![]() When you bring pressure you’re obviously going to be isolated on the receivers, then if he can avoid (rushers) it puts you in a little different situations. Ben’s ability to extend a play, to make throws on the move is always dangerous in that situation. He completed a pass to Holmes for 13 yards and a first down. The Cardinals blitz a safety, but the Steelers did a solid job of protecting Roethlisberger. MORE: Tony Romo-stradamus is soaring in popularity with his uncanny knack for predicting plays Third and 6 at the Steelers 26Īfter an incompletion, the Steelers have the two-minute warning to discuss the third-down play. It was second and way more manageable than what you want. Whisenhunt: It put them back in good position against the sticks. Roethlisberger finds Holmes to his right for a 14-yard gain with cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie defending.Īrians: That play got us back in a very manageable ‘let’s roll’ position. We did everything we could to make sure he stayed in that pocket and didn’t have lanes to escape. We knew as a defensive line the way to win was take advantage of movement and those kinds of things and get after Big Ben. Those other guys are just decoys."īerry: We wanted to get after Ben because we felt the weakness of that team was the offensive line. Look (defenders) off and throw it to those two guys. I said, "Ben, just throw it to those two guys. So the only guys (healthy) were Heath Miller and Santonio Holmes. Nate Washington had a separated shoulder, probably couldn’t catch. People didn’t realize, Hines (receiver Hines Ward) couldn’t run. Dockett finished with three sacks, tying a Super Bowl record.Īrians: Now we’ve got to go 92. The Cardinals defensive line, in particular Darnell Dockett, gave the Steelers trouble throughout the game. Steelers guard Chris Kemoeatu was called for holding while trying to block defensive lineman Antonio Smith. ![]() ![]() Watch Video: Bruce Arians talks ending one-year retirement and returning to coach in NFL First and 10 at the Steelers 22 We’ve got one more stop." It felt like the NFC Championship game where it was on us. Do you play coverage? Do we pressure him? What’s the best way to attack?Īrians: We were all walking down to the side where we were going to (receive) the kick and we’re saying, "We’re built for this." I don’t know if I’ve seen a group of guys take the field more confident than that group.īerry: A lot of guys ran to the end zone to congratulate Larry but I looked at the clock and thought, "We’ve got to go win this thing. Then we start to talk about what’s the best thing to do. Whisenhunt: I was like, "Woooo, that’s a lot of time." The biggest thing for us was to hold them to three (points) at the worst and to get them stopped, which would be the best thing. The Steelers had Roethlisberger, 2:37 seconds on the clock and two timeouts. ![]() The Cardinals led for the first time, 23-20, but there was reason for the Cardinals to worry. Touchdown, Fitzgerald’s second in the fourth quarter. No one was in position to catch him, but just to make sure, Fitzgerald kept his eyes on the videoboard, which served as the largest rear-view mirror in history. Fitzgerald darted between two defensive backs and showed more speed than many people gave him credit for. Fitzgerald ran a simple post pattern and caught a perfectly-thrown ball from Kurt Warner. It might be the most famous play in the Cardinals' history in Arizona. MORE: Kurt Warner sees familiar stories in matchup between Patriots and Rams Former Cardinals defensive end Bertrand Berry, who was in the game for every one of the final eight plays. Former Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, who would replace Whisenhunt in Arizona five years later. Former Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, who guided the 9-7 Cardinals to their first championship game since 1948. We consulted three men who were on the field that day: 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.Īll 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. 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.” Ten years ago, Cardinals fans experienced the full spectrum of emotions that come from caring about a team. Watch Video: Bruce Arians remembers Super Bowl 43 ![]()
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