Super Bowl XLIII

"2009 Super Bowl" redirects here. For the Super Bowl that was played at the completion of the 2009 season, see Super Bowl XLIV.
"Immaculate Interception" redirects here. For the similar play, see Immaculate Reception.

Super Bowl XLIII
DateFebruary 1, 2009 (2009-02)
StadiumRaymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
MVPSantonio Holmes, wide receiver
FavoriteSteelers by 7[1][2]
RefereeTerry McAulay
Attendance70,774[3][4]
Ceremonies
National anthemJennifer Hudson
Coin tossGen. David Petraeus
Halftime showBruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
TV in the United States
NetworkNBC
AnnouncersAl Michaels, John Madden, Andrea Kremer and Alex Flanagan
Nielsen ratings42.0 (national)[5]
53.6 (Pittsburgh)
47.5 (Phoenix)
US viewership: 98.7 million est. avg., 151.6 million est. total
Market share65 (national)
79 (Pittsburgh)
80 (Arizona)[6]
Cost of 30-second commercial$3 million[7]
Radio in the United States
NetworkWestwood One
AnnouncersMarv Albert, Boomer Esiason, John Dockery and Mark Malone

Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2008 season. The Steelers defeated the Cardinals by the score of 27–23. The game was played on February 1, 2009,[8] at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

With this victory, the Steelers became the first team to win six Super Bowl championships. The win was also Pittsburgh's second Super Bowl victory in four years, after winning Super Bowl XL at the end of the 2005 season. 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 regular season, compiling a 9–7 record, and earning a spot in 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, the St. Louis Rams.

Pittsburgh jumped to a 17–7 halftime lead, aided by linebacker James Harrison's Super Bowl-record 100-yard interception return for a touchdown. Trailing 20–7 at the start of the fourth quarter, Arizona scored 16 consecutive points, including a safety that led to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald's 64-yard touchdown reception, to take their first lead of the game with 2:37 remaining. But the Steelers marched 78 yards to score on wide receiver Santonio Holmes' 6-yard game-winning touchdown catch with 35 seconds left. Holmes, who caught nine passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, including four receptions for 73 yards on that final game-winning drive, was named Super Bowl MVP. He became the sixth wide receiver to win the award, half of whom at the time were Steelers players (Lynn Swann and Hines Ward).

The NBC television network broadcast attracted an average U.S. audience of 98.7 million viewers, making it the most watched Super Bowl in history at that time and the most watched Super Bowl of the 2000s.[9][10] Many media outlets consider this one of the best Super Bowls from the 2000s, as well as one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time, due to the performance of both teams as well as its thrilling finale.[11][12] This game was ranked No. 4 on NFL Top 10 on NFL Network for Top 10 Greatest Games of All Time and ranked No. 1 for Top 10 Super Bowls.[13][14][15] As of 2022, this is the Steelers' most recent Super Bowl championship, and the last title by a Pennsylvania-based NFL team until their cross-state rival Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LII in 2018. It was also the last time a Phoenix-based team reached the championship round of the four major North American sports leagues until the Phoenix Suns made the NBA Finals in 2021.

This was the last game to feature famed commentator John Madden, who retired two months after the game.[16][17]

  1. ^ DiNitto, Marcus (January 25, 2015). "Super Bowl Betting History – Underdogs on Recent Roll". Sporting News. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  2. ^ Rogers, Kevin. "Super Bowl Betting Line History". Vegas Insider. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  3. ^ "Super Bowl Winners". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Attendance was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Super Bowl Gives NBC 42.0 Rating, Record 98.7 Million Viewers". Sports Business Daily. February 3, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "Super Bowl XLIII on NBC Draws 42.1 overnight rating". TV by the Numbers. February 2, 2009. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
  7. ^ Johnson, Bradley (January 11, 2018). "BIG GAME PUNTING: SUPER BOWL SCORES $5.4 BILLION IN AD SPENDING OVER 52 YEARS". AdAge. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  8. ^ "NFL.com: Future Super Bowl sites". National Football League. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved December 25, 2007.
  9. ^ "Thrilling finish to Super Bowl XLIII leads to second-highest TV ratings". National Football League. Associated Press. February 2, 2009. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  10. ^ "Super Bowl XLIII Most Watched Game Ever" (Press release). Nielsen Holdings PLC. February 4, 2009. Archived from the original on November 20, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  11. ^ "2000s: Best Sporting Events". Sports Illustrated. December 22, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  12. ^ Staff, S. I. "NFL Moments That Defined The 2000s". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  13. ^ Maranan, Charles "Chux" (February 1, 2019). "Ranking The Top 5 Super Bowls Since 2000". A2D Radio. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  14. ^ DeArdo, Bryan (February 10, 2022). "Ranking 15 greatest endings in Super Bowl history: Giants deny Patriots from making history". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  15. ^ "Yes, Super Bowl XLIII Was the Best Ever". Bleacher Report. February 3, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  16. ^ Strackbein, Noah (December 29, 2021). "John Madden's Final Broadcast Was Steelers Super Bowl XLIII Win". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  17. ^ Urban, Darren (December 28, 2021). "John Madden's Legacy Reaches Deep Into NFL". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved June 21, 2022.