Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes improvised the 6-yard touchdown with 35 seconds left that gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a record-setting sixth Super Bowl victory, 27-23 over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night.

“Great players step up in big-time games to make plays,” said Holmes, the game’s MVP. He said he told Roethlisberger that he “wanted to be the guy to make the plays for this team.”

The Steelers (15-4), winning their second Super Bowl in four seasons, led 20-7 in the fourth quarter, only to see Warner and the Cardinals stage a remarkable rally to go in front 23-20 with 2:37 remaining.

Roethlisberger and Holmes nailed it home, and when Warner fumbled in the final seconds, the Cardinals’ chance of winning their first NFL crown since 1947 was gone. The Cardinals (12-8), playing in their first Super Bowl since 1948, lost their cool after Harrison’s big play. They had three penalties to keep Pittsburgh’s 79-yard drive going, a 16-play march that ended with Jeff Reed’s 21-yard field goal for a 20-7 lead.

The Steelers advanced to their second Super Bowl in the last four seasons and the seventh in team history, holding Baltimore to just 198 yards of total offense. Including the playoffs, the Steelers have won eight of their last nine home games against the Ravens.

“Here’s my advice to the Arizona Cardinals: Don’t rush Ben Roethlisberger,” the Ravens’ Trevor Pryce said. “After that, he’s a playground football player. That’s what he is, and he’s a damn good one.”

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco finished with 141 passing yards, three interceptions and an 18.2 passer rating. Ben Roethlisberger finished with 255 passing yards and touchdown toss as he improved to 7-2 in the postseason. His seventh win passed Troy Aikman for the second-most playoff wins by a quarterback in his first five NFL seasons. Most oddsmakers that call the Super Bowl odds are giving the Steelers the win this year. I’d say that’s a safe bet.

For the first time in almost 40 years, three road teams won SU during a single playoff weekend. The only home team to weather the storm was the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the other top seeds found themselves on the losing end of the scoreboard. The Steelers defeated the San Diego Chargers 35-24 as 6.5-point chalk on Sunday as the only home team to cash in the divisional round.

Running back Willie Parker ran for 146 yards on 27 carries with two touchdowns in his best game of the season for the Steelers, who held Chargers RB Darren Sproles to 15 yards rushing on 11 attempts. Pittsburgh hosts the rival Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game next Sunday, with the Steelers listed as early 5-point favorites.

Pittsburgh’s high-ranked defense really made things happen on Sunday, leading the Steelers to a 33-10 win on a cold and rainy day, just their second victory in eight games against the Patriots. The Steelers outscored the Patriots 23-0 in the second half when they had all five of their takeaways and four of their five sacks and gave up 81 yards. The Patriots beat the Steelers in two AFC championship games en route to two of their three Super Bowl titles in the past ten years and dominated them 34-13 in Foxborough last season.

“The weather didn’t matter,” New England’s Kevin Faulk said. “The turnovers were frustrating. You can’t do that and win in this league.” Pittsburgh hasn’t allowed more than 290 yards in any game this season and held New England to one conversion on 13 third-down plays.