Super Bowl XLIII Preview:Arizona Cardinals (9-7) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4): The Super Bowl is less than a week away, but I still don't have a good feel on this game, and I wouldn't be surprised if either team won. The matchup on paper is not very appealing to me, but I actually think the game could turn out to be a pretty damn competitive one. When analyzing this one, it really doesn't make sense to look at the regular seasons stats for each team, because the Cardinals are pretty much a whole different team right now. The question is if the extra week off will cause them to lose the edge they've had all season on defense.
Here are a few thoughts on the game, and only a few because, quite frankly, it doesn't interest me all that much:
Kurt Warner: Anyone doubting the chances of the Cardinals in this game needs to remember two things. The first being that QB play is a major factor in who wins football games and the second is that Kurt Warner is a pretty damn good QB since he is former Super Bowl champ and 2-time MVP. If Warner has time to throw and protects the ball then the Cardinals should be able to score points against the Steelers and then it will be up to the Cardinals defense to get things done. Don't forget that Ben Roethlisberer is no slouch either with a 7-2 career playoff record, however, he did struggle in his one Super Bowl appearance.
Defense: The Steelers defense is based on pressuring the QB and creating turnovers and it's likely that the Cardinals are spending most of their practice time getting ready for the different looks that the Steelers are going to throw at their offensive line. I also think it will be tough for the Cardinals to run on the Pittsburgh defense and they might have to resort to throwing some designed short screen passes to their WR and RB. For the Cardinals, we'll have to wait and see if their defense is going to play as well as it has throughout the playoffs. If they can duplicate the success they've had, then I think they are going to be tough to beat.
Top 5 Most Likely to Win Super Bowl MVP:
1) Kurt Warner
2) Larry Fitzgerald
3) Ben Roethlisberger
4) Troy Polamalu
5) Adrian Wilson
Super Bowl XLIII Prediction: I've decided I'm picking the Arizona Cardinals to win it all. I didn't think they'd get past the first round, nevermind make the Super Bowl, but hey they are here now, so why not pick them to win it all? They have a better offense than the Steelers and their defense was decent all season and seems to have picked it up to a higher level in the playoffs. Plus, it's not like the Steelers offense is all that prolific. The Cardinals have plenty of playmakers on defense with Adrian Wilson, Antrel Rolle, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Betrand Berry, Darnell Dockett and Karlos Dansby all solid defense players. Are they as good as the Steelers' defense? No, but the Steelers offense isn't as good as the Cardinals offense either. Yes, defense wins championships, but I think the Cardinals defense will show up to play to complement their offensive attack. Or maybe I'm just trying to convince myself that this game will be interesting.
Arizona Cardinals 27 Pittsburgh Steelers 24
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