All eyes will be on the matchup between Kurt Warner and the high-powered Arizona Cardinals offense against the top-ranked Pittsburgh Steelers defense. It's the classic offense vs. defense showdown. The Cardinals have the second-best pass offense while the Steelers have the stingiest pass defense. Something has to give, right?
Though the highly anticipated matchup chess match between Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who will relay plays into the ear of Warner, and Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, who will relay his signals to linebacker James Farrior, is the sexy choice, I don't consider it as the determining factor in the game. I see this matchup as a wash. Both units will have their moments and will pretty much cancel each other. It's a 50-50 action.
The game will come down to this one question: Can Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense score enough points to put pressure on the Cardinals?
Pittsburgh offense and Arizona's defense have had their share of problems this season. Pittsburgh's O is ranked near the bottom of the league, while Arizona's defensive unit allows more than 330 yards per game. But, one of them will be the difference in the game.
Roethlisberger has been prone to holding onto to the ball too long so the Cardinals will get their sacks on Big Ben. Pittsburgh offensive line is a make-shift unit so the Cardinals will have an opportunity to control the line of scrimmage. On the other side of the ball, Arizona's linebackers were torched by Philadelphia tight end Brent Celek in the NFC Championship, and if the Cardinals have a weak spot it is their linebackers' inability to cover receivers.
This means that if the Steelers are smart, they should use and overuse tight end Heath Miller, who is a little better than Celek. Miller can win his one-on-one battles against the Arizona LBs so Big Ben should be able to exploit this mismatch. That is IF the offensive line afford Big Ben time to throw
Expect the Cardinals to put points on the board, so the Steelers will need to keep up.
I strongly believe that you only go as far as your quarterback takes you. Well, Roethlisberger and Warner have taken their teams this far in the postseason and one win away from earning their second Super Bowl rings. Warner will play well, I can guarantee that. He's a Hall of Famer. It is up to Big Ben if he is up to the challenge.
Bringing a sixth Super Bowl trophy to Pittsburgh hangs on the right arm of Big Ben.
Keywords: Ben Roethlisberger, Cardinals, Kurt Warner, Steelers
