A fan's perspective: Why the Steelers will win

 
I will never forget when they were highly-favored to beat the San Diego Chargers in 1994 and lost the game when they failed to convert from the Chargers three yard line. At the time it was probably the most heartbreaking loss of my sports life as I stuck all my apparel in a box - put it in my basement - and wore a bag over my head that read "Steelers SUCK!" for the rest of the evening. Looking back it was kind of funny to see how I reacted to the loss - and if it hadn't been for their victory in Super Bowl XL - things probably wouldn't be much different if they were to lose today. But those days of suffering are behind me now as I have found that once you experience a victory it gets a little easier when they do in fact lose - or at least I hope that is the case.

When the Steelers arrive at Tampa Bay's Raymond James Stadium on  Sunday to play the Arizona Cardinals in their 7th Super Bowl appearance - their third in my liftime - it will be a thrilling experience to once again watch my boys play in the big game that has become more of a holiday than a championship match-up to the American people.

While I love having my team in the Super Bowl, it does kind of put a damper on the festivities as my nerves usually fill my stomach instead of pizza and wings. But pain and suffering along with the joy of victory when your team finally wins are all part of the excitement of being an NFL football fan.

While I worry about the possibility of losing to the underdog Cardinals and risk driving myself to wear a bag on my head as a grown man, below is a list of reasons why the Steelers will win their sixth Super Bowl title and thus stop me from having to banish myself into exile.

Defense
The Steelers defense has been stifling this year leading the league in total points allowed, team defense and pass defense. They also only allowed one 300-yard game during the regular season. If the Cardinals intend to beat the high-powered Steelers defense led by Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison they will have to figure out a way to score on the defense like no other team has been able to do all year.

Big Ben
Roethlisberger is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the game, although he does receive a considerable amount of publicity. His numbers during the playoffs have not been dazzling, but his performance - due in part to his ability to make plays - has been the difference for an offense that ranked 22nd in the NFL during the regular season.

Cardinals
Let's face it, as impressive as the Cardinals have been in the playoffs, they were mediocre during the year - posting a 9-7 record in the worst division in football. Before entering the playoffs they got dismantled by Minnesota and New England in two of the last three games of the season. If they intend to defeat the Steelers they will have to play nearly perfect football on both sides of the ball, which has been a problem for them throughout the regular season.

Super Bowl prediction: Steelers 24, Cardinals 17