In the end, the Steelers cashed in on their big plays and the Seahawks didn’t. A few costly penalties, including the offensive pass interference call on Darrell Jackson in the first half that negated a touchdown, squashed Seattle’s chances and helped the Steelers win Super Bowl XL 21-10.
If you just watched the game and ignored the scoreboard, it would’ve been difficult to tell who won since neither team sustained any sort of momentum throughout the game, but three plays sealed the deal for the Steelers: Willie Parker’s 75-yard touchdown run in the opening moments of the second half, Ike Taylor’s fourth-quarter interception with the Seahawks driving deep into Pittsburgh territory midway through the fourth, and, of course, the huge 43-yard TD pass from Antwaan Randle El to Hines Ward on the ensuing drive. The Seahawks, meanwhile, were hurt by several big drops from tight end Jerramy Stevens and Shaun Alexander’s inability to get much of anything going.
So Bettis and Cowher finally have their rings and Holmgren’s still looking for his first away from Green Bay. Congrats to the Steelers. And as a Browns fan, that’s not an easy thing to say.
