Archive for January 19th, 2009

WATERCOOLER CHAT: IT’S THE CARDINALS VS THE STEELERS IN SUPER BOWL 43

NFL

It was Championship day in the NFL, as two match-ups would decide who would compete in Super Bowl 43.  And they were both excellent games.

First up, it was the Arizona Cardinals v. the Philadelphia Eagles, with both teams on a mission.  The Cardinals haven’t played in a Super Bowl (or championship game like the Super Bowl) in 61 years.  They were due.  Meanwhile, the Eagles have been on a tear and seemed destined to play in this year’s Super Bowl.  Well… the first half was all Cardinals.  Their star wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald couldn’t be stopped.  He had three touchdowns in the first half alone, and the Cards led 24-6 heading into the half.  Cardinals fans couldn’t be happier.  But, in the second half it all came crashing down for Arizona, as the Eagles rallied with three touchdowns of their own to take a 25-24 lead (their kicker David Akers missed an extra point).  But, the Cardinals came soaring back when it counted, and got a beautiful touchdown off a screen pass to running back Tim Hightower.  The Eagles had one last chance to comeback, but Arizona’s defense stepped up and they advanced to the Super Bowl. This is truly a fantasy season for a team that perpetually loses.

Next up, the AFC Championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Steelers jumped out to a 13-0 lead off two field goals from Jeff Reed and a touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes.  But a Willie McGahee touchdown run brought the Ravens back to within one touchdown.  13-7.  And in the second half, the Ravens got even closer with another touchdown run from McGahee.  He finished the day with 60 yards and two TDs.  However, it was simply the Steelers day, as their defensive back ran back a 40-yard interception return for a TD to seal the victory.  Now, their quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger will try to win a second Super Bowl for the city.

So, the matchup is essentially between two teams you can’t see losing.  On one hand, you have Arizona’s storybook season, complete with an explosive offense and fired up defense.  If they got this far, it really seems like their year.  On the other hand, Pittsburgh looks unbeatable right now, and their defense is like an Iron Curtain.  You can barely do anything to them, and defense wins championships.  It’s that simple.  It’s easy to pick against Arizona, but people picked against them in every round of the playoffs thus far.  They seem to really thrive when people don’t believe in them.  Plus, this was the first year where experts didn’t have them pegged as the “sleeper” team.  Every year they’re predicted to break out, but they never do.  This year they were completely written off, and look what happened.  It’s almost impossible to imagine either team losing.  And that means you have an excellent Super Bowl match-up February 2nd.

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