Last year's Super Bowl featured the dismantling of a historical team by an incredible underdog, the emergence of the lesser-known Manning and a catch for the ages. While the hype surrounding Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII has not come close to that of last season's contest between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants, one thing will remain the same in 2009: The underdog will prevail. The Arizona Cardinals will beat the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.
Arizona entered these playoffs with a 9-7 record and promptly rolled over its three opponents, becoming the first nine-win team to reach the Super Bowl since 1979. On Sunday, the Cardinals will run into the Steelers, a franchise looking to win a record-setting sixth Super Bowl. But prestige means very little in a win-or-go-home game of this magnitude.
The most obvious reason why the Cardinals will emerge victorious is because their passing game has been next to unstoppable thus far in the postseason. Larry Fitzgerald has cemented his status as one of the best receivers in the game with the best playoff run ever by a wideout. In a nine-reception, 152-yard effort against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, Fitzgerald surpassed Jerry Rice for the single postseason record with 419 yards receiving. He also became the first man in NFL history to record three straight 100-yard receiving games in the same postseason. During four regular-season games against AFC opponents, Fitzgerald averaged 107 yards per contest, even surpassing the century mark in Arizona's blowout loss to New England in Week 16.
Going up against standout Troy Polamalu and the rest of the Steelers' secondary will be no easy feat for Fitzgerald, however, which is why the rest of the passing game must be firing on all cylinders. Anquan Boldin has flown under the radar in the postseason, but he has the capability to again be the receiver who posted five touchdowns in the season's first four games before being sidelined, first with a fractured sinus cavity from a helmet-to-helmet hit versus the New York Jets and later toward the end of the season with a hamstring injury. Likewise, Steve Breaston, probably the best third receiver in the NFL, is a reception machine, totaling 77 this year and becoming the third Cardinal to record over 1,000 receiving yards.
Quarterback Kurt Warner must have the game of his life in order to give Arizona a chance at picking apart the Steelers' secondary. Yet in Warner's roller-coaster career, the Super Bowl stage is one not unfamiliar to the 37-year-old signal-caller. In 2000, Warner and the St. Louis Rams' juggernaut offense took down the Tennessee Titans, and this year's Super Bowl could very well have a similar result. Despite the theory that "defense wins championships," Warner has proven in the past that a powerful offense can emerge victorious, and this year could be no different.
Arizona has one of the worst rushing attacks in the entire NFL, but if Pittsburgh game-plans properly and locks down the passing game, backs Tim Hightower and Edgerrin James could become the Cardinals' X-factor. Hightower has averaged one touchdown per game against AFC opponents, while a well-rested James has seen his workload increase throughout the playoffs, averaging just over 17 carries per game, well above the 9.2-carry average he posted during the regular season.
For as strong as the Cardinals are on the offensive side of the ball, they are just as weak on defense. Arizona ranks 28th in the league in total defense, allowing 26.6 points per game, and 28th in red zone percentage, giving up scores 63.6 percent of the time. Pittsburgh thrives on its ability to wear opposing defenses down with a bruising run game and short, timely passes, so the burden falls squarely on the Arizona defense to keep its offense on the field as much as possible.
Over the course of the season, opponents averaged just over 110.3 rushing yards per game against the Cardinals defense, but in its three playoff games, Arizona has been stifling, allowing an average of just 77 yards on the ground and forcing a total of 12 turnovers. The Cardinals' defense has thrived throughout the postseason when overlooked, and this Sunday should be no exception.
One edge Arizona has over the Steelers is coaching. Second-year coach Ken Whisenhunt served as the offensive coordinator for three years in Pittsburgh and worked with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in his opening years in the league. Simply put, Whisenhunt can relay to his defense every weakness Roethlisberger has.
While at Pittsburgh, Whisenhunt became known for his knack for trick plays, deferring to playmaker Antwaan Randle El for the occasional flea-flicker or receiver reverse pass. While Arizona does not have a weapon similar to Randle El, Whisenhunt will no doubt have something up his sleeve on Sunday, a play akin to that called against the Eagles two weeks ago. As he showed in Pittsburgh's Super Bowl win three years ago, a well-timed big play can go a long way in securing a championship.
The final factor that will help boost Arizona to a historic championship is the weather. The forecast on Sunday calls for a high of 69 degrees, and the Cardinals have to like that Tampa Bay will provide an atmosphere more akin to the deserts of Arizona than the blustery streets of Pittsburgh. The thin air and warm temperatures will help Warner air out the deep ball to Fitzgerald, allowing his prized receiver to perform his patented trampoline act.
Everyone outside of Phoenix -- and even some within -- has bet against the Cardinals thus far in the postseason, just like the entire country wagered on the Patriots to win last year. Yet, with a steamrolling offense and a seemingly unbreakable playoff defense, the Cardinals have full capability to defy the odds and win Super Bowl XLIII.
