Holmes finished the evening with nine catches for 131 yards and that solitary, decisive touchdown. His output secured him the Super Bowl MVP award, making him the sixth wide receiver in league history to earn the distinction and the first product from Ohio State’s football program to capture the trophy.
The reception permanently changed public assessments of that era's Steelers. For head coach Mike Tomlin, winning a championship in his second year established him as the youngest head coach ever to win a Super Bowl at the time (age 36). For Roethlisberger, the drive eradicated lingering criticism from his statistical struggles in Super Bowl XL three years earlier, cementing his status as one of the premier late-game quarterbacks of his generation.
Cardinals defenders later noted the sheer precision required for the completion. Had Roethlisberger delivered the pass six inches further to the right, it would have sailed out of bounds; six inches lower, and Brown would have swatted it away. The throw and catch existed in a microscopic corridor of viable space.
