NFL (05/06) Super Bowl XL: Pittsburgh Steelers vs Seattle Seahawks

[USAEagle]

STEELERS 21 d. SEAHAWKS 10​

I have been a Seahawks fan since they day they were announced as an expansion franchise. I have listened to and watched them through the 2-14 and 4-12 years, as well as missing the Super Bowl by a Touchdown Catch in the 83-84 playoffs. To see this happen and be on the opposite side of the world form it is disappointing, but boy does it feel good!

Congratulations Hawks and all the loyal fans on this board (if there are any)!

Game summary

After the first four possessions of the game ended with punts, Seahawks punt returner Peter Warrick gave his team good field position by returning Chris Gardocki's 37-yard punt 12 yards to Seattle's 49-yard line. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck then started off the drive with a pair of completions to receivers Darrell Jackson and Joe Jurevicius for gains of 20 and 11 yards, respectively. On the third play of the drive, Jackson caught a pass in the end-zone, apparently for a touchdown, but the play was nullified on a pass interference penalty on Jackson for pushing off his defender. Running back Shaun Alexander ran the ball the next two plays, but gained only three yards. Hasselbeck's third-down pass attempt fell incomplete, and the Seahawks were forced to settle for a 47-yard field goal by kicker Josh Brown. By the end of the first quarter, the Steelers had failed to gain a first down, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had completed one of five pass attempts for one yard. On their first second-quarter possession, Pittsburgh once more was forced to punt after three plays, but benefited from another Seahawks penalty, a holding call that nullified Warrick's 34-yard punt return. The Steelers forced a Seattle punt, but Seattle safety Michael Boulware intercepted a Roethlisberger pass at the Seattle 17-yard line on the ensuing drive. The Seahawks, though, were once more forced to punt after three plays, and Pittsburgh drove into Seattle territory on the following drive.

An offensive pass interference call against tight end Heath Miller and a sack for an eight-yard loss by Seahawks defensive end Grant Wistrom, though, backed the Steelers to the 40-yard line, and left the team facing a third-down-and-28. However, Roethlisberger hit receiver Hines Ward out of a scramble and extremely unorthodox, against the grain pass for a 37-yard gain to keep the drive going. Jerome Bettis carried the ball on the next two plays, taking his team to the one-yard line but not into the end-zone. On the third-down play, after the two-minute warning, Roethlisberger faked a handoff and dove into the end-zone himself.

On the strength of a 19-yard Jurevicius reception, Seattle advanced the ball to the Pittsburgh 36-yard line, but, after the drive stalled, Brown missed a 54-yard field goal attempt to the right and the Steelers ran out the clock to end the first half.

The Steelers took the ball to begin the second half, and just two plays in, running back Willie Parker broke through for a 75-yard touchdown run, giving his team a 14-3 lead and setting a record for the longest run in Super Bowl history, beating Marcus Allen's Super Bowl XVIII mark by one yard.

The Seahawks drove into Pittsburgh territory on the next drive, sparked by a 21-yard run by Alexander, but Brown again missed a field-goal attempt, this one from 50 yards, as Seattle was unable to close the 11-point deficit.

Pittsburgh drove 54 yards to the Seattle six-yard line to put themselves in position to take a large lead, but Seahawks defensive back Kelly Herndon intercepted a pass from Roethlisberger and returned it a Super Bowl record 76 yards to the Steelers 20-yard line. From there, the Seahawks required just two plays to score on Hasselbeck's 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jerramy Stevens, cutting their deficit to 14-10.

The teams exchanged punts (two from Pittsburgh, one from Seattle) to fill out most of the third quarter, but the Seahawks ended the quarter having driven from their own two-yard line to near midfield. The drive continued in the fourth quarter, as the Seahawks reached the Pittsburgh 19-yard line. An 18-yard pass to Stevens, though, was negated on a controversial penalty call against Seattle tackle Sean Locklear for holding, denying the Seahawks an opportunity for a first-down-and-goal from the 1-yard-line. Three plays later, Pittsburgh defensive back Ike Taylor intercepted a Hasselbeck pass at the 5-yard line and returned it 24 yards. While making the tackle on Taylor, Hasselbeck dove low and was flagged for blocking below the waist on an attempt to tackle. The penalty added 15 yards to the return and gave the Steelers the ball on their own 44-yard line.

Four plays later, Pittsburgh ran a wide receiver reverse, but the play turned out to be a pass play by wide receiver Antwaan Randle El, who played quarterback while in college. Parker took a pitch from Roethlisberger and handed off to Randle El, who was running in the opposite direction. Randle El then pulled up and threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Ward, giving the Steelers a 21-10 lead and also marking the first time a wide receiver threw a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl.

