The real reason the Cardinals lost

Biggems

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Were the refs bad, yes. And yes for much of the game, they seemed to be ignoring the infractions of the Steelers. However, the refs are not why the Cards lost this game.

3 critical drives seal the fate of the Cards.

10-7 late in the 2nd quarter. The Cards force a punt and Breaston returns it to around the Steelers 40. All the Cards have to do is pick up 1 first down and they are in Rackers range to tie the score. Instead they do nothing but go backwards. They are forced to punt. Missed opportunity #1.

Still 10-7, late in the 2nd quarter and Ben throws a pass that is batted and intercepted by Karlos Dansby. The Cards start with great field position. They have a chance to secure at least a FG to tie the game going into the half. They drive down to the Steelers 2. Then on 1st down with 19 seconds left, Warner throws a horrible pass right to Harrison, who returns it for a TD. If Warner just throws it away, they get another down.....at worst, they end up with a FG and a 10-10 tie....at best a TD and 14-10 lead at the half....but instead, he throws a pick and Harrison chugs his big butt down the sidelines and scores a TD, making it 17-7. That one play is the biggest single play in the entire game. It killed all the momentum the Cards had going into the half.....especially important since the Cards were to get the ball to start the 2nd half. Had it been 14-10....I think the Cards could have carried that momentum and added more points on the opening drive. Instead, their lack of momentum carried over and they had to punt to start the 2nd half......Missed opportunity #2.

Now there is 2:37 left in the game. The Cards have fought back and taken a 23-20 lead. It is up to the Cards Defense now. The Steelers do little on 1st down. They have an incomplete pass on 2nd down as it comes to the 2 minute warning. All the Cards need to do is stop them for 2 more downs and they are the SB Champs. Unfortunately, the remainder of the drive, they neglected to cover #10. He consistently found openings in their defense and marched the Steelers right down the field. Ok, so now they are in FG range in the red zone. All the Cards have to do is hold them to a FG and we get the first ever OT in SB history. Unfortunately, they forget to cover Holmes again on 1st down....luckily the pass is a bit out of his reach. However, on 2nd down, and with 3 defenders around him, he makes the SB winning grab......the Cards defense had a huge letdown....after playing so well for nearly 3 full quarters.....missed opportunity #3.

These 3 missed opportunities are the real reason why the Cards lost the SB. BTW, had #2 been a FG for the Cards instead of a TD for the Steelers.....Holmes TD would have made it 26-20 Cards....with 35 seconds left in the game....and the Steelers would have had to onside kick with zero timeouts remaining.
 

RainMan

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The Steelers can counter with a list of things they could have done better just as long, I'm sure.

Things happen over the course of a ball game. It's part of sports.

Obviously, the Harrison TD was a huge difference in this game, even though the Cardinals worked their way back from that momentum crusher.

Most glaringly to me, though, was that defender slipping and letting Holmes squirt free for a huge gain prior to his TD catch to win the game. Who knows what happens if Holmes is stopped for a 10-yard gain or so.
 

AMERICAS_FAN

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Good defense wins Champioships; as demonstrated by the Crds who showed that bad defenses lose them.
 

burmafrd

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The refs helped the Steelers early on but it did seem to even out. In the end Hamburger made some plays and so did Holmes and the Cards found a way to lose. Pretty much as expected. The Bidwell curse lives on.
 

TellerMorrow34

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Biggems;2616525 said:
Were the refs bad, yes. And yes for much of the game, they seemed to be ignoring the infractions of the Steelers. However, the refs are not why the Cards lost this game.

3 critical drives seal the fate of the Cards.

10-7 late in the 2nd quarter. The Cards force a punt and Breaston returns it to around the Steelers 40. All the Cards have to do is pick up 1 first down and they are in Rackers range to tie the score. Instead they do nothing but go backwards. They are forced to punt. Missed opportunity #1.

Still 10-7, late in the 2nd quarter and Ben throws a pass that is batted and intercepted by Karlos Dansby. The Cards start with great field position. They have a chance to secure at least a FG to tie the game going into the half. They drive down to the Steelers 2. Then on 1st down with 19 seconds left, Warner throws a horrible pass right to Harrison, who returns it for a TD. If Warner just throws it away, they get another down.....at worst, they end up with a FG and a 10-10 tie....at best a TD and 14-10 lead at the half....but instead, he throws a pick and Harrison chugs his big butt down the sidelines and scores a TD, making it 17-7. That one play is the biggest single play in the entire game. It killed all the momentum the Cards had going into the half.....especially important since the Cards were to get the ball to start the 2nd half. Had it been 14-10....I think the Cards could have carried that momentum and added more points on the opening drive. Instead, their lack of momentum carried over and they had to punt to start the 2nd half......Missed opportunity #2.

Now there is 2:37 left in the game. The Cards have fought back and taken a 23-20 lead. It is up to the Cards Defense now. The Steelers do little on 1st down. They have an incomplete pass on 2nd down as it comes to the 2 minute warning. All the Cards need to do is stop them for 2 more downs and they are the SB Champs. Unfortunately, the remainder of the drive, they neglected to cover #10. He consistently found openings in their defense and marched the Steelers right down the field. Ok, so now they are in FG range in the red zone. All the Cards have to do is hold them to a FG and we get the first ever OT in SB history. Unfortunately, they forget to cover Holmes again on 1st down....luckily the pass is a bit out of his reach. However, on 2nd down, and with 3 defenders around him, he makes the SB winning grab......the Cards defense had a huge letdown....after playing so well for nearly 3 full quarters.....missed opportunity #3.

These 3 missed opportunities are the real reason why the Cards lost the SB. BTW, had #2 been a FG for the Cards instead of a TD for the Steelers.....Holmes TD would have made it 26-20 Cards....with 35 seconds left in the game....and the Steelers would have had to onside kick with zero timeouts remaining.


Excellent post. I agree with you on this completely. The INT right before half and their defense deciding to quit playing with 2 minutes left in the game were the two biggest factors in their loss, IMO.
 
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