While they haven’t seen much of it lately, the Pittsburgh Steelers used to have some postseason success. The Steelers have six Super Bowl championships, certifying them as one of the most successful franchises in the league’s history. One of those championships came in dramatic fashion, with Ben Roethlisberger tossing a game-winning touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes in the final minute of the Steelers’ victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
For good reason, that pass has gone down as one of the most iconic plays in Steelers history. Roethlisberger has had a lot of chances to reflect on that moment. Most recently, he joked about his decision-making not being the smartest at the time, although things obviously worked out in the end. Roethlisberger was asked whether he thinks that throw is one of the more insane throws in Super Bowl history.
“No, I thought it was the dumbest,” Roethlisberger said via Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger on Tuesday. “Because we didn’t need a touchdown. Obviously, a touchdown to win, a field goal ties. Probably not a smart one to throw in all that traffic.”
Roethlisberger is not lying about throwing into traffic. In the infamous pass shown below, he fits the ball into a perfect window past multiple Cardinals defenders.
Although it might not have been the best decision, it paid off because of how well Ben Roethlisberger layered the pass over those defenders. Roethlisberger spoke about the way he looks back on the play now.
“The more I look back on it, looking back and seeing it again, the more you look back and see it again, you realize that was really a pretty good throw,” Roethlisberger said. “Just watching it, the whole play was pretty amazing.”
Amazing indeed. Unfortunately, things have been less amazing ever since.
Pittsburgh returned to the Super Bowl two years later but lost to the Green Bay Packers. Since that loss, the Steelers have played in 12 playoff games and won just three. Despite remaining competitive year in and year out, the Steelers have failed to replicate their clutch playoff moments of the past, like this throw from Roethlisberger.
