Super Bowl Stat Check
The Big Game has cranked out some big numbers over the years – like the $94.5 million wagered in Nevada alone for Super Bowl XL, and the $8-10 billion expected to change hands worldwide this Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals do their thing. These 10 Super Bowl stats and factoids will help you get a chunk of that change and impress your fellow guests at the same time.
1. The Steelers have as many Super Bowl wins (five) as Arizona has playoff victories. The last time the Cardinals won a playoff game before this year was in 1998. The first time was for the 1947 NFL Championship, when the team was based in Chicago. A win on Sunday would make Pittsburgh the only franchise with six Super Bowls.
2. Arizona QB Kurt Warner holds the Super Bowl record for passing yards with 414 at SBXXXIV against the Tennessee Titans. Warner was with the St. Louis Rams at the time; he was named MVP of the game. His over/under for Sunday’s contest is a more modest 265.5 yards with the over priced at –120 (for the freshest lines, visit sports.bodog.com). Warner is also second on the SB passing list with 365 yards at SBXXXVI.
3. The favorite-over parlay was a winner in nine of the last 27 Super Bowls. The underdog-under came in seven times, the underdog-over five, and favorite-under three. Pushes claimed the rest. Two of the three favorite-under winners were the Steelers in the 2006 game and the Colts in 2007.
4. The over is 38-13 in Arizona’s last 51 games as the underdog. That’s even better than the 35-16 mark for the over in the Cardinals’ last 51 games overall.
5. Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger is ranked No. 51 out of 57 Super Bowl quarterbacks in passer rating at 22.52 during the SBXL victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Big Ben was 9-for-21 for 123 yards and a pair of picks. WR Antwaan Randle El threw the key 43-yard TD pass to Hines Ward in the fourth quarter, the first ever TD pass in the Super Bowl by a wideout.
Super Bowl betting in Bodog’s online sportsbook.
6. The 2008 biannual NFL players survey had Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium ranked second for best playing field in the league. It had been first, but Arizona’s new stadium in Glendale is the new No. 1 (Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field was voted the worst). The natural Bermuda grass surface should hold up nicely Sunday under mostly sunny skies and temperatures around 60 degrees.
7. Pittsburgh RB Willie Parker holds the record for longest run at the Super Bowl, going 75 yards for the major against Seattle. Parker was held to 37 yards total when he faced the Cards in 2007. He’s a speed merchant with a generally poor feel for the power game; Arizona’s defensive line was ranked seventh this year in preventing runs of 10 yards or more.
8. The “0-7” and “7-0” squares on your Super Bowl squares pool are the most likely to cash in, according to Pro Football Reference. Based on NFL games played since the 2-point conversion came into play in 1994, a dollar played on either 07 or 70 should bring back about $3.80 at the end of the game. The “7-4” and “4-7” squares are a close second at $3.71. Last was “2-2” at a return of four cents on the dollar.
9. Pittsburgh left guard Chris Kemoeatu was the No. 204 overall pick (sixth round) of the 2005 NFL Draft. Kemoeatu took over the job after seven-time Pro Bowler Alan Faneca signed with the New York Jets – where he just made another Pro Bowl. Kemoeatu is listed at 6-foot-3 and 344 pounds; he’s not nearly as mobile or crafty as Faneca at this point, one of the key reasons Roethlisberger dropped from 32 TD passes last year to 17 this year.
10. Arizona has the highest pass-run ratio during the regular season of any team to ever reach the Super Bowl at 658-340, or 1.94. Only nine teams were more pass-oriented; none had a winning record. Warner’s 1999 St. Louis Rams had a 1.31 pass-run ratio; the only team to go higher and take the title was the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1.47.
