ruled that San Diego had made an illegal forward pass, although head referee Scott Green admitted after the game that the touchdown should have been counted. On December 7, 2008, Polamalu recorded a season-high nine combined tackles, deflected a pass, and had his seventh interception of the season off of a pass attempt by Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo during a 20–13 victory. This marked his fourth consecutive game with an interception. He finished the season with 73 combined tackles (54 solo), a career-high 17 pass deflections, and a career-high seven interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts. Polamalu was named to the 2009 Pro Bowl as the AFC's strong safety after being given a unanimous vote by five experts. He earned his second First-team All-Pro honor. The Steelers finished first atop the AFC North with a 12–4 record. On January 18, 2009, Polamalu made four combined tackles, deflected two passes, and intercepted a pass by Joe Flacco and returned it for a 40-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Steelers' 23–14 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship. He went on to start in Super Bowl XLIII and assisted in making two tackles in the Steelers' victory over the Arizona Cardinals, 27–23. 2009 On April 24, 2009, it was reported that Polamalu would be featured on the cover of Madden NFL 2010, alongside Super Bowl XLIII opponent and Arizona Cardinals' wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. In the Steelers 2009 season-opener against the Tennessee Titans, Polamalu recorded six tackles and made a one handed interception on a pass attempt by Kerry Collins before getting injured while trying to recover a blocked field goal. He sustained a sprained MCL injury to his left knee and missed the next four games (Weeks 2–5). Polamalu returned in Week 6 and recorded four combined tackles, defended a pass, and made an interception during a 27–14 victory over the Cleveland Browns. On November 15, 2009, he reinjured his left knee in the first quarter of a 18-12 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He missed the remainder of the season and when asked on why he did return by John Harris of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Polamalu stated, "If I would have injured it again, the doctor was saying that it will be a career-ending injury, most likely. I had to face that." Polamalu finished the season with 20 combined tackles (18 solo), seven pass