TAMPA - !!

That finishes it off on a high note.

The 2008 NFL season is officially in the books - did someone mention some game called the Pro Bowl this weekend? - and what unfolded in Super Bowl XLIII decisively stamped an exclamation point on the gridiron battles of the past five months.

The final 11 minutes and 30 seconds of unforgettable action between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals - when the Cardinals began a furious comeback from 13 points down, took a late lead, only to have the Steelers win, 27-23, with a dramatic touchdown with 35 seconds remaining - overwrote what had been a high-stakes contest defined by its sloppiness.

Part of Football's wide appeal, of course, is that a not-so-great game can turn in an instant and suddenly become one of the greatest finishes of all-time. That is precisely what unfolded Sunday night.

It was a microcosm of the entire NFL season.

Really, what did you think of when it came to the NFL in 2008?

Our initial list includes too many noncompetitive teams, starting with the 0-16 Detroit Lions. There were too many high-profile officiating errors, the first coming in Week 2 with Ed Hochuli's blown call in the Chargers-Broncos game. Dark clouds have been hovering over the league with its labor situation. And Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was lost for the year on the 15th play of his season, leaving the league without one of its marquee players.

So had the Steelers and Cardinals played a lopsided, dull Super Bowl like three others this decade - Colts-Bears in 2006, Buccaneers-Raiders in 2002, and Ravens-Giants in 2000 - the season would have concluded with more forgettable moments than unforgettable ones.

Instead, the final 11:30 of Super Bowl XLIII was like a pencil eraser, deleting the bad stuff and in its place putting that exclamation mark.

"This is what the Super Bowl is supposed to be about," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "Hopefully the fans of Football enjoyed it."

In terms of X's and O's, details of two crucial elements were revealed as exhausted players and coaches, both elated and dejected, made their way to the interview podiums late Sunday night.

Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald had just one catch for 12 yards in the first three quarters before exploding in the fourth. What happened?

The Steelers mostly matched cornerback Ike Taylor on Fitzgerald and had a safety consistently help over the top to eliminate Fitzgerald on vertical routes, creating an effective double-team. The Cardinals were initially content to work the flats in the passing game with their running backs, as the Steelers were vulnerable there because of their focus on Fitzgerald.

But in a move that ignited their comeback, the Cardinals went to a spread, four-wide receiver package in the fourth quarter, set the tempo by not huddling, and had Fitzgerald run more in-breaking, intermediate routes to negate the double-team.

Should they have gone to it sooner?

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley explained that the risk in doing so was leaving offensive tackles Mike Gandy and Levi Brown in one-on-one matchups against relentless pass-rushing linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. Gandy had three holding penalties in the game and couldn't knock Harrison out of bounds on a 100-yard interception return, an indication of how badly he struggled.

Meanwhile, Harrison's return for a second-quarter touchdown was aided by bad offensive spacing by the Cardinals.

When the Cardinals lined up for the play, receiver Anquan Boldin was in the left slot, with Fitzgerald on the outside on that side. With the ball at the 1-yard line, space was already tight in that area of the field. Had Boldin and Fitzgerald been split wider from the end of the line, the play had a better chance.

"It was just a little tight in there, we were supposed to be a little spread out formationally," Haley said.

On the opposite side of the line, the Steelers had a max blitz called, but Harrison free-lanced away from it.

"He wasn't supposed to be dropping, he was supposed to be rushing," nose tackle Casey Hampton said.

Depending on one's viewpoint, what happened after the interception was either a remarkable showcase of will and determination or a rather weak effort to tackle and/or knock Harrison out of bounds. We lean to the former.

All told, part of what defined Super Bowl XLIII as more of a great finish than a great game was that the teams combined for 18 penalties for more than a Football field and a half worth of yardage (162). It was sloppy, an extremely difficult game to officiate for the able Terry McAulay.

Still, there were aspects to appreciate, such as Steelers receiver Hines Ward playing more than 80 percent of the snaps while battling through agonizing pain because of a strained right knee. Ward's emotional, tearful embrace with Steelers president Art Rooney after the game was oozing with passion, a snapshot of a Football warrior in his 11th year with nothing left in his tank. It was real.

Then there was 62 Scat Flasher.

That was the name of the clutch play that produced the Steelers' winning touchdown with 35 seconds remaining, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger firing a laser to the crowded right-hand corner of the end zone to Santonio Holmes, the game's MVP. A great throw and catch under extreme pressure - two players rising up on the biggest of Football stages.

And so it ends.

It used to be rare to see a Super Bowl actually exceed the hype, but the last two years have been a delicious treat for most Football fans in that regard. Once again, in its showcase game, the NFL finished with an exclamation point.

The league, in 11 minutes and 30 seconds, saved its best for last.

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com