The playoff dust has settled and only two teams remain, the AFC's Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFC's Arizona Cardinals. Super Bowl XLIII will now provide a grand platform for the resilient squads to battle over the Lombardi Trophy and determine who is, in fact, the NFL's best team. Super Bowl picks at Sportsbook.com have Pittsburgh listed as a -7 against the spread favorite.
Nobody expected the Arizona Cardinals to garner a playoff win, but they have reeled off three in a row in order to earn a trip to Tampa next weekend. Is there first Super Bowl appearance the result of an aberration or are the Cardinals for real? There is a great deal of evidence in Arizona's post-season's conquests to suggest that they are more substance than smoke and mirrors.
The biggest difference in the playoffs for the Cardinals has been their defense's ability to create turnovers (+9 turnover margin in the playoffs), wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald elevating his numbers from very good to great, and the threat of running game that has helped them hold the ball an average of 6:45 longer than their opponents.
Pittsburgh, like most pundits expected, powered their way to the franchise's seventh Super Bowl appearance behind the strength of their tough as nails defense. The newest version of the Steel Curtain held opponents to an average of 13.9 points and 237 yards per game during the regular season. They have wreaked similar havoc this post-season, limiting their playoff opposition to 38 points in two games and an average of 244 yards per contest.
The Steelers offense has not been a dominant force, but they did manage to hold the ball 19:52 longer than the Chargers and Ravens while also converting 13 third downs to their opponents eight.
Super Bowl Betting Trend: Teams playing as a -7 to -9.5 favorite the last five years, coming off a home win are 54-19 straight up.
Sportsbook.com's Steelers vs Cardinals Super Bowl Picks:
Pittsburgh Steelers -7 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)
Arizona Cardinals +7 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)
Matt Foust won both of his conference championship plays this past weekend and he is ready to serve up plenty of Super Bowl action. Each individual play costs $15.00, however, Point-Spreads.com recommends purchasing Matt's NFL Playoff Package which includes all of Matt's Super Bowl props and picks from just $45.00.
