Cardinals and Steelers in Super Bowl 43

The NFL final four teams clashed today to determine who would enter the Super Bowl. In Glendale, the Arizona Cardinals took a 24-6 lead in the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles.....and then almost let the game slip away in the third quarter.

Ben Graham (left) becomes the first Australian to play in a Super Bowl with the victory of the Arizona Cardinals in the the NFC championship match. Chatting with him is another Australian Sav Rocca from the losing Eagles. Picture: Ap.1 / Herald Sun.
The Cardinals allowed the Eagles to score 19 points in the third quarter and, after a monster 62 yard touchdown pass by Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in the fourth, the Philadelphia team took the lead 25-24. But a touchdown by Tim Hightower helped the Cardinals seal their victory to the relief of the home crowd. Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner threw four touchdown passes, three to Larry Fitzgerald, earlier in the game. With the win Warner becomes only the second quarterback, after Craig Morton, to lead two different teams to the Super Bowl.

Professional cheerleaders of the Arizona Cardinals in high spirits. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Cardinals won their only National Football League crown in 1947.....the 61-season championship drought is the second-longest active span without a title in North American professional sports, eclipsed only by the 100-year gap since baseball's Chicago Cubs won the 1908 World Series crown.

Pittsburgh Steelers beat Baltimore Ravens

In Pittsburgh the Steelers ended their home-field jinx in the AFC title game by beating Baltimore 23-14 on Sunday and Troy Polamalu ended any chance the Ravens had for a comeback with a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown. The Ravens and Steelers own the NFL's nastiest ongoing rivalry. This game was expected to be low-scoring, physical and tense and it was, especially after Baltimore came back from an early 13-0 deficit to get to within 16-14 on McGahee's second short touchdown run of the game, a 1-yarder with 9:32 remaining.

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu (43) crosses the goal line on a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the NFL AFC championship football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

Ben Roethlisberger, picked off four times by New England in his rookie-year AFC title game, was a steady 16-of-33 for 255 yards and, most importantly, no interceptions. If nothing else, it showed how much experience mattered in a game so important.

Associated Press
Rob Carr
The Cardinals Steelers clash at Super Bowl 43 on February 1, in Tampa Bay, Florida.