Super Bowl XLV – Pittsburgh Steelers vs Green Bay Packers

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Super Bowl XLV Point Spreads – Steelers vs Packers
Date/Time: Sunday, February 6     6:30 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX.
Broadcast: FOX
Packers vs. Steelers lines by SportsInteraction.com
Pointspread: Packers -2 ½
Over/Under: 44 ½
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The teams for Super Bowl XLV are finally set as the Green Bay Packers from the NFC will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Feb.6 at Cowboy’s Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on FOX.

If you go back to the beginning of the 2010 NFL regular season it should be little surprise that Green Bay is in the Super Bowl and favored by a point spread of 2 ½ points. What is surprising is the way this team got there.

The Packers may have been one of the odds-on-favorites to win the NFC at the beginning of the season, but with 16 players on the Injured Reserve List and needing a win in their final regular season game just to make the playoffs as the No.6 seed, you would hardly think they would be playing in this game.

It is simply a case of a very talented and deep team peaking at the right time. QB Aaron Rodgers has made just about everyone in Green Bay forget about Brett Favre and LB Clay Matthews has been playing like the second-coming of Lawrence Taylor. The Packers 24^th-ranked rushing offence got an unexpected lift from rookie RB James Starks and their secondary was able to step in front of the ball at just the right time in two of their three playoff wins. You hate to use the term ‘team of destiny’ but right now Green Bay fits the bill.

Pittsburgh took the traditional route to its eighth Super Bowl appearance by sticking with the tried and true formula of controlling the game with an efficient running game on offense and closing the door to the end zone on defense. The fact that the Steelers are currently on the wrong end of a 2 ½-point spread in this game is just a further testament to the very vanilla but highly productive aspect of this team.

The biggest stat for Pittsburgh, besides a +17 turnover ratio in the regular season, is its 5-1 record in the AFC North. It was this record that gave the 12-4 Steelers the tiebreaker over the 12-4 Ravens to not only win the division, but lock-up a first round bye in the playoffs. The Jets also did Pittsburgh a huge favor by taking out the No.1 seed Patriots to give it home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

There is little doubt that the Steelers took full advantage of all these opportunities to advance to this game, but on an even playing field in Dallas the challenge will be to now beat a quality team outside the comfortable surroundings of Heinz Field.

When comparing these two teams side by side, this could be one of the tightest matchups in recent Super Bowl memory.

Super Bowl XLV Point Spreads Preview

The opening spread on this game is the smallest since Miami was a two-point favorite over Washington in Super Bowl XVII (17) in 1983. The closest spread in recent memory was in 2001 when Baltimore closed as a three-point favorite over the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV (35).

Pittsburgh has had a way this year of pulling out victories in games it had no business winning, but my pick in this one is still Green Bay. There are just too many storylines with this team for this season to end with a gut-wrenching loss. The spread in the final score will not be more than three points so act accordingly, but if the spread stays at 2 ½ points or ends up going lower, stick with Green Bay.

Super Bowl XLV Point Spread Pick- Green Bay -2 ½

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Super Bowl odds are giving the advantage in Sunday’s NFC championship game to New Orleans as Minnesota heads to the Superdome to face one of the few crowds in the NFL that may be louder than their own.

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Vikings vs Saints odds – Sunday, January 24, 6:40 PM ET

The Vikings showed no mercy in a 34-3 rout over Dallas to finish their season at the Metrodome, putting up 17 points in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Brett Favre decimated the Cowboys, going 15-of-24 for 234 yards and four touchdowns, three to Sidney Rice. This made up for another subpar game by Adrian Peterson, who had 26 carries for 63 yards. The Minnesota front four made life miserable for Tony Romo as the Vikings racked up six sacks, caused four fumbles and forced four turnovers in total.

Some sportsbook players thought New Orleans was finished after they struggled badly to the end the season. The Saints put all that to rest in a 45-14 blasting of Arizona, and this game was over by halftime as New Orleans had a 35-14 lead. Drew Brees was 23-of-32 for 247 yards and three scores for the Saints, while Reggie Bush may have had the best game of his NFL career, posting 217 all-purpose and a pair of touchdowns, including on an 83-yard punt return. The Saints were physical on defense, knocking Kurt Warner out of the game on two occasions.

