Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks: Why the Steelers Won Super Bowl XL
By Todd
Fact No. 3 – The Steelers had a rougher road to the Super Bowl and made history to get there.
It can’t be overstated: The Seahawks should have been in the Super Bowl that year. They won their division by seven games (I’m not kidding) and won the conference by two.
It would not have been a surprise if the Steelers had not even made the playoffs. After a three-game losing streak in weeks 11-13, the Steelers had to win out to be the sixth seed. To end the season, all they did was beat the eventual NFC North champion Bears in Pittsburgh; then the Vikings in the Metrodome, a notoriously loud and hostile environment; then the Browns in Cleveland (Cleveland is no picnic in December); and Lions back in Pittsburgh.
In the first round of the playoffs, while the Seahawks were resting during their bye, the Steelers were beating the Bengals. Seahawks fans will say the only reason they won was because Kimo von Oelhoffen illegally hit Carson Palmer and tore his knee up. At that time, that was not a penalty, first of all. It would not become a penalty until after Tom Brady had his knee blown up a couple years later.
And secondly, injuries are part of the game. The Steelers still had to overcome a little more of two and a half quarters of inspired play by the Bengals and didn’t take the lead in the game until 5:17 left in the third.
In the next game in Indianapolis, the Steelers held the lead late in the game only to watch their sure-handed veteran running back Jerome Bettis (who had to be talked out of retirement by Ben Roethlisberger after their playoffs loss the previous season) fumble the ball near the Colts’ goal line. A Steelers score would have iced the game.
As it was, only a great play by Ben Roethlisberger saved a touchdown the other way. The Colts still had a chance to win on the foot of the most accurate kicker in league history at the time, Mike Vanderjagt. His miss was the beginning of the end of his career and sent the Steelers to the AFC Championship game in Denver.
In the AFC Championship game, the Steelers took control early over the Broncos and quickly established that they would not be denied a trip to SB40.
In three weeks, the Steelers had gone into the homes of the top three seeds of the AFC and won games.
The combined regular season records of the three teams the Steelers played? 38-10 (79.2%)
Take nothing away from the Seahawks. They enjoyed the fruits of having the best record in the NFC by playing at home throughout the playoffs and only having to play two playoff games. They earned that.
That having been said, they didn’t have nearly as tough a road in the playoffs. They played the Redskins and the Panthers. The combined records of those two teams from the regular season was 21-11, or a win percentage of 65.6%.
There is no denying the Steelers had the tougher road.
Fact No. 4 – The Steelers made the big plays to win the Super Bowl.
You cannot win a football game, especially the Super Bowl, by allowing the opposing team to make huge plays. That is a fact.
In SB40, the Steelers had a number of very big plays.
With 3:58 left in the second quarter, on 3rd and 28, Ben Roethlisberger found Hines Ward on a scrambling, sandlot play for 37 yards and a first down. The Steelers would score on that drive.
On the second play from scrimmage in the second half, Willie Parker set a Super Bowl record for the longest run from scrimmage in a Super Bowl; 75 yards for a touchdown.
With 10:54 left in the game, the Seahawks were threatening to take the lead. The score at the time was 14-10, Pittsburgh. On a 3rd and 18 from the Pittsburgh 27, Ike Taylor picked off Matt Hasselbeck, ending the Seahawk threat.
Four plays after that, Antwaan Randle-El found Hines Ward for a 43-yard touchdown to put the game out of reach.
Fact No. 5 – The Seahawks did not make the plays to win the game.
Shaun Alexander had 95 yards in the game, but none of the explosive plays we have grown accustomed to from him. He did not score. His longest run was 21 yards. Need I remind you that this was the man who one month earlier had been named NFL MVP and had set a record for touchdowns scored in a season that year?
The Seahawks intercepted Roethlisberger twice, but could only get points off one of those turnovers. On the other one, they went three-and-out. On the next possession after that three-and-out, the Steelers scored.
The Seahawks got the ball with 1:46 left in the first half from their own 27 with two timeouts. They ran six plays that covered only 37 yards (including two incomplete passes) before attempting a 54-yard field goal, and still had a timeout in their pocket at the end of the half.
The longest drive of the game for the Seahawks was a 71-yard drive that started at their own two-yard-line and ended with Hasselbeck’s interception to Taylor. The Steelers had a single play that was longer than that drive.
Plus, the Seahawks were a horrid 5 of 17 (29%) on third down.
All of that adds up to a team that did not do what it had to do to win.
Need more proof that the last two facts are true? Have a look at SB45. The Packers made all the big plays and the Steelers did not. The Steelers made all kinds of mistakes, and the Pack capitalized on them. All credit to the Packers. They made the plays they had to make to win.