EXPERIENCE COUNTS: When the Arizona Cardinals face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII, it will be the first Super Bowl appearance in the history of the Arizona franchise, and the seventh in the history of the Steelers. The game will be the 19th time a franchise making its first Super Bowl appearance will face one that has been there before -- so far, the teams making their first Super Bowl appearances are 4-14 in such situations.

Pittsburgh's seventh Super Bowl appearance moves the franchise into sole possession of second place in that category, and on the brink of a record-setting sixth Super Bowl victory. Here's the breakdown of Super Bowl appearances by team:

8 -- Cowboys (5-3)
7 -- Steelers (5-1, so far)
6 -- Patriots (3-3), Broncos (2-4)
5 -- 49ers (5-0), Redskins (3-2), Raiders (3-2), Dolphins (2-3)
4 -- Giants (3-1), Packers (3-1), Bills (0-4), Vikings (0-4)
3 -- Colts (2-1), Rams (1-2)
2 -- Chiefs (1-1), Bears (1-1), Bengals (0-2), Eagles (0-2)
1 -- Bucs (1-0), Ravens (1-0), Jets (1-0), Chargers (0-1), Seahawks (0-1), Panthers (0-1), Titans (0-1), Falcons (0-1), Cardinals (no record yet)
0 -- Browns, Texans, Jaguars, Lions, Saints

WHEN LAST THESE TEAMS MET: The Cardinals handed the Steelers their first loss of the season in Week 4 last year, winning at home, 21-14. A few notes on the game:

-Kurt Warner split time in the game with rookie Matt Leinart -- Warner was 14 of 21 for 132 yards and one touchdown. Warner took over the Cards' starting job for good the following week, when Leinart suffered a broken collarbone against the Rams.

-Larry Fitzgerald had 10 catches for 120 yards for Arizona, while Pittsburgh's Santonio Holmes had six catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

-Ben Roethlisberger was sacked four times -- Darnell Dockett had 2.5 sacks -- and intercepted twice.

-The Cardinals completely shut down the Steelers' running game. Aside from one 20-yard carry, Willie Parker rushed 18 times for 17 yards. Edgerrin James managed 77 yards on 21 carries (including one touchdown) against the Steelers' tough D.

FLACCO FINALLY BENDS: Before yesterday, Ravens rookie Joe Flacco earned lots of props for his unspectacular but mistake-free play. That ends now, after Flacco threw three interceptions and compiled an 18.2 quarterback rating for the day (Baltimore Sun). Part of Flacco's success has been the result of the Ravens' heavy reliance on the run, but the Ravens were forced to pass more than they would have liked yesterday, with the running yards hard to come by and the Steelers out to an early 13-0 lead.

McGAHEE HOSPITALIZED: The Ravens say that Willis McGahee is "neurologically intact" -- whatever that means -- following the devastating hit he took late in the game from the Steelers' Ryan Clark. The Baltimore Sun reports that McGahee, who left the field on a stretcher, was resting at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital and had movement in all his limbs.

WARD SAYS HE'S OK: The knee injury that Steelers receiver Hines Ward suffered in Sunday's game should not affect his status for the Super Bowl, Ward himself says (NFL.com).

EFFECT ON THE PATS: The Ravens' loss creates a four-way rotation in the NFL Draft order among teams that finished the regular season with 11-5 records, the Boston Globe reports. A Ravens victory would have slightly helped the Patriots in the draft by pushing Baltimore to the 31st or 32nd position in the draft (depending on the outcome of the Super Bowl), reducing the rotation to three teams and allowing the Pats to go one pick earlier in the second round. The Globe also has details on Jarvis Green's charity event tonight, which will help Foxboro students pay for a trip to the Gulf Coast, where they will assist victims of Hurricane Katrina.

CRYING DOES US NO GOOD: Jim Donaldson was one of many voices in New England who were saying -- even before yesterday's Arizona victory -- that it was crazy the Cardinals were playing for a chance to make the Super Bowl, while the Patriots did not make the playoffs despite a superior record that included a crushing defeat of the Cardinals in Foxboro. Michael Felger, on WEEI.com, says that the Patriots would have had a very real shot of winning the Super Bowl had they made the playoffs, given what has happened in these playoffs.

The Cardinals, though, are not the same team that embarrassed itself at Foxboro. Their offense is really clicking, and their defense (despite melting down in the second half against Philadelphia) has been pretty good, too. How confident can we really be that on a neutral, not-snow-covered turf, the Patriots' shoddy secondary could have contained this potent Arizona attack? Especially in a game in which the Cardinals were really playing to win (they clearly did not care back in December). The thing that troubles me is not that the Cardinals are in the Super Bowl, it is that the current playoff format gave them no incentive to play respectable football in December. Since Arizona wrapped up its division so early -- and since the number-one seed in the conference was out of reach -- they had no motivation to do anything but take it easy in December. They could let Anquan Boldin sit and get healthy. They could give Edgerrin James' aging legs minimal use so that he was good and ready to play in the postseason. And still they ended up getting two home games in the playoffs (against teams that had better regular-season records) thanks to a playoff format that gives winning a four-team division more weight than overall record.

ONE MORE THING: Neither the Eagles nor the Cardinals are a "great team," as Donaldson wrote, but they gave us a hugely entertaining game on Sunday. I grew up in the 1980s, an era of great teams -- teams in fact that were so great, many of the games they played were memorable only for being over before they really began. So I'm not one to lament the lack of truly "great teams" in football, because the game is so much more unpredictable without them. The era of 55-10 Super Bowls is over, and good riddance.

HE'S REALLY, REALLY GOOD: With one game still to go, Fitzgerald already has broken Jerry Rice's record for most receiving yards in a single postseason (East Valley Tribune).

IN THE BACKGROUND: Fitzgerald's partner in the passing game, Boldin, appeared to be sulking after the game and wouldn't answer postgame questions about whether he wanted to return to the Cardinals next season (San Francisco Chronicle).

THE DECISIONS YOU DON'T MAKE ...Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley was one of the stars of the day for the way his play-calling (and Warner's steely composure) solved the Eagles' blitzes time and time again. Haley's best call, though, may have been one he didn't make; the Arizona Republic reports that Haley nearly changed the call on what became Tim Hightower's game winning touchdown.

RESPONDING TO CRITICISM: The Eagles' Kevin Curtis took responsibility for failing to catch what would have been a first-down pass on fourth-and-10 on the Eagles' final drive, despite a questionable pass-interference no-call, while kicker David Akers refused to accept the lion's share of blame for his team's loss despite missing a field goal and an extra point, and booting a kickoff out of bounds (both Philadelphia Inquirer).

YOU CAN'T MEASURE FRUSTRATION: Donovan McNabb is now 1-4 in NFC Championship Games, although his numbers (99-174, 1,069 yards, 6 TDs, 6 INTs, 72.2 rating) aren't horrendous.

ON THE OTHER HAND: The web site ColdHardFootballFacts tells you why Warner is one of the best postseason quarterbacks in league history.

WHO'S THE BOSS? ProFootballTalk.com reports that interviews of candidates for executive director of the NFL Players Association are taking place today and tomorrow in Dallas.

RAIDERS RUMORS: Oakland is calling "totally untrue" an ESPN report that linebackers coach Don Martindale will be the head coach next season (Contra Costa Times).

NO THANKS: Scott Linehan has turned down an offer to become 49ers offensive coordinator (San Francisco Chronicle).

AND FINALLY: There's a rumor going around that Bucs coach Jon Gruden could end up replacing Charlie Weis at Notre Dame (New York Daily News).