The Arizona Cardinals are evidence that the NFL is getting what it wants - parity.
How many of you had the Redbirds going to the Super Bowl, much less winning the relatively weak NFC West? I didn't.
The Cardinals dis-spelled two popular notions about playoff teams.
First, teams that finish the regular season crawling to the finish line have no shot in the playoffs. Arizona didn't just lose, it was getting blown out, including a loss at Philadelphia on Thanksgiving night.
Second, teams that play wild-card weekend will be too worn out by the time the conference championship game arrives. This theory has been disproven in recent years by the Colts and Steelers, but it still exists in the minds of some. Of course the Eagles also played in the first three rounds of the playoffs as well, and they needed a near miraculous combination of events on Week 17 to reach the postseason.
So these desert upstarts have reached the Big Game, but how? Coaching and a veteran quarterback. The Cardinals were a step ahead of the Eagles most of Sunday's game, and Kurt Warner was unflappable.
The Steelers, on the other hand, reach the Super Bowl for the second time in four years. They were a fashionable pick to go this far, and with good reason. Their defense was outstanding, and they scored just enough to survive a brutal schedule. The AFC Championship game vs. Baltimore was one of the most physically punishing games I can remember seeing. One gets the impression that the playoffs started in Pittsburgh long before the postseason did.
One other thought on what this matchup means. In an offseason in which the coaching carousel turns faster and faster, the pressure on coaches will be higher than ever. Both Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin and Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt are in just their second seasons, giving more ammunition to fans, front offices and owners that win-now is a reality.
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