Steelers and Cardinals head to the Super Bowl

By Larry Fine

PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-14 in a bone-jarring AFC Championship game Sunday to set up a Super Bowl XLIII clash against the darkhorse Arizona Cardinals.

The Steelers will be seeking their sixth Super Bowl crown in the NFL title game in Tampa on February 1, while the Cardinals booked their first trip to the season finale with a 32-25 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles to claim the NFC crown.

In a game of ferocious hitting between the top two defenses in the league, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu stood out.

Polamalu flew around the field making crunching stops, leapt over the line to squelch Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco's fourth-and-one sneak and scored the final touchdown with a 40-yard interception return, his dreadlocks whipping the air.

"I was just running for my life," Polamalu told reporters.

A violent hit by safety Ryan Clark on Ravens running back Willis McGahee late in the fourth quarter brought the game to a somber close.

McGahee, who scored both Baltimore touchdowns on short runs, was flattened by a high-speed, helmet-to-helmet collision that snapped his head back.

As a cart and stretcher were sent to take McGahee off the field, players from both teams bowed their heads praying he was all right. Officials said McGahee had significant neck pain but was able to move his limbs.