Super Bowl XLLast Week: 1-1 (1-1 o/u)
Season: 129-129-8 (132-130-4)
Seattle (-4/46.5) at Pittsburgh
Every year the hype machine for the Super Bowl gets bigger and bigger. And every year I'm happy to buy what they're selling, excited for the biggest single sports game of the year. The NFL always manages to find several great story lines and as much as I love the MLB and NBA playoffs, there isn't anything else like a winner take all game for all the marbles.
This year, not only is there one (ONE!) story line -- Jerome Bettis gets to the Super Bowl in his hometown -- but there isn't any one dynamic between these two teams that gets me very excited. Sure, it's still the biggest game on the planet, but the extra large bowl has seemed less and less interesting as we have gotten closer to kickoff.
Virtually every "expert" has been on the Steelers bandwagon to win this thing, ever since Roethlesomething and Co. managed to foil the NFL's attempt at rigging the season for the Colts. That fact alone made me want to pick the Seahawks. I've seen it too many times when the media buys into one team being superior to the other and they get blindsided by the underdog (Rams/Pats in '02 for example). Then I came to my senses.
The AFC is by far the superior conference in the NFL. The Steelers might have been the no. 6 seed in the playoffs, but if the 7th or 8th ranked teams from the AFC had grabbed that last spot and made their way to this game, I'm pretty sure I'd feel just as confident in the AFC.
The Seahawks have had a fantastic season. But their best player -- and the NFL's leading rusher -- Shaun Alexander has a tendency to disappear every so often and until he does it in a big, close game, I can't count on him to carry the load. As for his QB, the only game winning throw I've seen him make in the playoffs was to the other team. Seattle also played their best ball at home, where they have a great home-field advantage, but this game will more than likely look and sound like Heinz Field.
I'm ready to break out the terrible towel and cheer on the Steelers as they once again become the Kings of the National Football League. But I'll take that other running back of theirs, Willie Parker, as my MVP. Although if Bettis has anything resembling a good game, he is a lock for the award because after all...
The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round...
Steelers and the under
:: Ryan 12:38 AM
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