Santonio

The Super Bowl MVP Award is typically given out to the player who has the greatest game statistically. In Super Bowl XLIII, Larry Fitzgerald technically had the better game with two touchdowns and 127 yards on seven catches while Santonio Holmes had 131 yards and one score on nine catches.

However, the difference between these two receivers is not because Fitzgerald was on the losing side of the game but because Holmes made the play that defined Super Bowl XLIII.

As the Arizona Cardinals took the lead late in the fourth quarter, Ben Roethlisberger took the Pittsburgh Steelers offense for one final drive. Big Ben & Co. marched down the field in a little over two minutes covering 78 yards on eight plays.

On the final play of the drive, Roethlisberger slung a pass to Holmes in the back right corner of the end zone. Holmes had to reach out on the edge of his toes to snag the football. Surprisingly, he made the catch and landed with his feet barely inside the lines. The play seemed surreal and was clearly reviewable. Upon review, Holmes clearly had his feet in bounds and the Steelers had clearly just won their sixth Super Bowl.

The voting for the award is determined by the media panel and fan votes. After the amazing catch, every voter and the 98.7 viewers watching at home had to agree that Holmes’ just single-handedly won the award with his acrobatic, game-winning grab.