Many sportswriters think this Super Bowl will come down to one marquis matchup:  how Arizona's potent offense fares against Pittsburgh's historically formidable defense.  One of our members wants to focus on the reverse of that matchup.  Arizona has looked holding down NFC opponents Atlanta, Carolina, and Philly.  But can they do the same thing to Pittsburgh? 

HOLES IN THE DESERT

Big Ben is accurate, crafty, and he is taking control of games when the pressure is on.Defense wins championships, and the story of this postseason has been the emergence of a sound defense in Arizona.  What happened?  All of a sudden, Adrian Wilson, Dominique R-C, Antrelle Rolle, Gerald Hayes, Darnell Dockett ... all of these guys are playing like Pro Bowlers.  First they took down the Falcons, then they picked off Jake Delhomme several times, rendering him speechless.  Last week they sent Philly packing.  Maybe they can shock the Steelers.

Only, if you take a quick glance at the numbers, Arizona's defensive unit may not be as dominant as we believe them to be.  They allowed Donovan McNabb to throw for 375 yards and 3 TD's.  They surrendered 97 yards on the ground in only 18 attempts.  (That's more than 5 yards per carry.)  In McNabb's 47 pass attempts, the Cardinals only sacked him twice.

Nearly 400 yards is a lot to give up, especially to a group consisting of Jason Avant, DeShaun Jackson, and tight end Brent Celek.  What is going to happen when those names change to Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, and Heath Miller?  What happens when the playaction fake takes on real meaning as part of a balanced Steeler attack?  

Perhaps most importantly, how will the Cardinals D look when they face an accurate QB?  There is rookie Matt Ryan, erratic Jake Delhomme, and inconsistent Donvan McNabb.  Good QB's who have the potential to miss the boat sometimes.  Battle-tested and gritty gamer Roethlisberger is a different story.  If the Cardinals aren't careful, Big Ben can take over this game.