INQUIRER Sports

TAMPA -- All that can prevent the Pittsburgh Steelers from becoming the ?winningest? team in Super Bowl history is an Arizona Cardinals team trying to snap a 61-season title drought.

Two weeks of hype and subplots finally give way to a gridiron showdown Sunday, with rival quarterbacks Kurt Warner of Arizona and Ben Roethlisberger of Pittsburgh each seeking a measure of redemption for past failures.

Pittsburgh will seek an unprecedented sixth Super Bowl crown, their second in four seasons, and can boast the National Football League's top defensive unit. Passionate Steeler supporters have already dubbed their city "Sixburgh."

"For me, it's about getting that sixth one...one more than any other team," Roethlisberger said.

"And for our fans. They already think we're the best thing in the world, and if we could give them some proof and evidence of that, that would be awesome."

The Cardinals have not won a National Football League title since they were based in Chicago back in 1947, the second-longest active futility streak in American sport behind the 100-year wait for baseball's Chicago Cubs.

A Cardinals team that had won only two playoff games in its history captured three in January to bounce back from a late-season slump, and Arizona became only the second 9-7 squad to reach the Super Bowl.

But they are still a seven-point oddsmaker underdog.

"Until we win this game, nothing will change," Arizona linebacker Karlos Dansby said. "Until we win this game, this means nothing."

Roethlisberger struggled in Pittsburgh's 2006 Super Bowl victory over Seattle, completing only 9-of-21 for 123 yards with two interceptions as trick plays and tough defense helped make him a champion at age 23.

Three years later, "Big Ben" has matured into a confident team captain.

"I do want to play better than I did last time," Roethlisberger said. "I felt like I let the guys down and I didn't help them win. It fuels the fire."

Warner led St. Louis past Tennessee 23-16 in 2000 but was stung two years later when the Rams lost 20-17 to New England on the final play.

"There's no game I think about more," Warner said. "We were favored. We were expected to win and so when you don't, you feel like you miss an opportunity to make history. I missed an opportunity to do something really special.

"It will probably stick with me for a lifetime. That's going to be a driving force this week."

Warner, pondering retirement at age 37, completed 401-of-598 passes for 4,538 yards and 30 touchdowns with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin leading the way with more than 1,000 reception yards each.

Fitzgerald already owns a one-season playoff record 419 reception yards but the Steelers counter with playmaker Hines Ward, vowing to play despite a knee strain two weeks ago, and dangerous Santonio Holmes.

Roethlisberger sees the Steelers as a much more versatile scoring threat than their last Super Bowl title.

"We're more balanced," he said. "We try to get close to 50-50 run-pass. I think we've done that. We have to do that to win games."

"Big Ben" sees his biggest challenge as recognizing Arizona's disguised defensive schemes so he can counter with the correct play.

"Identification is going to be a big key to the game," Roethlisberger said. "They are very athletic and very fast. They like to show different formations. They like to move around and show a lot of different blitzes."

Past ties add emotion to the equation. Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt and offensive line coach Russ Grimm were both former Steelers assistants.

Each man left two years ago when they were bypassed for the Pittsburgh head coaching job that went to Mike Tomlin, who at 36 will be the youngest head coach in Super Bowl history.