The Big Game

It’s all boiled to this one game. Super Bowl XLIII between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals will air on NBC on Sunday, February 1, 2009 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. Kickoff time is 6:28 p.m. EST. Even if you’re not an avid football fan, chances are, if you live in the U.S., you’re either throwing a Super Bowl Party at your house or have received an invitation to a party somewhere else. Here’s a look at what’s in store.

The Players
Two of the NFL’s top quarterbacks, both with Super Bowl experience. will be facing off in Sunday’s game.  First, there’s Big Ben Roethlisberger, age 26, who led the Pittsburgh Steelers to victory in Super Bowl XL. Roethlisberger received Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2004 and became the youngest Super Bowl winning quarterback in NFL history. He is 7th ranked in the NFL all-time passer rate and yards per attempt among quarterbacks.  Roethlisberger led his team to a 12-4 record for regular season play in 2008.

Ben Roethlisberger #7, quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers

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Then there’s the well seasoned Kurt Warner, age 37, who hasn’t seen any Super Bowl action since his 2001 season with the St. Louis Rams. While the Cardinals ended the 2008 regular season with a 9-7 record, Warner has an impressive post season record coming into this game, completing 61 of his 92 passes for a whopping 770 yards and eight touchdowns. Warner is ranked third all-time career passing rate and is the second most statistically accurate quarterback in NFL history with a career completion percentage of 65.7%. Warner’s record is pretty impressive and if he stays on his game, he’s the quarterback to watch.

Celebration after the Cardinals win NFC championship game Jan. 18, 2009

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Other star players in the game include Arizona’s Anquan Boldin who is one of the league’s most physical receivers. Although he had a blowout with Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley during the NFC Championship Game, he will most likely be allowed to play. But keep your eyes on Arizona’s wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald tied an NFL record with three touchdown receptions in the NFC Championship playoff game. Fitzgerald also had a single post season record with 419 receiving yards, which surpasses the record previously held by the great Jerry Rice.

But the Cardinals will have their work cut out for them protecting their quarterback when LaMarr Woodley takes the field.  Pittsburgh’s Woodley has the distinct record of being the first player to register three successive multi-sack post season games. If Woodley stays focused, Warner better look out.
 
You won’t have to look hard to see the impact Troy Polamalu has on the game. In his position as safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Polamalu’s 40 yard interception return for a touchdown in the game against the Baltimore Ravens is enough to make Warner think twice on some of his over the middle passes. You can count on Polamalu showing up just where he’s needed.

The Teams
The Arizona Cardinals of the NFC West are the oldest charter member of the NFL. As a franchise they have played as the Chicago Cardinals, St. Louis Cardinals and finally the Arizona Cardinals. While the Cardinals have never won a Super Bowl Championship, they did win a NFL championship game in 1947 while they were based in Chicago.  This was two decades before the formation of the Super Bowl. The have been viewed as the underdog throughout this post season with many claiming they won their division title playing the weakest of all  the NFL divisions. The Cardinals are eager to prove themselves as a force to be reckoned with and hungry for a Super Bowl victory.

The winning Super Bowl team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy

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The Pittsburgh Steelers of the AFC North are no strangers to championship games. Since the NFL merger in 1970, The Pittsburgh Steelers have reached the playoffs 24 times, won their division title 19 times, played in 13 AFC championship games, and won five of the six Super Bowls in which they’ve played. The Steelers are the epitome of a Super Bowl team.

The Party
While this game promises to be one of the great match-ups, there is no doubt there will be plenty of partying going on, regardless of who wins.  Since it began in 1967, Super Bowl Sunday has become an unofficial American holiday. Across the country, friends will gather, big screen TV’s will be turned on and tuned in, as record amounts of nachos and beer are consumed, and all of America celebrates the big game.