US sportsbook odds (US sportsbook reviews) have the Saints as a 4-point favorite at home, where they are 7-2 this year, and the New Orleans fans have fully embraced this organization essentially since Hurricane Katrina hit. They’ll have history against them, as they’ve lost eight of their last 10 against the Vikings, including four in a row. However, Minnesota has to be careful of what happened in their dome last week. They got on the Cowboys, who got rattled once the crowd got into it. This could very well happen to them in New Orleans, where the fans have never won a conference championship. Favre is also a shaky 2-2 in conference-championship games, and he performed pretty badly in his last one in 2007 with Green Bay.

NFL Picks: Saints -4

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Super Bowl odds had the New York Jets as a longshot, but anyone who took the chance will be on the edge of their seats when the Jets head to Indianapolis for a meeting in the AFC championship game against the Colts, who had their unbeaten season ruined by the Jets.

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Jets vs Colts betting – Sunday, January 24, 3:00 PM ET

The Jets took advantage of a San Diego meltdown in a 17-14 win on the road as the Chargers missed three field goals and committed 10 penalties. The Jets ran for 169 yards, punctuated by Shonn Greene’s 53-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to put the game way. Mark Sanchez was 12-of-23 for 100 yards, a touchdown and a pick for the Jets, who were able to keep their rookie quarterback safe for another week, which led to another NFL betting upset.

The Colts forced four turnovers in a 20-3 win over Baltimore at home, and Peyton Manning had another efficient game, going 30-of-44 for 246 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. The Colts were 2-of-3 from inside the red zone, while stopping the Ravens on both of their attempts from inside the 20-yard-line. Much was made about the Colts’ decision to rest their starters late in the season, but rookie coach Jim Caldwell is looking like he made a great decision as the Colts came out rested.

The Colts are a 7.5-point home favorite according to bookmaker odds (bookmaker reviews), and they’ve won six of their last 10 against the Jets. You can’t put too much stock in the Jets’ 29-15 win in Indianapolis in Week 16, as the Colts took their starters out with a five-point lead in the third quarter, which sparked a New York comeback. Manning was 14-of-21 for 192 yards before going to the sidelines, and he’s had success against coach Rex Ryan’s defenses when he was in Baltimore.

The Colts need to do what the Chargers failed to do: put eight players in the box to stop the Jets’ ground game, which has averaged 170.0 yards in their first two playoff games, and dare Sanchez to beat them. The Indy front seven was all over the place against the Colts, and they can confuse Sanchez if they get enough pressure on him.

The Jets are on a roll, but the buck stop in Indy.

NFL picks: Indianapolis -7.5

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The Baltimore Ravens got revenge against a team they lost to earlier in the season in the Wild Card round. They won’t be doing the same in the divisional round as they make a trip to Indianapolis.

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Super Bowl betting fans will get to see a rematch of Week 11 when the Colts host the Ravens this Saturday night.

The first meeting was a tight contest but some dynamics have changed since then. For starters, the game will be played in Indianapolis instead of Baltimore, which is a big difference. Secondly, the Colts are coming off a bye week whereas this will be the second straight week that the Ravens are on the road.

Storylines: The Ravens

NFL betting cappers have to be a little concerned about Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco’s. Sure, he played last week but his numbers were horrible. He finished four-of-10 for 34 yards and an interception. Worse yet, he winced in pain a couple of times from a hip and leg injury that isn’t going away.

The Ravens will have to pass to win in this game and it’s unlikely that the Colts hand them the game like the Patriots did last week. If Flacco isn’t capable, the Ravens won’t win this game.

Storylines: The Colts

The Colts did lose two straight games to end the regular season but nobody is particularly concerned. The Colts have been down this road many times before and they should be fine.

Every team gets worn down as the regular season progresses and the Colts earned themselves close to three weeks off – at least for the players who really needed it.

Since they’ve done this before, people making their NFL picks should expect the Colts to be able to hit that ‘on’ switch once again this year.

Matchup

The Colts lethal passing game is bad news for Baltimore. The Ravens have put two starting cornerbacks on injured reserve this year and they don’t matchup well against teams who have the type of receiving depth that the Colts do.

