posted February 1, 2009 at 16:30 EST in NFL Betting Trends
Super Bowl Betting - Why Arizona is the Better Bet
by Ian James
Congratulations to everyone who has been betting on the Arizona Cardinals throughout the playoffs. Not to brag, but I am one of them. I’ll be honest, I didn’t have them winning in Carolina, that was a blockbuster upset, but the Cardinals were a 9.5 point underdog and Arizona covered it. On Sunday Arizona is playing in the Super Bowl. It will be their fourth consecutive game in the playoffs that they enter as the underdog, apparently a position the relish. BetUS currently has the Cardinals a 6.5 point underdog. That’s quite a large spread for a Super Bowl. We all remember who the underdog was in last season’s final game, the New York Giants. The Giants beat the undefeated Patriots who were an overwhelming favourite in a championship game. Partly because it is easier to play in the “Big Game” when the pressure is off of you as the underdog, but also the Giants defence matched up extremely well against the most dominant offense in NFL history.
The same can be said for this year’s Cardinals against the defensive juggernaut Steelers. The 3-4 defence is tough to crack, but the coaches and players on Pittsburgh have publicly stated that Arizona is built to pick that apart. You beat the 3-4 by spreading out your offense (Arizona has 3 separate 1000 yard receivers this season) and releasing the ball quickly when the blitz is on. Kurt Warner is showing the kind of poise and precision passing that can win a Super Bowl, perhaps another Super Bowl MVP, and convince those knuckleheads that still believe that Warner doesn’t belong in the NFL Hall of Fame that he’s a first ballot shoe in.
Lets talk about the Cardinals player who everyone can’t get enough of right now, Larry Fitzgerald. You cannot ignore the record breaking stats Larry is posting in the playoffs, but lets put those aside for a second. Just look at some of the individual plays he has made. Warner threw a bomb against the Falcons into the corner of the endzone, it floated on him and turned into a jump ball, Fitzgerald was double teamed yet jumped a good foot higher than both defenders and pulled in an impactful touchdown. Atlanta was a 2.0 point favourite in an away game, and Arizona covered the spread playing the best they had all season. Carolina had a home game against Arizona, and the Cardinals deserved to be the underdog. However, they did not deserve to be a 9.5 point dog coming off the game against Atlanta. In a second round playoff game, more often than not, and I mean really often, it is a close game. So the smart money was on the Cardinals keeping it close and covering the spread. They did that and more, blowing out the Panthers to move on to the NFC Championship against Philadelphia where they would again be an underdog at home. The Eagles came in as a 4.0 point favourite on the road, and the way Arizona had been playing, giving more than a field goal spread was money in the bank. The Cardinals offense and defence played championship worthy football, covered the spread, and entered the Super Bowl as an overwhelming underdog.
Now lets not sell the Steelers short, they deserve to be here. They have dominated all season, they dominated all playoffs, and enter as the favourite, the spot they deserve to be in. However, they are banged up. Their Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward is injured and will be more of a decoy on the field. Future Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu will still impact the game, but won’t be playing at his highest potential with a calf injury. Indeed through all the injuries and the notion of playing against a coaching staff that is familiar with Pittsburgh’s tendencies, the Steelers do still deserve to be the favourite. I’m urging you to look at the spread though, 6.5 points against a team that has never played better than right now. Arizona has proven the spread wrong all playoffs, and that won’t change in the Super Bowl. This will be a close game, a phenomenal game, and perhaps one of the best Super Bowl match ups ever. Go to the BetUS Sportsbook now and get in on the action.
