Money Line Analysis – Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl betting has been heating up lately in the BetUS Sportsbook. Although the BetUS NFL odds makers haven’t released as many prop bets as some sports betting fans would have liked yet, just concentrating on the regular online betting options in the Super Bowl should keep most NFL betting fans plenty busy.
One such wager is the BetUS money line where going one way, that would be making an online bet on Arizona, could lead to fantastic profits while going the other way, that would be making an online wager on Pittsburgh, could lead to profits but would require more risk.
Let’s analyze the current Super Bowl money line wagers being offered in the BetUS online sportsbook.
Pittsburgh Steelers, -260 online betting odds:
The online wagering odds on the Pittsburgh Steelers to beat the Arizona Cardinals straight-up are -260. That makes the Steelers a solid favorite in this game from the eyes of the BetUS online sportsbook odds makers. But is it a good online bet?
That’s the real question that football betting fans are asking themselves. Pittsburgh is definitely the more seasoned, experienced, and highly regarded team going into this year’s Super Bowl. They have arguably a much better defense than the Cardinals and their offense is just as good. But their best offensive player, Hines Ward, could be less than effective in this game because of a knee injury.
Ward says he is playing, but that doesn’t help online sportsbook football betting fans that will have to drop 260 bucks to get back 100 in profit in this game. Without an effective Ward, the Steelers would have to rely heavily on their rushing attack, which they might do anyhow, in order to score against the Cardinals. Rushing the ball would eat up clock which might actually help keep the Cardinals in this game.
On defense, the Steelers are solid but they haven’t faced a truly balanced attack like the one that the Cardinals will bring to this game. Yes, the Steelers did beat some very good teams this season, including Arizona, but this Cardinals team is different.
I don’t believe that the Steelers will lose this game, but I don’t feel comfortable putting up 260 bucks in this one just to get back 100. That’s just too much money to risk on a team like the Steelers with question marks surrounding their best offensive weapon.
Arizona Cardinals, +220 online betting odds:
Of course, by deciding that Pittsburgh isn’t worth an online bet at -260 on the BetUS money line, I’m not saying that the Arizona Cardinals are worth a bet at +220 to win straight-up on the BetUS money line.
Do the Cardinals have a chance? And even if they have a chance is +220 enough online odds to make a wager?
The Cardinals have the offense to stay with the Steelers in this game. There’s no doubt about that. But their defense is a huge question mark. The collapse that the Cardinals performed in the second half of the NFC Championship game can’t give NFL betting fans confidence.
Arizona went all out to beat the Eagles in that game and Pittsburgh is a much better defensive team than Philadelphia. The only chance the Cardinals have of winning the game is to stick to their running game. Do they have the patience to do that?
Maybe. Arizona shouldn’t win the Super Bowl but they shouldn’t have made it this far either and all they’ve done is crush everything in their path. Every online betting fan and the BetUS odds makers agree that they are a long shot, but at +220 they might be a good long shot to take.
I’m not going to go crazy, but I’ll have some of my online betting Super Bowl money on the Cardinals to win straight-up at +220. Let’s call it a shot in the dark saver bet.
