And the winner of Super Bowl XLIII is….. the Pittsburgh Steelers, beating the Arizona Cardinals 27 to 23.
The game was actually pretty exciting. With 9:45 remaining in the first quarter, Pittsburgh made it to the scoreboard first with a field goal. Pittsburgh made the first touchdown and point after in the second quarter with 14:02 remaining. With 8:34 left in the second, Arizona scored a touchdown and got the point after.
Then it got really fun to watch. With only seconds left before the half, Pittsburgh’s James Harrison intercepted the ball, running 100 yards to score a touchdown; he stepped into the end zone with one second left. It got a little iffy when a personal foul was called on another player, but the touchdown counted and the Steelers when for their extra point. The score was Steelers 17, Cardinals 7 at the half.
The halftime show was alright I guess. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band took to the stage for a high energy 12 minute set complete with a gospel choir. At the very end, we were treated to what I believe can only be described as guitar hoola-hoop. I’ll try to find a clip of it tomorrow, for those of you who didn’t see it today.
The third quarter started and no points were scored until there was 2:13 left, then the Pittsburgh Steelers completed a field goal, bringing the score to 20 to 7. Things looks sorta bad for the Arizona Cardinals at this point, but some crazy things have happened in previous Super Bowls; in some ways the game was just getting started.
With 7:35 remaining in the fourth quarter Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals scored a touchdown, with the point after it brought the score to 20 Pittsburg and 14 Arizona.
Side Note: It was around this time that I asked what was up with all the dudes with long-ass hair. I was informed that if the players choose to have hair that hangs below their helmet, then their hair is a part of the uniform – meaning a guy can grab your hair and take you down.
I must have gone to the bathroom or something because when I came back there were only about 3 minutes left in the fourth and Arizona now had 16 points. The game was getting close and momentum was growing.
There was 2:37 left when Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald ran 70 yards to score a touchdown; they got the point after and the score flipped with Arizona now in the lead with 23 points to Pittsburgh’s 20.
But the game wasn’t over yet. With a mere 35 seconds left in the game Santonio Holmes of the Steelers scored and awesome touchdown – he was on his tippy toes, almost out of bounds. The play had to be reviewed and after what seemed to sbe everal minutes, the Ref finally called it as a touchdown. The Steelers got the point after and won Super Bowl XLIII with a score of 27 to 23 – beating the Cardinals by only 4 points.
Overall the game was quite enjoyable to watch and I’m glad I actually sat and watched the whole thing.
Before the game Faith Hill sang America the Beautiful; it was a nice rendition of a beautiful song, but I still find Faith Hill annoying. When Jennifer Hudson took the stage to sing the National Anthem, the cameras focused on her face. I could see she was nervous – it’s a very large audience, and she hasn’t sung in public since her world took a beating – but through the nerves I could see the strength.
The ads were like most years – some were funny, some were stupid, and some just plain sucked. I took notes, but I’ll share those with you tomorrow. What I will tell you now is that Budweiser had a crap load of commercials, and at 3 million dollars for less than a minute, that’s a lot of dough the company spent on beer commercials.
Did you watch SuperBowl XLIII? What did you think of it?
Here’s a list of who won the Super Bowl over the past ten years:
2008 – NY Giants 17 vs New England Patriots 14
2007 – Indianapolis Colts 29 vs Chicago Bears 17
2006 – Pittsburgh Steelers 21 vs Seattle Seahawks 10
2005 – New England Patriots 24 vs Philadelphia Eagle 21
2004 – New England Patriots 32 vs Carolina Panthers 29
2003 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48 vs Oakland Raiders 21
2002 – New England Patriots 20 vs St. Louis Rams 17
2001 – Baltimore Ravens 34 vs NY Giants 7
2000 – St. Louis Rams 23 vs Tennessee Titans 16
1999 – Denver Broncos 34 vs Atlanta Falcons 19
It was an exciting game this year, one worth watching for more than the commercials. I can’t think of a commercial I saw this time around that I can say was REALLY good or memorable. And no, I wasn’t having libations as I watched the Super Bowl.
Jennifer Hudson did an awesome job singing the National Anthem. That girl has been through so much and kudos to her for doing such a great job in front of millions!
Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen can still command an audience and strut his stuff pretty well. However, I found he wasn’t able to “sing” as well live. Most of what I heard were more like short phrases and short of breath. The most I think he “sang” was midway thru his 12 minute performance. I can’t remember if it was “Glory Days” or what the song was, but that’s the only time I was hearing him actually singing instead of shortness of breath or phrases. No doubt though, he is still THE BOSS!