NFL Notes

Sunday’s Superbowl was the best for several years, with the lead changing twice in the last couple of minutes. As the world knows by now the Pittsburgh Steelers ran out winners over the Arizona Cardinals 27-23.

There are plenty of reports on the web, but to my mind the best NFL analyst and damn good read is Peter King of Sports Illustrated. His Monday Morning Quarterback newsletter is required reading.

From my perspective, Arizona hurt themselves with too many penalties (over 100 yards) and of course the killer turnover right on the stroke of half time, which was effectively a 14-point play. On a play at the Steeler goal line, instead of a Warner completion and touchdown it turned into an interception and a 100-yard touchdown the other way. So that’s in excess of 200 yards given away.

Arizona did well to rally in the second half after that, and Larry Fitzgerald did become a playmaker late on with two touchdowns, but ultimately it was the Cards’ inability to put enough pressure on Ben Roethlisberger that cost at the death. Santonio Holnes’ TD catch in the last minute (pictured) was a thing of beauty though, and for that alone he deserved the MVP award.

I managed to stay awake for the first half and watched the second after work on Monday. It’s easy to avoid the result in the UK since very few people follow anything other than soccer.