On the ensuing possession, Hasselbeck ran the ball for eighteen yards and was briefly touched by Steelers linebacker Larry Foote as the former fell to the ground. Though the play was initially ruled a fumble, with the ball recovered by the Steelers, a Seahawks challenge proved successful, as officials ruled Hasselbeck to have been down prior to his having lost the ball; Seattle, aided by a 13-yard Jurevicius reception, drove to the Pittsburgh 48-yard line but could go no further; a Tom Rouen punt entered the end zone, giving the Steelers possession on their own 20-yard line.

Pittsburgh possessed the ball on for nearly four-and-one-half minutes on the ensuing drive, as Bettis carried seven times; Seattle was forced to use all of its three timeouts to stop the clock, but nevertheless had only 1:51 left when it took the ball from its own 20-yard line following a Gardocki punt. A 35-yard reception by Jurevicius took the Seahawks into Pittsburgh territory, and a 13-yard Bobby Engram reception took the team to within field-goal range, but dubious clock-management and play-calling left the team with just 35 seconds remaining; an incompletion and a three-yard pass to Stevens over the middle over the field consumed 26 seconds, and Hasselbeck threw incomplete near Stevens on fourth down, giving the Steelers the ball on downs with just three seconds left, after which a Roethlisberger kneel-down ended the game.

[edit] Scoring summary

* 1st Quarter
o SEA — FG: Josh Brown 47 yards 3-0 SEA
Drive: Seven Plays, 22 yds, 3:31
* 2nd Quarter
o PIT — TD: Ben Roethlisberger 1 yard run (Jeff Reed kick), 7-3 PIT
Drive: 11 Plays, 59 yds, 6:20
* 3rd Quarter
o PIT — TD: Willie Parker 75 yard run (Jeff Reed kick), 14-3 PIT
Drive: Two plays, 75 yds, 22 seconds
o SEA — TD: Jerramy Stevens 16 yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Josh Brown kick), 14-10 PIT
Drive: Three plays, 20 yds, 53 seconds
* 4th Quarter
o PIT — TD: Hines Ward 43 yard pass from Antwaan Randle El (Jeff Reed kick), 21-10 PIT
Drive: Four plays, 56 yards, 1:50

[edit] Final statistics

[edit] Overview

The Steelers became just the third team to win the Super Bowl despite not playing a single home game in the playoffs. The Green Bay Packers, who won Super Bowl I, and the Kansas City Chiefs, who won Super Bowl IV, also accomplished the feat. The Steelers, however, had to win four games to accomplish the feat, while the Chiefs won three and Packers won only two games.

Roethlisberger finished the game having completed just 9 of 21 passes for 123 yards and having also thrown two interceptions; his 22.6 quarterback rating was the lowest ever of any by a Super Bowl winning quarterback. He also rushed for 25 yards and a touchdown. He became the second youngest quarterback to start in a Super Bowl and the youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl at 23 years, 11 months.

The Pittsburgh rushing game was paced by Willie Parker, who gained 93 yards and one touchdown on just ten carries; Bettis rushed 14 times for 43 yards, converted a key first down, and allowing his team to run time off the clock late in the fourth quarter. Ward caught five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. In addition to his 43-yard touchdown pass, Randle El caught three passes for 22 yards and returned two punts for 32 yards. In defeat for the Seahawks, Hasselbeck completed 26 of 49 pass attempts for 273 yards and a touchdown, with one interception. Jurevicius caught 5 passes for 93 yards. Engram and Jackson also played roles, combining to gain 120 yards on eleven receptions. Alexander led all rushers in the game, accumulating 95 yards on 20 carries while also catching two passes for two yards. The Steelers were the third team to lose the turnover battle and win the game, after the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V and the Steelers in Super Bowl XIV.

Defensively, Taylor led the Steelers, making seven tackles, defensing two passes, and intercepting Hasselbeck; for the Seahawks, linebacker Lofa Tatupu recorded nine tackles.

 

[mattyc2422]

Re: Seahawks FINALLY get to Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been a fan for about 5 years, albeit a casual-esque one. But it feels good, especially with the incident we had this year with Hamlin.

Can't wait for the day.

P.S. How hardcore is Seneca!

 

[camsmith]

Re: Seahawks FINALLY get to Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its funny because before today i didn't see or hear about any Seattle fans on here.

