6. Harrison’s 100-yard return
“That’s the MVP being the MVP,” Steelers safety Ryan Clark said, talking about Harrison’s game-changing play to end the first half.

Despite the crazy ending, this was the play the Cardinals and Steelers talked about the most after the game. It was a 10-point swing at minimum, and ruined the dominant second quarter Arizona played. “It was the difference in the game,” Troy Polamalu said.

Harrison wasn’t even supposed to be covering Anquan Boldin. “He was actually supposed to be covering the running back, but he read the play. That’s what you expect your MVP to do,” Clark said.

The Steelers had called a max blitz and Warner just threw the ball too quick.

The Steelers practiced their “transition offense” after interceptions in practice this week. It came in handy, though I doubt Harrison practiced hurdling over teammate LaMarr Woodley at the 30-yard line.

“I was tired as a dog,” Harrison said about the end of the run. “I’m not going to lie, it was a quarter tank. But I ended up making it.”

Kurt Warner admits he is still haunted every day by the Rams’ loss to the Patriots in 2001. This play will cause a lot more sleepless nights. He simply didn’t see Harrison, and he certainly didn’t think Harrison could return the ball 100 yards for the score.

7. Roethlisberger’s scrambling first down to Heath Miller
Third-and-10, first quarter, four minutes and 10 seconds left for the Steelers. Pittsburgh wasn’t yet in field goal range. Roethlisberger scrambled to his left, saw two defenders, sprinted right, was hit in the leg, stumbled, spun his whole body, and then rifled an 11-yard strike to Miller.

That is Roethlisberger in a nutshell: improvisational, impossible-to-take-down, making a play where none seem available. You can’t coach that.

If it wasn’t for that play, the Steelers are punting. They went on to score their only offensive touchdown in the first half later in the drive.

8. Darnell Dockett’s goal-line stuff of Roethlisberger
At 241 pounds, Ben Roethlisberger is built for more like a bruising goal-line anvil than an average quarterback. He tried to use all his poundage on a third-and-goal from the one on Pittsburgh’s first drive. After rolling out on a bootleg, Roethlisberger decided to keep the ball and took on Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett. The two collided at the three-yard line, and Roethlisberger appeared to carry Dockett into the end zone.

This play set up a few themes in the game. Ken Whisenhunt challenged and overturned a touchdown, one of two huge challenges wins for the Whis. (He also overturned a Kurt Warner interception in the third quarter.) The Steelers came away with only a field goal because of short-yardage struggles. That would also happen again in the third quarter. The Cardinals holding the fort in the red zone kept them in the game, so they could make their fourth quarter comeback attempt.