Roethlisberger earns redemption with winning drive
The Pittsburgh Steelers might have won the 2006 Super Bowl in spite of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. They won this one in large part because of him.
With 35 seconds remaining, trailing 23-20, Roethlisberger found Santonio Holmes for a touchdown to beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The win gave the Steelers a National Football League-record sixth Super Bowl and the team's second in four years.
Roethlisberger, who threw two interceptions, no touchdown passes and had a record-low 22.6 passer rating in Pittsburgh's championship victory over the Seattle Seahawks three years ago, this time led a game-winning touchdown drive that started with 2:30 on the clock.
"He's not the same guy," said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.
Roethlisberger's play held off an epic defeat. After the Steelers held Arizona to a single score in three quarters, the Cardinals tore holes in the league's top-ranked defense. They scored 16 fourth-quarter points to take a three-point lead with less than three minutes remaining.
Staving off what would have been the largest comeback in Super Bowl history, Roethlisberger led his team 78 yards in 2:02 and found Holmes for a play so close it necessitated a video review, the NFL equivalent of a photo finish.
'A Little Better'
In 2006, he completed seven of 21 passes for 123 yards. Yesterday, he was 21 for 30 for 256 yards and had a 93.2 rating.
"I think I played a little better this time," the 26- year-old quarterback said.
The Steelers ended the first half by taking momentum from the Cardinals. With Arizona on Pittsburgh's one-yard line and 18 seconds remaining, linebacker James Harrison intercepted Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner's throw to Anquan Boldin and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown -- the longest play in Super Bowl history. The Steelers went ahead 17-7.
"He threw it right into my hands and I just took off," said Harrison, named the NFL's best defender this season.
The Steelers added a field goal in the third quarter, handing a 20-7 lead to a defensive unit that allowed an average of 13.9 points this season.
That was before the Cardinals got the ball in the fourth quarter. With 7:41 remaining, Warner hit receiver Larry Fitzgerald for a one-yard touchdown pass to close the score to 20-14. With 3:04 remaining, Arizona forced a safety, adding another two points. Two plays later, Warner found Fitzgerald again, and he broke free for a 64-yard touchdown that gave the Cardinals a three-point lead and 2:37 to protect it.
Too Much Time
"There was too much time on the clock," Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "I thought we could at least hold them to a field goal and have a chance to win in overtime."
Roethlisberger told his teammates "it's now or never. You'll be remembered forever if you do this."
After a holding penalty moved the Steelers back to their own 12-yard line, he threw passes of 12, 13 and 11 yards before dodging a sack and scrambling for another four yards. A Pittsburgh timeout stopped the clock at 1:02.
On the next play, Roethlisberger threw a short pass to Holmes on the right side of the field that turned into a 40-yard gain.
Asked afterward the name of the winning play, Roethliberger said: "Drop back, scramble right, scramble left, find somebody open."
"I looked back, scrambled right a bit and saw Tone in the corner," he said. "I threw it and I thought it was going to be picked. He made a heck of a catch."
Touched His Toes
Holmes stretched, grabbed the ball, touched both toes inches from the sideline and fell forward out of bounds.
"I knew my toes were on the ground the whole time," Holmes said. "Once I extended my arms and my body, everything just flowed together."
Roethlisberger became the 10th quarterback to win more than one Super Bowl. Seven of the other nine are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"It feels a lot better to be able to come back on that last drive, probably a drive that will be remembered for a long time," he said. "It feels really good."