Sure, they’ll send their blitzes but we all know that pressure rarely affects Peyton Manning.

The Ravens were just 1-6 against playoff teams this year prior to last week’s win, which gives you a clear indication of where they are at. Winning two straight games on the road is too tall an order for them.

Bookmaker Reviews Pick: Colts -6.5

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The Arizona Cardinals got lucky in round one of the NFL playoffs but sports betting cappers know they’ll need even more breaks in the second round.

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The Cardinals committed two penalties on the final play of the game against Green Bay, which not only should have negated a game-winning touchdown but should have moved the Packers 15 yards up the field and given them a first down. Nonetheless, bygones are now bygones and the Cardinals have advanced.

Considering what the Packers did to the Cardinals defense last week, it doesn’t bode well for a road win in New Orleans.

Storylines: The Cardinals

NFL betting cappers are surprised to see the Cardinals hanging around in the playoffs for a second straight year. The Cardinals were an underdog against the Packers last week by game-time and with stories of Kurt Warner’s pending retirement, nobody was believing that the Cards would advance.

Now they’re here and again they are facing a similar team. They don’t have many of the edges in this contest but one area where they are superior is experience. If that’s a factor for a second straight week, the Cardinals will win.

Storylines: The Saints

The Saints started the year with 13 straight wins but then surprisingly lost their last three. It’s now how they planned on going into the playoffs, but that’s history now.

The Saints have had a week off to recover and to clear their heads. Their Super Bowl odds have dropped significantly because the general feel now is that they are a team ripe for the picking more than anything else.

Even so, they should remember who they are. They are supposed to be the best offense in the NFL and they are about to be in a shootout. They should be confident.

Matchup

Aaron Rodgers carved up the Cardinals defense for 422 yards and four touchdowns and his lone mistakes should have even counted. In total, their racked up over 500 yards of offense against the Cardinals in Arizona – what are the Cardinals going to give up this week?

The Saints are built for this type of a game and while it will be very back and forth, their defense is a little better and they are more rested as a team. The freshness factor should be the difference as long as turnovers are not.

Bookmaker Reviews Pick: Saints -7

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If you are placing some bets and making your NFL picks this weekend, it’s hard to side with the Arizona Cardinals in this matchup. Sure, they represented the NFC in the Super Bowl last year but the magic is gone. The Cards have stumbled into the playoffs and they aren’t healthy. Unfortunately for them, their opponent is.

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It’s going to be tough sledding for the Cardinals, even though they are at home.

Storylines: The Packers

Not many people have noticed this but the Packers are one of the hottest teams in the NFL. They won seven of their last eight games to finish the year and their lone loss was that miraculous last-second comeback by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Packers offensive line, running game and defense has improved every single week and they are now a very dangerous team.

Although they’ll have to go on the road the entire way, this team is capable of winning in different ways. They will be tough to stop.

Storylines: The Cardinals

For a second year in a row, those who bet NFL football watched the Cardinals stumble into the playoffs. They won three of their last six games but their two wins over Detroit and St. Louis were fairly uninspiring.

Throw in a rash of injuries and it’s really simple math: the Cardinals might be running out of gas.

Sure, they still have Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald, but they’ll need more than that. They’ll need turnovers and they’ll need the Packers to be off their game. That may be too much to ask.

Matchup

NFL betting cappers need to be aware how beaten up the Cardinals are. They were already without left tackle Mike Gandy and now will likely be without wideout Anquan Boldin. Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is questionable with a knee injury and could be limited if he does play. Safety Antrel Rolle is also banged up and is in a similar boat.

That’s a lot for the Cardinals to overcome especially without a top-flight wide receiver and their top cornerback.

The Packers led the NFL in turnover margin, interceptions and run defense. That indicates that not only are they the hotter, healthier team, but they also have the better defense and the better fundamentals.

The only thing the Cardinals have going for them is home field advantage but that won’t be enough.

Bookmaker Reviews Pick: Packers -1

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The Baltimore Ravens started the season 3-0 but then had a tough, last-second loss in New England that derailed their season. Now people making their NFL picks will get another shot to get this game right as the Ravens head back to Gillette Stadium to settle the score.

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The Ravens came close to winning the first game, so they know what the formula is. They’ll just have to play a little more disciplined if they want to win.