 

[fuey]

Re: Seahawks FINALLY get to Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its funny because before today i didn't see or hear about any Seattle fans on here.

I can vouch for Matty... he has been a Seahawks fan for the few years I've been posting at HHQ...

With the Holmgren/Hasselbeck connection, I have a soft spot for the Seahawks...

They're gonna kick some Steeler arse...

 

[mattyc2422]

Re: Seahawks FINALLY get to Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its funny because before today i didn't see or hear about any Seattle fans on here.

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53260

4th November 2002.

 

[robbieando]

Re: Seahawks FINALLY get to Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its funny because before today i didn't see or hear about any Seattle fans on here.

http://bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=771351&postcount=5
and
http://bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1577645&postcount=18

Another Seahawks fan here and funny enough I've been one since the late 80's when my Nana brought me a Seahawks top back from her trip to Seattle to visit my aunty. Ever since I've followed all three Pro teams from the town and always expect them to ******** things up.

2001 with the Mariners (116 wins and still couldn't make the World Series) and the last few trips to the playoffs for the Hawks. Anyway going to be a big few week for Seattle and the family from there.

 

[Bombers_Forever]

Re: Seahawks FINALLY get to Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi All- I lived in Seattle 15 years ago and were lucky to see them play at the old Kingdome. I have kept watching them ever since- to get to the big one is big, but I don't know if we can win it. I hope I am wrong.

 

[JeffDunne]

Re: Seahawks FINALLY get to Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its funny because before today i didn't see or hear about any Seattle fans on here.

So what (even if it was true)?

Nobody's hanging crap on anyone, just a few fans excited about their team being in the SB. Hell I'd be over the moon too after todays performance. They've promised to explode for a while and this season they've finally got it all together.

Good luck to Seattle - you're going to need it.

 

[JeffDunne]

Re: Seahawks FINALLY get to Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

. . . but I don't know if we can win it.

Pity you can't take these guys with you.

 

[Bombers_Forever]

Re: Seahawks FINALLY get to Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pity you can't take these guys with you.

Who says there won't be many paying up to go to Detroit?

 

[KissStephanie]

Re: Mile High Wimper

Louder than a wimper after the Steelers CONTROLLED the TEMPO and all the whoo-ha about the infamous thin air playing into the Browncos hands.

But Kiss Stephanie has MAXIMUM VOLUME on getting distortion in Jake's helmet that REALLY worked in disrupting the Panthers calls. That's the bottom line. I was more dissappointed about watching an insipid Panthers D letting Seahawks run rings around them than the out of synch offense that had alot of things go against them and the CROWD noise was a major player.

The '12th man' (the crowd) contributed to yet another false start this afternoon, and completely intimidated and flustered the Panthers! It wasn't just that Delhomme couldn't hear anything, but Seattle's underrated defence completely stopped Steve Smith too. Tatupu what a beauty!

They didn't once penetrate the 45, and their only 2 touchdowns resulted from Seahawk blues. A terrible punt that allowed Smith to score, and rediculous penalty on rough play tackle on Smith by Babineaux in the 4th quarter. The Panthers were gone early though when a frustrated spoiled baby Smith spat the dummy to his teammates more than once too. Always a bad sign when a player does that in any sport.

Carna Superbowl bound Seattle Seahawks!

 

[JeffDunne]

Re: Seahawks FINALLY get to Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who says there won't be many paying up to go to Detroit?

Now there's a definition of optimism, a Seahawk's fan buying a superbowl ticket in November.

Seriously though, it would be great given the two teams fans if the stadium was 50/50.

 

[KissStephanie]

Re: Seahawks Will Win The Super Bowl!

Good luck to Seattle - you're going to need it.

You make your own luck in this world, and Seattle is going to win in two weeks. It's in my gut and my bones, and has been for a while. An interesting bit of trivia too...during the first and second weekend of the play-offs, the Colts were Super Bowl favourites, and Seattle were second favourites. The Colts were then eliminated. The following week, amazingly, the Denver Broncos became Super Bowl favourites, and Seattle were second favourites. The Broncos were then eliminated.

Now all I want is Pittsburgh to be Super Bowl favourites, and Seattle second favourites. If that happens, that will mean three different teams have been favourite, while the Seahawks have remained second favourites the whole time. What are the latest prices? Amazingly, and thankfullly, the Steelers are early slight Super Bowl favourites!

Pity you can't take these guys with you.

