Super Bowl XLIII Preview

Pittsburgh Steelers 14-4 vs Arizona Cardinals 12-7

This is one of those games that could very well be an extremely intriguing matchup... or a snooze fest. It is a matchup of the league's best defense, Pittsburgh, against the NFL's most exciting offense, the Cardinals. The Steelers defense doesn't have a significant weakness. Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison anchors an incredible linebacking core. The defensive line is massively underrated. The secondary is the weak spot of the defense like a jump shot is LeBron James' weakness. That is to say, it would be the strongest part of the team for most. Troy Polamalu is a safety who will take risks that often lead to meaningful rewards.

Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau will have his work cut out for him stopping the Cardinals offense. Arizona has a rather poor running game. They are one of the worst short yardage running teams. Their passing game does not feature a ton of options. However, the Cardinals have three pretty important players. Wideout Anquan Boldin is a guy who consistently puts up numbers. But he has been over-shadowed by the other two. Kurt Warner is extremely accurate with the deep ball and that compliments his veteran experience nicely. He is not likely to instigate unforced turnovers. The Steelers will have to earn their takeaways. Warner holds the record for the most and second most passing yards in a Super Bowl. He has a pretty nice target to throw to, opposite Boldin. Larry Fitzgerald has made a believer out of me. This guy is awe-inspiring. The Carolina Panthers put the whole team on him, not just all 11 defenders, but all 53 active players, and he still scored 14 touchdowns! Ok, that's a bit of hyperbole, but not by much.

The big question is whether or not Pittsburgh's intricate blitzing scheme will get to Warner in time. If they decide not to blitz, I believe they will be dead ducks. Warner is so accurate and Fitzgerald is so tall and athletic, that the Steelers would be in trouble. Philadelphia is a blitzing team, who had mixed success in the NFC championship game. The Cards put up points early, but the Eagles eventually settled down. The Steelers cannot afford to give up too many early points because they do not have the passing game that the Eagles had.

Arizona's defense was a non-entity during the regular season. They have mostly played well during their three playoff contests. Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers quarterback playing in his second Super Bowl, should be rested, healthy, and in store for a pretty nice game. He has more options than Warner to throw to. He also has a better running game, including a rested Willie Parker, who holds the record for the longest run in a Super Bowl. If the Steelers can control the ball with Parker and Mwelde Moore, which will keep Warner and Fitzgerald off the field, they should come away with their sixth Super Bowl championship.

I believe the Steelers will win 24-16. James Harrison will be the MVP. The Cards will lose their first ever Super Bowl and the Steelers will improve on their 5-1 franchise record. Bruce Springsteen is cool and everything, but I will still not watch the halftime show.