Handful Of Steelers Players Made Major Mistake That Nearly Cost Pittsburgh Super Bowl XLIII

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most historic and meaningful franchises in the NFL, and that is due to the amount of success the organization has had throughout its history. It has been one of the most consistent teams in all of sports, and it is considered one of the cornerstone franchises in the NFL. This comes with having six Super Bowls, as the franchise continues to look for its seventh in 2025. Pittsburgh captured its sixth Lombardi Trophy at the end of the 2008 season after winning Super Bowl XLIII over the Arizona Cardinals, but the game was closer than it should have been.

Pittsburgh took on Arizona in Tampa Bay for the big game, and the Steelers won the contest by a score of 27-23. Ben Roethlisberger connected with Santonio Holmes in the back corner of the end zone to score the game-winning touchdown, which was necessary after Larry Fitzgerald scored a 64-yard touchdown for the Cardinals with just under three minutes left in the game. The Steelers gave up nearly 400 yards through the air on defense, and Bryant McFadden shed some light on why that was during a recent conversation with some of his former teammates.

"That's why we almost lost the Super Bowl to Arizona," McFadden said. "We was up all night playing Booray. We went to bed at eight in the morning. On the day of the Super Bowl."

McFadden was speaking with Ike Taylor, Brett Keisel, and Max Starks about how the team was so close back in the day. The group would get together and a play a card game called Booray. McFadden stated that he, Taylor, and some other guys stayed up until eight in the morning on the day of Super Bowl XLIII playing the card game, which is clearly not ideal.

It is possible that staying up until eight in the morning on the day of the Super Bowl might have hindered Pittsburgh's secondary in the contest. McFadden and Taylor were both confirmed to be there, which they mentioned during their conversation, and there was likely other defenders and defensive backs in the room as well taking part in the game.

Arizona's quarterback Kurt Warner took full advantage of the defense when he could in the game. He threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns, with two of those scores coming with less than eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh was able to neutralize Arizona's rushing attack, but the defense got gashed through the air. This was unlike the defense that had been seen throughout the 2008 season, but it all makes some sense after hearing what some of the guys were getting up to the night before.

The Steelers certainly could have lost that game to the Cardinals. Had it not been for a heroic play from James Harrison, and a fantastic game-winning drive orchestrated by Roethlisberger, the Steelers could still be sitting at five Super Bowl victories.

Steelers Didn't Seem Too Worried About The Cardinals In Super Bowl XLIII

Pittsburgh's defense certainly had the right to feel confident going into the Super Bowl at the end of the 2008 season. It looked like the best defensive unit in football, but no team can be underestimated. Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin was a top duo at the wide receiver position, and Warner was still playing like one of the better quarterbacks in the league. It is stunning to hear that some of the defenders for Pittsburgh were staying up until eight in the morning on the day of the Super Bowl, especially with the talented roster on the other side of the field.

What do you think of this story from McFadden? Let us know in the comments below!

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