime deficit into a 10-point lead with his rambling goal line-to-goal line return.
He shrugged off Warner and just overpowered Fitzgerald to reach the end zone with no time left on the clock. With the Cards one yard away from a halftime lead, Harrison̢۪s score sent the Steelers into the half ahead 17-7.
Arizona̢۪s third quarter wasn̢۪t much better. Jeff Reed̢۪s second field goal of the game made it 20-7 with 2:11 to play in the third quarter.
Fitzgerald, a non-factor much of the game caught a 1-yard pass as Arizona pulled within 20-14 midway through the fourth quarter.
The first half belonged to Pittsburgh, but only because of Harrison̢۪s big play. The Steelers moved the ball well on their first two possessions, dominating the first quarter time of possession 11:28-3:32. They reached the Cardinals̢۪1 on their first possession, but couldn̢۪t punch it in. Reed̢۪s 18-yard field goal.
Gary Russell scored on a 1-yard run to end an 11-play, 69-yard drive as the Steelers built a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Warner got the Cards rolling in the second, going 7-for-7, including a 1-yard pass to Ben Patrick for the touchdown.
And he had the Cards on the march again when Harrison turned in one of the most dramatic plays in Super Bowl history.
With the victory, Ben Roethlisberger became only the tenth quarterback in the Super Bowl era to win multiple Super Bowls and the second-youngest to win two, right behind Tom Brady.
By Tom Peterson / McClatchy Tribune