Super Bowl XLIII (2008): Pittsburgh Steelers face Arizona Cardinals at Raymond James Stadium. Kickoff time: 6:31pm. Winner takes home the Lombardi Trophy. There is no next week for the loser.
Super Bowl XLIII (2008) is the season's final accounting for 2008. Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals arrive at Raymond James Stadium carrying every snap they have played since training camp. Championship games strip the rest of the schedule away; what is left is whichever team executes its identity longest under the brightest light. The narrative that wins is the one with the trophy attached. Lose, and the season collapses into a footnote no matter how it was played.
The whole league is watching Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals. Two conferences have produced their finalists; the rest of the 2008 season is already in the books. The Lombardi is decided here. Every other team's offseason calendar starts the morning after this kickoff.
Pittsburgh Steelers versus Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl XLIII (2008). The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Pittsburgh Steelers-Arizona Cardinals cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 11-5 | W5 |
| New England Patriots | 11-5 | W4 |
| New York Jets | 9-7 | L2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-9 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 12-4 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 11-5 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4-11-1 | W3 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-12 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans | 13-3 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 12-4 | W9 |
| Houston Texans | 8-8 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 5-11 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | L3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8-8 | W4 |
| Oakland Raiders | 5-11 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2-14 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 9-7 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7-9 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4-12 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 2-14 | L10 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 12-4 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9-6-1 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9-7 | L2 |
| Washington Redskins | 8-8 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 10-6 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 9-7 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 6-10 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 0-16 | L16 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 12-4 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 11-5 | W3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-7 | L4 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8-8 | L1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 3 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 317202727 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 0772323 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Jeff Reed 18 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Gary Russell 1 yard rush ( Jeff Reed kick) | 10-0 |
| Cardinals | Ben Patrick 1 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) | 10-7 |
| Steelers | James Harrison 100 yard interception return ( Jeff Reed kick) | 17-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Jeff Reed 21 yard field goal | 20-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Larry Fitzgerald 1 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) | 20-14 |
| Cardinals | Safety, Justin Hartwig penalized for holding in the end zone. | 20-16 |
| Cardinals | Larry Fitzgerald 64 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) | 20-23 |
| Steelers | Santonio Holmes 6 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick) | 27-23 |
| Steelers | Cardinals | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 20 | 23 |
| Total Yards | 292 | 407 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 21/30 | 31/43 |
| Pass yards | 256 | 377 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 22 | 3 |
| Net pass yards | 234 | 374 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 26 | 12 |
| Rush yards | 58 | 33 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 0 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties | 7 | 11 |
| Penalty yards | 56 | 106 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | |||||
| Ben Roethlisberger | 21/30 | 256 | 1 | 1 | |
| ARI | |||||
| Kurt Warner | 31/43 | 377 | 3 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | ||||
| Willie Parker | 19 | 53 | 0 | 15 |
| Mewelde Moore | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Gary Russell | 2 | -3 | 1 | 1 |
| ARI | ||||
| Edgerrin James | 9 | 33 | 0 | 9 |
| Kurt Warner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J.J. Arrington | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Hightower | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | ||||
| Santonio Holmes | 9 | 131 | 1 | 40 |
| Heath Miller | 5 | 57 | 0 | 21 |
| Hines Ward | 2 | 43 | 0 | 38 |
| Nate Washington | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Carey Davis | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Matt Spaeth | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Mewelde Moore | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Willie Parker | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| ARI | ||||
| Larry Fitzgerald | 7 | 127 | 2 | 64 |
| Anquan Boldin | 8 | 84 | 0 | 45 |
| Steve Breaston | 6 | 71 | 0 | 23 |
| J.J. Arrington | 2 | 35 | 0 | 22 |
| Edgerrin James | 4 | 28 | 0 | 11 |
| Jerheme Urban | 1 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Tim Hightower | 2 | 13 | 0 | 10 |
| Ben Patrick | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Pittsburgh Steelers defeated Arizona Cardinals 27-23 at Raymond James Stadium in the Super Bowl XLIII (2008). The final scoring play was Steelers: Santonio Holmes 6 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick). Top line of the day: Kurt Warner: 377 pass yards on 31-of-43, 3 TD, 1 INT. Pittsburgh Steelers take home the Lombardi Trophy.
Pittsburgh Steelers walked out of Raymond James Stadium as the team that survived a Super Bowl XLIII (2008) Arizona Cardinals will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 27-23. A one-score game throughout. The decisive points came on the fewest possible margin, which is how these matchups usually resolve. The final scoring play came from Steelers: Santonio Holmes 6 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Pittsburgh Steelers hoist the Lombardi.
Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23. Round: Super Bowl XLIII (2008). Attendance: 70774. Q1: 1 scoring play. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 1 scoring play. Q4: 4 scoring plays. Top performers: - Kurt Warner: 377 pass yards on 31-of-43, 3 TD, 1 INT - Willie Parker: 53 rush yards on 19 carries - Santonio Holmes: 9 catches for 131 yards
Super Bowl XLIII (2008), played at Raymond James Stadium. Final: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23, with Pittsburgh Steelers taking the result by 4. **First quarter**
- Steelers: Jeff Reed 18 yard field goal
**Second quarter**
- Steelers: Gary Russell 1 yard rush ( Jeff Reed kick) - Cardinals: Ben Patrick 1 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) - Steelers: James Harrison 100 yard interception return ( Jeff Reed kick)
**Third quarter**
- Steelers: Jeff Reed 21 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald 1 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) - Cardinals: Safety, Justin Hartwig penalized for holding in the end zone. - Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald 64 yard pass from Kurt Warner ( Neil Rackers kick) - Steelers: Santonio Holmes 6 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick)
**Top performers**
- Kurt Warner: 377 pass yards on 31-of-43, 3 TD, 1 INT - Willie Parker: 53 rush yards on 19 carries - Santonio Holmes: 9 catches for 131 yards