SIXTH SENSE IS SUPER PITTSBURGH, AFC'S NO. 6 SEED, ENDS 26-YEAR TITLE DROUGHT STEELERS 21, SEAHAWKS 10.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

DETROIT - For more than a quarter-century, the Pittsburgh Steelers have lived by the phrase ``One for the Thumb,'' - a paean to the four Super Bowl rings they earned in the late 1970s.

The other hand would have come in handy Sunday night for counting the reasons why the Steelers were celebrating a 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.

For much of the night, Pittsburgh may have been outhit and outplayed by the Seahawks, but when the game was in the balance the Steelers made every big play they needed to have.

``They made three huge plays and when I say huge, huge,''Seattle linebacker D.D. Lewis said. ``That basically determined the outcome of the game. We out-physicaled them, but they made the plays that mattered.''

Steelers receiver Hines Ward, the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player, was in the middle of two of them.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, ineffective much of the night, scrambled away from a rush and launched a 37-yard pass to Ward that put the Steelers on the door-step of their first score.

Then Ward caught a 43-yard scoring pass from fellow receiver Antwaan Randle-El to seal the victory with 8:56 left.

The other big play was turned in by Willie Parker, who rushed a Super Bowl record 75 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the third quarter.

The Seahawks set the tempo immediately on offense, getting to the line quickly with Hasselbeck getting rid of the ball even quicker. The pace, with Hasselbeck hit short passes - mostly to Darrell Jackson in front of cornerback Ike Taylor and Alexander on sweeps - took the aggressiveness out of the Steelers' defense.

``That first series, they were pretty rapid fire,'' Steelers safety Chris Hope said. ``It wasn't nothing big, but three yards here, three yards here, a first down. We didn't have an opportunity to blitz or snatchthe tempo of the game away. They were keeping us off balance.''

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh offense was stuck in neutral, too. The Rolling Stones didn't play ``19th Nervous Breakdown' during their halftime set, but it would have served as a tribute to the Steelers' offense.

Rookie tight end Heath Miller jumped offside on their first play from scrimmage, and the jitters kept on coming from there. Cedric Wilson dropped a pass between the numbers, tackle Max Starks jumped and midway through the second quarter Roethlisberger had completed only one more pass to his teammates (two) than to the Seahawks.

``Usually when the other team gets the ball first, I don't feel quite as nervous when I go in there and I was still nervous to go in there,'' said Roethlisberger, who at age 23 became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl. ``It was probably the most nervous I've been before any professional football game.''

Roethlisberger completed 9 of 21 passes for 123 yards and two interceptions, the second of which made it a struggle for the Steelers.

Leading 14-3 and poised to score, Roethlisberger's underthrown pass to Ward was picked off by Kelly Herndon at the Seattle 4-yard line and returned 76 yards - the longest interception return in Super Bowl history.

Three plays later, Hasselbeck hit Jerramy Stevens for a 16-yard touchdown and the Seahawks were within 14-10 with 6:51 left in the third quarter.

The Steelers led at halftime, 7-3, but the margin was slimmer than that. Roethlisberger, getting set to run after being flushed to his righton third- and-28, pulled up a foot shy of the line of scrimmage and lofted a long pass back across the field.

Ward gathered the ball in at the 3-yard line, wrestling it away from safety Michael Boulware. After stopping Bettis at the 1 on the next two plays, Roethlisberger rolled left on a sweep on third down. He then turned up field and dove for the goal line, landing just at the edge.

Linesman Mark Hittner signaled touchdown, though it appeared the ball was stopped a fraction shy of the goal line. The play was reviewed by referee Bill Leavy, but true to his record of having the fewest reversals of any NFL official, he allowed the play to stand.

The Seahawks moved into field-goal range and two bombs near the goal line were caught out of bounds by Jackson. Josh Brown, who earlier kicked a 47-yard field goal, pushed a 54-yarder just right.

The Seahawks wasted nearly 30 seconds prior to the miss, trying to get settled at the line of scrimmage. It was one of many times they were kicking themselves in the first half, having out-played Pittsburgh most of the way.

Billy Witz, [phone]

billy.witz(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) UNDER THEIR THUMB

Steelers claim their fifth Super Bowl title with 21-10 victory over Seahawks

Associated Press

(2) After 14 seasons as Pittsburgh coach, Bill Cowher could finally revel in the glory of winning a Super Bowl title after the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in Detroit.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

(3) Antwaan Randle El throws a touchdown pass to Hines Ward on a trick play the Steelers used on Sunday.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Box:

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS 

-Associated Press