22. Super Bowl 43 – Harrison’s run
With their 27-23 victory over
the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl 43, the Pittsburgh Steelers became the
first team to win six Super Bowls. But it wasn’t easy and the game wasn’t
decided until the final minute when Steeler quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger,
hit receiver Santonio Holmes with the game-winning touchdown pass.
But it was the final play of the
first half that was the game’s key moment. With 18 seconds left in the half,
the Steelers were ahead 10-7 but the Cards were threatening to take the lead.
Arizona QB, Kurt Warner, dropped back to pass and thought he spotted an open
receiver. However, Pittsburgh linebacker, James Harrison, who had faked the
blitz but dropped back into pass coverage, stepped in front of the ball and
intercepted it at the goal line. He then took off running down the right
sideline with an army of Steeler blockers to help him.
At about the Arizona 40-yard
line, he started to run out of steam but kept chugging. As the seconds wound
down, I remember thinking it might be best for him to step out of bounds to
give Pittsburgh a shot at a field goal, because he’s never going to make it to the
end zone. But he kept going, a touchdown in his sights. Finally, at about the
five-yard line, Arizona receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, finally caught Harrison and
tried to tackle him. He succeeded but the linebacker didn’t hit the ground
until he had taken the ball past the goal line for a touchdown. At the time, it
was the longest play in Super Bowl history.
23. Super Bowl 44 – Payton’s gutsy call
Three years after their victory
over the Bears, the Indianapolis Colts were back in the Super Bowl, this time
taking on the New Orleans Saints. And while the Colts, led by superstar
quarterback, Payton Manning, were favoured to win the game, it was the call by
another Payton, Sean Payton, the Saints’ head coach, that would be turning
point of Super Bowl 44.
The first half ended with a
Saints’ field goal that made the score 10-6 in favour of Indianapolis and the
Colts were to receive the second-half kick off. But Coach Payton called
“Ambush”, an onside-kick attempt to start the half. While the kick traveled
farther than planned, it bounced of the facemask of a member of the Colts’
return team and a mad scramble ensued. After it was determined the Saints had
recovered the ball, QB Drew Brees led the team to their first touchdown of the
game.
While the game would remain
close and not be decided until an interception return for a touchdown by
Saints’ defensive back, Tracy Porter, it was Payton’s gutsy call on the second
half kick off that turned the game in favour of New Orleans.
The final score was 31-17.
24. Super Bowl 46 – Brady gets beat by Eli
again
When the final gun sounded at
the end of the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 46, and the last second desperation
pass fired by New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, had fallen
harmlessly to the turf, the Pats found themselves on the losing effort in
another Super Bowl against the New York Giants, this time by a score of 21-17.
To date, the Patriots, under
Brady and head coach Bill Belichik, have played in six Super Bowls. They have
won four and lost two. The two they have lost were against the New York Giants
and both the times, New England was favoured to win the games. But it seemed
like the Giants defense knew how to deal with Brady, and New York quarterback,
Eli Manning, saved his most precise passes for the Patriots.
The Giants finished the regular
season with a slightly above average 9-7 record. One of those wins was in week
nine, an away 24-20 decision over the Patriots, in which Eli fired the winning
TD pass to tight end Jake Ballard with just over a minute left in the game. Had
the Patriots won that game, chances are the Giants would not have even made the
playoffs and New England’s chances of winning the Super Bowl would have been
greater, since New York wouldn’t be around to spoil the party for them.
And in the Super Bowl, Eli
sparkled again on a game-winning TD drive, including a beautifully thrown
38-yard pass that landed into the outstretched arms of Giant receiver, Mario
Manningham. Manning finished the game completing 75 per cent of his passes for
196 yards and a touchdown. And another victory over the Patriots in a Super Bowl.
25. Super Bowl 47 – Brother against brother
Our final memorable moment
occurred in the 47th Super Bowl, a matchup that pitted the Baltimore
Ravens against the San Francisco 49ers. It had been 12 years since the Ravens
had won their only Super Bowl, and it had been 18 since the 49ers had won their
last.
The most intriguing aspect of
the game was the two head coaches. The Ravens were coached by John Harbaugh
while the 49ers were coached by Jim Harbaugh. It was the first time in NFL
history that two brothers were the head coaches of the teams in the
championship game.
It was a thrilling match-up that included a
34-minute delay caused by a power failure. The final score of the game was
34-31 in favour of Baltimore. The record for the longest play in a Super Bowl,
the 100-yard touchdown interception return of Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker
James Harrison that I mentioned earlier—was broken by Baltimore kick returner,
Jacob Jones, who took the second half kick off and returned it 108 yards for a
touchdown.
The 49ers never led the game but
their 25 points in the second half made the finish tighter than expected, after
the Ravens had built a 22-point lead.
Follow us on Twitter at @topofthethird
No comments:
Post a Comment