Super Bowl XLIII Betting – Experienced Steelers big favorites
in Super Bowl
January 21, 2009
The AFC had won four straight Super Bowls before New England’s upset loss last year, so it’s no surprise that Super Bowl XLIII betting has the Pittsburgh Steelers as a 7-point favorite on February 1st. However, regardless of the past Super Bowl betting history, the Steelers have shown they are more than deserving of being here.
The Pittsburgh Steelers odds for the “Big Game” are so high because quite frankly, the saying is “defense wins championships”, and the Steelers are the best in the league. Pittsburgh finished first in the league in yards allowed by almost 24 yards a game more than the No.2 defense, Baltimore, who the Steelers beat for the third time this season in the AFC title game. Linebackers (and Defensive Player of the Year) James Harrison and Lamar Woodley are always a pass-rush threat, while Troy Polamalu led the secondary with seven picks. In their two postseason wins, the Steelers have forced six turnovers, and only committed one, which is another reason for their strong Super Bowl XLIII betting position.
Offensively, the Steelers are mainly a running team behind Willie Parker, but Ben Roethlisberger has been known to make plays of his own from the quarterback position. Roethlisberger takes a lot of sacks because he holds onto the ball waiting for something to materialize, but he’s been very efficient over the postseason, not throwing a pick thus far.
For the Steelers to make Super Bowl XLIII betting players who are going
with them happy, they need to force some turnovers out of Arizona’s high-flying
offense. They can do this by rushing the Cardinals’ Kurt Warner and not
give him time to pick out his talented group of receivers. Polamalu is also
going to have to watch the Arizona deep threats, mainly Larry Fitzgerald.
If this happens, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be able to make amends for
last year’s Super Bowl betting upset for the AFC.