Sports gambling experts will be on the side of Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the Super Bowl pedigree, but don’t sleep on the Ravens. They should be able to keep this game close. They have some playoff experience themselves and they know what it takes to win this game.

Storylines: The Ravens

The Ravens won three of their last four games to qualify for the playoffs but it wasn’t particularly pretty. Their wins came against Chicago, Detroit and Oakland, while their loss came in Pittsburgh.

The Ravens have to be more disciplined in this matchup as they have been one of the most penalized teams in the NFL. It cost them with a couple of late hits on Tom Brady in the first game and it will again unless they smarten up.

The good news is that they have a running game to give the Patriots some problems. New England allowed a 4.4 yards per carry average to opponents and the Ravens need to exploit that to win.

Storylines: The Patriots

The Patriots are back in the playoffs after a one-year absence but this is not the team we knew. Wes Welker will not be available after tearing his ACL last week and the Patriots defense has been very flimsy.

New England still has a big edge with Brady and Randy Moss, and they’ll have to be at their best. The Pats running game isn’t great and really nothing is spectacular about this team save Brady.

But maybe that’s how coach Belichick wants it: the Pats in the under-the-radar role once again. Either that, or this is just an average team.

Matchup

If the Ravens can protect Joe Flacco and run the ball, this game will be very close. Considering how the first contest went, there is a good chance that that is the case.

But the Ravens cornerbacks are still a big weakness for them, so look for Moss to have a big game. Those who bet NFL football should expect a tight game but the Patriots will get by with a field goal win.

Legends Reviews Pick: Ravens +3.5 (Patriots to win)

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For a third time this year, the sports gambling community is going to see the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys square off. The fans in Philadelphia will be hoping for a different result as the Cowboys have taken the first two matchups.

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Since 1970, there have been 19 instances where two teams play each other three times in a season and there have been 12 sweeps. The Cowboys have the Eagles numbers and that is likely to be evident on Saturday.

Storylines: The Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles led the NFL in passing plays of 40 yards or longer, totaling 21 this season. In their two games against the Cowboys this year, the Eagles have just one such play and that was a pass to running back LeSean McCoy.

Like it or not, the Cowboys have contained DeSean Jackson better than anyone else in the NFL and it shows. In two games against the Cowboys, Jackson has just five catches for 76 yards and no touchdowns. Internet betting cappers know that the Eagles don’t run the ball very well so if they aren’t getting these explosive plays, they aren’t likely to be effective on offense.

Storylines: The Cowboys

One thing that simply can’t go unnoticed is that the Cowboys have the edge on both lines of scrimmage in this contest.

In two games this year, the Cowboys have sacked Donovan McNabb eight times while Tony Romo has been dropped just five times. The Eagles have produced just 3.8 yards per carry in the two contests.

If Romo is going to have time to throw, he’s going to make smart decisions. It also looks like the Cowboys can run with plenty of success, which has taken a lot of pressure off of Romo.

The Eagles linebackers are a big weakness and the running backs and tight ends on Dallas continue to expose them. Unless the Eagles come up with a new game plan, sports handicapping sharps should expect more of the same.

Matchup

The Eagles lost center Jamaal Jackson for the year and it’s just another loss in a long list of reshuffling on their front five. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have one of the best defensive lines around. That’s a problem.

The Eagles will again attempt to win on the road without a running game and that’s also a problem.

The Eagles have been worked over in the time of possession in both games and that won’t change in the Wild Card round. The Eagles will have to hope that their big plays work so that they can keep up on the scoreboard. If not, the Cowboys will grind them into the ground for a third time this season and get the important playoff win they have been searching for.

Bookmaker Reviews Pick: Cowboys -4

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A lot of sports handicapping experts saw this coming but we’ll have to see if the results are any different. Three matchups we saw in Week 17 will be replayed the Wild Card round of the playoffs and the general hope is that the games are a lot more competitive.

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The Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets played in East Rutherford last week, which resulted in a 37-0 victory for the Jets. Granted, the Jets were playing for their playoff lives while the Bengals had little to gain.

It’s tough to beat a team two weeks in a row and with this game coming in Cincinnati, the Bengals should have some serious revenge in mind.

