STEELERS OVER CARDS IN SUPERBOWL ‘REMATCH’

The Pittsburgh Steelers used a 17 point fourth quarter outburst to break open a close game and send the Arizona Cardinals to defeat by a 20-10 score in a NFL preseason “rematch” of this year’s Superbowl.  The two teams traded first half field goals and played a scoreless third quarter before Pittsburgh turned up the offense late in the game.

NFL bettors who favored the defending Superbowl champions in this matchup cashed their tickets as the Steelers covered as -3 home favorites.  The combined 30 points scored stayed UNDER the posted total of 33, though there were some anxious moments that UNDER bettors didn’t anticipate in a game that had only six combined points scored through three quarters.

The big catalyst for the Steelers’ offense was undrafted rookie Issac Redman out of Bowie State.  Redman, listed as the Steelers’ #7 depth chart running back scored two rushing touchdowns in the decisive fourth quarter run.  The big short yardage back had already impressed the Pittsburgh coaching staff in practice, but he knew that he had to take advantage of the opportunities to demonstrate his skills in a game situation:

"This team prides itself on being able to find those free agents that are capable of playing. Hopefully I can be that next free agent. I knew I had to make an impression, or I might not even make it to the first preseason game."

Both teams played their starting quarterbacks for only two offensive series.  The Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger was guardedly optimistic about his performance:

"Overall, without looking at film, I think it was OK. I think we had a couple of plays with a few breakdowns, but it just felt good to go against somebody other than your own guys."

Arizona’s Kurt Warner was happy with his performance, but noted that the first preseason game had come up on him quickly:

"I felt like we moved the ball and did what we wanted to. It seems like this game came pretty quick. When we were in the locker room, we were thinking, `Man, it is here already.' "

The star receivers for each team also saw limited playing time, with Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh’s Superbowl MVP Santonio Holmes each catching a single pass in a couple of series of action.
 
Arizona will take on the San Diego Chargers at home next Saturday night, while the Steelers will travel to Washington, DC to play the Redskins.  Pittsburgh will open the NFL regular season on Thursday, September 10th as they host the Tennessee Titans.  Arizona will kick of their campaign on Sunday, September 13th at home against the San Francisco 49ers.