I see, so the Seahawks can't win away from Qwest ay? This season Seattle only lost 3 games, all away, but won 5 away matches away. One of those away losses was against Green Bay in the final match when it didn't matter. Those matches were in front of an opposition crowd, but in two weeks it is not an away match, in front of the opposition crowd. It's a neutral ground and heaps of Seattle-ites are going!

 

[Alberton_Magpie]

Superbowl XL Who are you throwing your support Behind?

Steelers of the AFC or Seahawks of the NFC??

 

[mattyc2422]

Re: Superbowl XL Who are you throwing your support Behind?

Seahawks.

 

[coasting]

Re: Seahawks Will Win The Super Bowl!

You make your own luck in this world, and Seattle is going to win in two weeks.

I hope to God that you are right but I don't think you are.

 

[raskolnikov]

Re: Superbowl XL Who are you throwing your support Behind?

Steelers, same division as my team(Bengals) and it won't feel as bad to have the team who put us out win the SuperBowl.

 

[KissStephanie]

Re: Seahawks Will Win The Super Bowl!

I hope to God that you are right but I don't think you are.

Seattle is a better team from what I have learnt about both, and have had a far better preparation beginning back to the final match when they were able to rest the starting line-up, and without travelling since. If Pittsburgh win, they will create history by winning 4 play-off games away from home. It's never happened before for good reason, and that's because it's difficult to do, and not the ideal preparation.

Both sides have the potential to score a bit I think, but I prefer the way the Seahawks go about scoring, and the options that they have. I heard on the radio here last night that the Steelers are early favourites because they have been to the Super Bowl 4 times, although it was in the 70's and irrelevant, and in fact the only players that have been that far before are with the Seahawks.

The other reason that the Steelers are favourites is because people in the US have this feeling that Seattle aren't a real sport city, let alone a winning sport season. That's because the 3 major teams are all relatively new, and also because of the location of the city up here in the Pacific Northwest. There is also the view that any team in the NFC is not good enough, and if the Seahawks were still in the AFC, then they would not be in the Super Bowl.

Here is an article from before the win yesterday that shows that view clearly, and this whinger was also going on about how weak the NFC West was. Bloody hell, some people felt that St.Louis or Arizona could have won this division pre-season, but because the Seahawks won it easily, it must be weak....

The Seahawks Are Far From Super

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=bayless/060120

For the last couple of years, the media outside Seattle have been trying to find reasons that the Seahawks will lose, and when they don't, they find nothing but excuses that they won. For the last four weeks, three different teams have been Super Bowl favourite, while the Seahawks have remained second favourite the entire time. Doesn't that prove my point? All this is doing is bringing the team closer together.

The city itself is loved by people that either live in it or visit it, and it has everything and many great places to see and do. Aesthetically it is beautiful, extremely liberal, tolerant, and friendly, and at least that bloke mentioned that in his article. Also, if ever there was a city that would not riot after a championship win as well, it is Seattle. Is Pittsburgh as beautiful a city? Ummm, hmmm, crikey, no, but I won't call it a 'hole' as many do though.

 

[crazy_big_al]

Re: Seahawks FINALLY get to Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

they will get flogged by the Steelers

 

[crazy_big_al]

Re: Superbowl XL Who are you throwing your support Behind?

Steelers.

 

[thebigboy]

Re: Superbowl XL Who are you throwing your support Behind?

The Steelers as they beat the broncos who beat my team; The Patriots

 

[Marns]

Re: Superbowl XL Who are you throwing your support Behind?

Steelers, because I'm actually a pittsburgh native.

 

[KissStephanie]

Re: Seahawks Will Definitely Win The Super Bowl

they will get flogged by the Steelers

Thanks for your original and in depth input. I've never heard anybody say that Seattle will not win a Super Bowl before. <sarcasm> Ha ha ha!

 

[Woodson]

Re: Seahawks have already won thier SB

Thanks for your original and in depth input. I've never heard anybody say that Seattle will not win a Super Bowl before. <sarcasm> Ha ha ha!

Enjoy the season for what it was Seahawk fans. Seattle have accomplished thier mission already that they most likely deserved this season but don't get your hopes up too high against a team like the Steelers that are still one game away from completing thier MISSION. Winning on the road has strengthened the team mentally and going into Detroit with a sea of Terrible Towels will only enhance our dominance. Besides the BUS & Cowher will have an extra week to make SURE that everyone has thier feet planted firmly on the ground and a game has to be executed with venom on D and our offense driving with conviction.

 

[Woodson]

Re: Superbowl XL Who are you throwing your support Behind?

STEELERS >>> One for the Thumb Terrible Towels n' all.