All those questions about Santonio Holmes' mentality and, certainly, his ability should now be answered definitively. With the Steelers trailing 23-20 after a stirring Arizona rally, Pittsburgh put the ball in Ben Roethlisberger's hands -- and Roethlisberger promptly sent it to Holmes. The Pittsburgh wide receiver made four catches on the Steelers' final drive, including a spectacular TD catch in the corner of the end zone for the win.Not surprisingly, Holmes was then named the Super Bowl MVP. He finished the game with nine catches for 131 yards, both game-highs, surpassing the incredible efforts of Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald (seven grabs for 127 yards).
There are almost no words for the job Holmes did down the stretch for Pittsburgh -- heck, he almost all-but-wrapped the game up earlier, hauling in a difficult catch in traffic on a play that was eventually reversed on a holding call and safety.
Arizona pulled within 20-16 on that safety, then stormed ahead on a long Fitzgerald TD run. Pittsburgh got the ball back, down by four with 2:37 left, and promptly got called for holding. Of the 88 yards that the Steelers then drove for the victory, 73 of them came on Holmes' receptions -- two solid grabs, then one 40-yard catch-and-run that set up the final score.
Long story short, in an amazing game of amazing performances, Holmes' late work basically stole the victory from Arizona and handed it to Pittsburgh.
No one was really sure how Hines Ward would bounce back from a knee injury in this game -- he had just two catches for 43 yards. And while Heath Miller turned in a strong game for the Steelers, they needed someone to step up and get the job done on offense. Holmes answered the call, and then some.
Fitzgerald, meanwhile, had both the Super Bowl and MVP trophies wrapped up after staking Arizona to the lead. He was held almost completely in check for three quarters, but finally found some openings in the fourth quarter. Once he got going, there was no stopping him.
Unfortunately for Fitzgerald and Cardinals fans everywhere, his go-ahead TD left more than two minutes on the clock, and that proved plenty for Holmes to save the day for Pittsburgh.
Super Bowl Heroes and Goats
Hero: Santonio Holmes, Super Bowl XLIII
With time running down in the fourth quarter, Holmes made one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history. Sneaking behind three Cardinals defenders, Holmes outstretched to haul in the game-winner for Pittsburgh.
Matt Cashore, US Presswire
Goat: Eugene Robinson, Atlanta Falcons, Super Bowl XXXIII
Sure, Robinson (right) struggled in the Falcons' 34-19 loss to Denver -- including getting smoked on this 80-yard Rod Smith score -- but he made bigger news before the game. The morning prior to the Super Bowl, Robinson was arrested by an undercover cop for trying to solicit sex from a prostitute.
Tony Ranze, AFP / Getty Images
Hero: Joe Namath, New York Jets, Super Bowl III
Namath guaranteed an upset win over the Colts, then delivered. Broadway Joe won the MVP (despite not throwing a TD pass) after guiding the AFL's Jets to a stunning 16-7 victory.
Darryl Norenberg, WireImage
Goat:Scott Norwood, Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl XXV
Norwood's "Wide Right" moment is etched in NFL lore, alongside things like "The Catch" and "The Drive." Norwood's last-second miss in Super Bowl XXV gave the Giants the championship -- and Buffalo the first of four straight runner-up finishes.
Phil Sandlin, AP
Hero: Tony Dungy, Indianapolis Colts, Super Bowl XLI
Dungy took his Colts to the top of the NFL's mountaintop with a 29-17 victory over Chicago. In doing so, Dungy became the first African-American head coach to claim a Super Bowl crown.
David J. Phillip, AP
Goat: Neil O'Donnell, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XXX
The Cowboys won their third title in four years on Jan. 28, 1996, but not without help from Pittsburgh's quarterback. O'Donnell chucked three interceptions, including a pair to game MVP Larry Brown, as the Steelers lost 27-17.
Doug Mills, AP
Hero: Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XIV
Bradshaw led the Steelers to four titles and won the Super Bowl MVP award in both Super Bowl XIII and XIV. In 1980, against the Rams, Bradshaw threw for 309 yards and two TDs -- one year after his three-touchdown performance beat the Cowboys.
Andy Hayt, Getty Images
Goat: Jackie Smith, Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl XIII
In a back-and-forth matchup with Pittsburgh, Smith had a chance to tie the game at 21 in the third quarter. Instead, he dropped a wide-open touchdown pass, Dallas wound up kicking a field goal and the Steelers went on to win by four.
Focus on Sport / Getty Images
Hero: Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XVI
Montana won his first of four Super Bowls -- and three game MVP awards -- in 1982 against the Bengals. The QB scored on a one-yard run early, threw a second-quarter touchdown pass and the Niners held on for a 26-21 win in Detroit.
AP
Goat: John Kasay, Carolina Panthers, Super Bowl XXXVIII
Adam Vinatieri grabbed the spotlight with a game-winning kick, but Kasay's miscue may have cost Carolina the game. After the Panthers rallied to tie New England at 29 in a wild fourth quarter, Kasay booted the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, setting up the Pats' game-winning drive.
Andy Lyons, Getty Images
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-01-2009 @ 10:51PM
Adam said...
FACT: If you smoke a lot of weed, you become Super Bowl MVP.
Light up, kids!
Reply
2-01-2009 @ 11:37PM
alcoholicaust said...
Fact: If you smoke a lot of weed, you not only become a super bowl MVP, but you win a bunch of Gold Medals in the Olympics too. Time to legalize it!
Reply
2-01-2009 @ 11:47PM
Dean said...
Great game by Holmes.... but seriously, no love for Harrison? His TD was worth 14 points, he provides good D against the run, had great pressure on Warner, and drew a pair of holding calls.
Reply
2-01-2009 @ 11:59PM
alcoholicaust said...
Yeah, but that unsportsmanlike call...and other than the TD run, which was obviously a HUGE impact, he didn't come up with anything as spectacular as Tony's Catches and TD.
2-01-2009 @ 11:49PM
Bill520 said...
Applying Super Steelers fan Rush Limbaughs theory, Steelers did not beat the Cardinals.The Cardinals simply ran out of time.
Reply
2-02-2009 @ 1:17AM
AS I SEE IT said...
WHY is #29 STILL on the CARDINALS when he has been constantly beaten at his position throughout the season?????
Reply
2-02-2009 @ 12:40PM
Juan said...
Super Bowl MVP... 14-time Olympic Gold Medal Champion... President of the USA. Is there anything mary jane cant do.
Reply
2-02-2009 @ 7:32PM
calderamusic said...
i hate how the stupid ass, video operator couldn't get the one shot needed to determine that Holmes' right foot was tucked behind his left heel. Luckily for him, he's got the feet of a dancer, he got lucky with the only camera angle that showed both his feet. I though it wasn't a catch, but, w/e, they deserve it more than Arizona.
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