The Pittsburgh Steelers last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the 2008 NFL season when the team took down the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. It was the franchise's second Super Bowl win in just four seasons, and is widely remembered as one of the best Super Bowls of all time. Pittsburgh had a 10-point lead going into halftime, but the Steelers had to win the game on a last-minute, game-winning drive that would go down as one of the best moments in the history of Pittsburgh sports.
That game was full of fantastic moments. It is mostly remembered for James Harrison's 100-yard pick-six as time expired in the first half, and for Santonio Holmes' majestic catch in the back corner of the end zone to give the Steelers the lead with under a minute remaining in the game. Many players made special plays for the Steelers in order to secure that victory, which made it hard to decide who should be named the MVP of that Super Bowl. Broadcasting legend Dan Patrick presented the Lombardi Trophy on the podium after that game, and recently went on Pardon My Take where he shared what it was like trying to find out who the MVP was.
"The first time I did it, it was Cardinals-Steelers in Tampa," Patrick said. "Dramatic finish. Roethlisberger touchdown pass. I'm on the podium and it happened so quick. Roger Goodell is up there and he keeps asking me questions, I'm trying to find out who the MVP is. I'm assuming it's Roethlisberger, but it's not. I truly believe Ben thought he was going to be the MVP, because he's looking at me like, 'Yep, I know it. Yep.' And it never happened."
Patrick shared that Ben Roethlisberger felt like he was going to win the MVP for that Super Bowl, which is certainly fair considering how impressive of a throw it was to Holmes for the touchdown. The throw gets extremely underrated due to how much love the catch gets, but the pass was nearly impossible to make as Roethlisberger found a way to float it over the heads of three Cardinals defenders.
In all reality, Roethlisberger was likely third in line for the MVP Award. Holmes had the game of his life as he hauled in nine passes for 131 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Harrison created one of the most iconic moments in Super Bowl history as he ran the ball back for a 100-yard touchdown after picking off Kurt Warner. Those types of plays have cemented defenders as the MVP in Super Bowls before, which was seen some time later as Malcolm Smith of the Seattle Seahawks was named the MVP of Super Bowl XLVIII after returning an interception for a touchdown.
Roethlisberger was clutch at the end of the game as he led the offense down the field for a score, but it was a pretty pedestrian game for the quarterback. He went 21 for 30 with 256 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger's Super Bowl Performances Hurt His Legacy
By no means is quarterbacking your team to two Super Bowls anything to scoff at, but Roethlisberger didn't always play his best in the big game. When playing Seattle in Super Bowl XL, Roethlisberger went just 9 for 21 and threw two interceptions.
He is certainly a future Hall of Famer and his success at the NFL level cannot be denied, but had he played better in those victories, and the loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV, maybe he wouldn't be overshadowed by some of his counterparts.
