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2009 Super Bowl Predictions

Written January 23, 2009 by Jason Lowry

Steelers Cardinals Football

On Sunday February 1st the NFL season will come to an end with the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. This will be the first matchup between these two teams, and it puts the Cardinals high flying offense against arguably the best defense in the NFL. While the big focus will be on if the Cardinals can move the football, it still remains to be seen if the Steelers can avoid becoming yet another team to have difficulty holding onto the football, as the Cardinals defense has forced 12 turnovers this postseason. For those of you looking to do a little NFL betting on the big game this weekend, the oddsmakers have the Steelers 7 point favorites over the Cardinals at Bookmaker.com.

The Cardinals postseason run has been a real surprise to almost everyone in the NFL, and now this team will be playing in Super Bowl for the first time as the Arizona Cardinals. It wasn’t a real pretty season for the Cardinals, as they had just 9 regular season wins, and looked doomed for a quick playoff run after losing 4 of their final 6 games, but thanks to playing in a weak NFC West the Cardinals wound up the No. 4 seed and got to host a first round game against the Falcons. They went on to beat the Falcons 30-24, and the following week stunned everyone blowing out the Carolina Panthers on the road 33-13. Heading into the NFC Championship the Cardinals got to host another playoff game, as the Eagles knocked the No.1 seeded Giants out of the playoffs, and once again the Cardinals soared to a win, as they stunned the Eagles 32-25. Something this team didn’t have to do is play in the freezing cold, where they typically don’t perform as well, but it never hurts to have a little luck.

The offense is the story of this team, and whether they can keep the magic going against the top defense of the Steelers, will likely determine if this team has any chance in this one. Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald have made life miserable for opposing defenses, as Fitzgerald has already set the postseason record with 419 receiving yards, and tied a playoff record by grabbing 3 touchdowns in a single half against the Eagles. While the passing game is normally the focus of this offense, the balance of the running game has been a huge surprise for this team, as once benched Edgerrin James leads all running backs with 203 yards this postseason. The offense hasn’t been the only story for this team, as we have already mentioned the big play ability the defense has shown so far, and on top of that they have forced 7 sacks and lead all teams with 8 interceptions. This team has been pretty solid against the run, and a big reason for that is rookie corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is taking on the opposing teams best receiver and allowing the safety to pay a little more attention to the running game. Bet Arizona Cardinals +7 at Bookmaker.com.

While the Cardinals have been on an up and down roller coaster of a season, the Steelers have been a model of consistency all season long, as they finished with the AFC’s second best record at 12-4, and are once again headed to the Super Bowl, and can grab their second Super Bowl win in the last 4 seasons. The Steelers didn’t exactly run away with the NFC North, as they finished just 1 game ahead of the Ravens. The Steelers went just 2-2 against the NFC this season, and lost to the same Eagles that the Cardinals beat a week ago. The Steelers were the only team that receiver a bye to even make it to the Conference Championship game, as they took out the Chargers 35-24 in the divisional round. In the AFC Championship game the Steelers were matched up with the Ravens for the third time this season, and many wondered if they could beat this team 3 times in one season, but they did just that, as they took home a 23-14 win at home. This team has thrived on playing at home and it will be interesting to see if they can bring that same kind of intensity to Florida where the weather won’t be a factor.

Contrast to the Cardinals the Steelers defense is what has led this team to the Super Bowl, as their relentless attack has caused plenty of problems all season long. What makes this defense so good is that they are outstanding against the run and get a ton of pressure on the quarterback. In two games this team has given up just 88 yards on the ground and recored a solid 7 sacks, including 4 by linebacker LaMarr Woodley. Sacking Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner is not an easy task, as he has been sacked just 3 times all postseason, but the player who could really have an impact on this game is safety Troy Palamalu, who will likely see a number of passes where he will have the opportunity to make a big play. Aside from the play of the defense the Steelers offense will have to find a way to not only secure the football, but we think this team needs to get the ground game going and control the clock, to not only keep the Cardinals offense off the field, but make sure their defense stays nice and rested. The offense hasn’t been real impressive in its two games, and with the way the Cardinals can score, this team could be faced with the challenge of making the big plays when needed. Bet Pittsburgh Steelers -7 at Bookmaker.com.

Lowry’s Lean on the Game: Cardinals +7
I know that defenses are suppose to win championships, but I just don’t know if the Steelers blitzing will have much of an effect on the Cardinals offense, as Warner picked apart the Eagles and their blitzes. Also the Steelers defense is loaded up front and while the Cardinals have got the running game going they are a pass happy team that can win without running the football. I still like the Steelers to win this game, but I think this one comes down to the wire with the Cardinals staying close throughout.

Predicted Score: Pittsburgh 27 Arizona 24

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