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Super Bowl XLIII was an
American football game pitting the
American Football Conference (AFC) champion
Pittsburgh Steelers against the
National Football Conference (NFC) champion
Arizona Cardinals to decide the
National Football League (NFL) champion for the
2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009, at
Raymond James Stadium in
Tampa, Florida. The Steelers (15-4) defeated the Cardinals (12-8) by a score of 27-23, earning their sixth
Super Bowl win, which gave Pittsburgh the record for
most Super Bowl wins and moved them ahead of the
San Francisco 49ers and
Dallas Cowboys, whose shared record of five they had tied three years prior following their win in
Super Bowl XL. Steelers receiver
Santonio Holmes, who caught 9 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, including 4 for 71 on their final scoring drive, was named
Super Bowl MVP. He was the third Steelers receiver ever to win the award, following
Lynn Swann and
Hines Ward.
The Cardinals entered the game seeking their first NFL title since
1947, the longest championship drought in the league. The club became an unexpected winner during the season and the playoffs with the aid of head coach
Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers' offensive coordinator in
Super Bowl XL, and the re-emergence of quarterback
Kurt Warner, who was the
Super Bowl MVP in
Super Bowl XXXIV with his former team,
St. Louis Rams.
Despite the
global financial crisis...
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