Ranking the Super Bowls, #20: Super Bowl XL

(photo credit: uni-watch.com)

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks battled for the Vince Lombardi Trophy, when the two teams met for Super Bowl XL at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. This was the second time that a Super Bowl was held in Detroit, as it was held at the Pontiac Silverdome in 1982. The Seahawks were making their first ever Super Bowl appearance, after posting an NFC-best 13-3 record during the regular season. The team got off to a rough 2-2 start, but they won 11 straight games before losing the final game of the regular season to the Green Bay Packers. 

The Steelers got off to a disappointing 7-5 start, but they rebounded to win their final four games, giving them a regular season record of 11-5. The Seahawks defeated the Washington Redskins 20-10, and the Carolina Panthers 34-14, to make it to Super Bowl XL. The Steelers had a much tougher road, as they had to play three road games. They defeated the third-seeded Cincinnati Bengals 31-17, the top-seeded Indianapolis Colts 21-18, and the second-seeded Denver Broncos 34-17, as they became the eighth wild card team to make it to the Super Bowl. 

The Steelers entered the game as four point favorites, and the game was broadcasted by ABC, with Al Michaels and John Madden on the call. The game got off to a rather slow start, as a 47-yard field goal by Josh Brown was the only time we saw the scoreboard change in the first quarter. The Seahawks held a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. To cap off an 11 play 59 yard drive, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger scored on a one yard rushing touchdown, to give Pittsburgh a 7-3 lead at the end of the quarter. Willie Parker gave the Steelers a 14-3 advantage when he scored on a 75-yard touchdown run. 

The Seahawks responded, as Matt Hasselback connected with Jerramy Stevens on a 16-yard touchdown pass, as the Seahawks cut the lead to 14-10. The ultimate trick play sealed the game for Pittsburgh, as Antwaan Randle El threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward, as he became the first wide receiver to throw a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl. The touchdown gave the Steelers a 21-10 lead, and that would be all the Steelers needed. Pittsburgh defeated Seattle 21-10, as they joined the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys as the only teams to have won five Super Bowls as a franchise. Ward tallied five catches for 123 yards and one touchdown. 

Ward also had one carry for 18 rushing yards, and he named the Super Bowl MVP. Ben Roethlisberger completed nine of 21 pass attempts for 123 yards, and he had one rushing touchdown. Willie Parker had 10 carries for 93 yards and one touchdown. Matt Hasselback completed 26 of his 49 pass attempts, for 273 yards and one touchdown. Shaun Alexander had 20 carries for 95 yards. Joe Jurevicius had five catches for 93 yards.