Former Pittsburgh Steelers CB Ike Taylor was a great player for the team, but he wasn’t known for having particularly good hands. But on the biggest stage, in Super Bowl XL with the Seattle Seahawks driving and down four with just over ten minutes to go, Taylor made one of the biggest plays of his career, intercepting Matt Hasselbeck. After Taylor’s interception, the Steelers put together a touchdown drive to take a 21-10 lead with 8:56 to play, and the Steelers were able to secure their fifth Lombardi Trophy.
Appearing on the All Things Covered podcast with Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson, former Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said that Taylor’s interception made him think that it was the Steelers night.
“In the Super Bowl against Seattle, when he makes the pick, I think we all kind of said, ‘hey guys, this is our night,’ cause Ike just made a special play. It stops some momentum on a very game situation-type drive, and that was big,” Colbert said. “Ike was a special player.”
Taylor had just 14 career interceptions in 12 seasons. Taylor had an interception against the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game before coming up big in a play that essentially sealed the win for Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.
Taylor also wasn’t quite as established at that point, in just his third season in the league, so his stepping up to make that play surely helped make Colbert and the Steelers feel confident that the team had the game in hand. Particularly with the interception coming when it did, with Seattle at the Pittsburgh 27 and in the midst of a drive that chewed over eight minutes off the clock.
Pittsburgh’s defense came up clutch in that game against Seattle, holding the Seahawks to just ten points, and Taylor’s interception was one of the peaks of an awesome performance all around. Even though the interception was a bit of a gift, Taylor was able to make a play on the ball and give the Steelers possession. Their offense got the job done to score a touchdown and make it a two-score game, giving the Steelers breathing room.
It was a great play in a great game, and Taylor’s continued high-level play throughout his career helped cement him as a Steelers legend.