Storylines: The Jets

Just three weeks ago, head coach Rex Ryan thought his Jets had been eliminated from the playoffs. Now after facing two teams that handed the Jets wins, they are in the playoffs facing a team they stomped 37-0 last week.

Sports wagering cappers are skeptical of the Jets because they have a rookie quarterback leading the way and because they were handed wins – they didn’t earn them – to make the playoffs. They may have the best defense in the playoffs, though, so they could be dangerous.

Storylines: The Bengals

The Bengals stumbled their way into the playoffs, losing three of their last four games, but you have to give them credit considering they won the AFC North.

Those three losses were on the road and when you consider that the Bengals have won five straight at home, you have to like their chances this week.

Matchup

This will be an excellent matchup of the Jets quality running game against the Bengals stellar rush defense.

The Jets have the top-ranked rushing offense in the NFL while the Bengals, even after getting gashed last week, have the seventh-best rush defense.

Internet betting sharps have to figure that the Jets running game won’t be enough this week – especially on the road – so Mark Sanchez will have to make some plays.

When you break it down, the Bengals have revenge, home-field advantage and the better quarterback on their side. While their playoff journey doesn’t project to be a long one, a win over the Jets should come since they are the better team. This will be a tight contest but the scales tip slightly to the Bengals favor.

Bookmaker Reviews Pick: Bengals -2.5

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BetUS NFL Point Spread: Pittsburgh -2.5, O/U: 42

At the beginning of the season, this was supposed to be a game that could have decided who would have won the AFC North. Instead, a win by either team won’t even guarantee a playoff spot at all. The Ravens, sitting at 8-6, have a much better chance than Pittsburgh to make it to the postseason.

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If Baltimore wins and both Jacksonville and the Jets lose, the Ravens will make the playoffs. If Pittsburgh wins, they’ll have to also beat Miami next week and pray that Baltimore loses to Oakland as well, or else the defending Super Bowl Champions will have an early vacation.

This is a fate that no one saw coming. Baltimore won the first contest of the season between the two clubs, 20-17 back in Week 11. However, Ben Roethlisberger missed that game with a concussion. The Ravens won’t be so lucky this week.

What The Ravens Have To Do To Win

Ray Rice continues to be the driving point of the Ravens offense, but he will have it tough against Pittsburgh and their Number 1 ranked rush defence. If there is an edge for Baltimore, it will emerge in the fourth quarter. The Steelers defence has been awful in the final frame. They’ve allowed 121 points in the fourth quarter, second most in the league. Their 11 touchdowns allowed in the last quarter is a league high. If the Ravens can keep it close for the first three quarters, they may be able to break out at the end and run over a Pittsburgh defence that clearly has trouble closing out games.

What The Steelers Have To Do To Win

Ben Roethlisberger threw for a career high 503 yards against a Green Bay defence that was ranked Number 2 in the league before the matchup. Roethlisberger obviously won’t get that amount of yards again against Baltimore, but the Steelers passing game will have to be working to beat the Ravens.

That will be a much easier task than it usually is considering the Ravens secondary is hurting. Safety Ed Reed has missed three straight games and is uncertain for Sunday. Cornerback Lardarius Webb tore a ligament in his knee last week and is out for the season. Big Ben probably won’t throw for over 500 yards again, but he shouldn’t be too afraid to air it out against the Baltimore backfield.

Outlook & Pick

One of these teams is not going to make the playoffs. An incredible fact considering these two played each other in the AFC Championship last year. The Ravens have won big for two straight games, but those wins were against Chicago and Detroit, neither of whom are NFC powerhouses.

The Steelers, however, had an offensive outburst against a team that doesn’t allow too many of those. The Ravens always have a hard time playing in Pittsburgh, as evident by their 2-8 record over their last 10 visits. Big Ben and the Steelers will prevail.

NFL Free Pick: Pittsburgh -2.5 & over 44

Prop NFL Football Betting: Team To Score First And Score In First Seven Minutes

Both teams are going to pound the run early to try and control the clock and the tempo of the game. It won’t be until later when the footballs start flying through the air. The first points will most likely be a field goal.

Expert Pick: Pittsburgh Will Score First, No Score In First Seven Minutes

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