When it comes to sports betting, there is no such thing as walking the fence. You pick one team and then make your bet. But with this year’s Super Bowl betting, it is nice to have options. Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are making the sportsbook promo experts crazy because they are so evenly matched. There are good reasons to choose both teams with your NFL picks this week, so let’s take a look at why each team is a good bet. Why Bet On The Pittsburgh Steelers On offense the Steelers are still sort of a mystery. The team got to the playoffs with a combination of running from Rashard Mendenhall and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s ability to make up plays to his receivers as he goes along. But Big Ben has some talented receivers to work with. Wide receivers Mike Wallace and Hines Ward along with tight end Heath Miller are quality players. So it is a mystery as to why the Steelers suddenly shifted their offense to almost exclusively a running game when the playoffs started. Mike Wallace has more than 1,200 receiving yards in the regular season, but he has less than 30 yards in the entire playoffs. The Pittsburgh offense has some serious potential to explode with 40 points or more in the Super Bowl. On defense, the Steelers have made it this far without much input from safety Troy Polamalu. Polamalu has been on the field, but he just has not contributed much. The Steelers linebackers have been doing all of the work so far. That means that Polamalu is due for a big game in these playoffs, and there is only one game left. In each of the previous Steelers playoff runs that Polamalu was a part of, he always had that one play that made the highlight reels. He hasn’t done it yet in these playoffs, and he is due. Why Bet On The Green Bay Packers The Packers offense used to be all about Aaron Rodgers. Not only is Rodgers a regular season 4,000 yard passer, but he is also dangerous running the ball as well. Up until the playoffs started, the Packers did very well with Rodgers being the primary offensive threat. Now that Green Bay has rookie running back James Starks to pick up the slack and add a running attack to the Green Bay offense, it makes the Packers that much more dangerous. Now teams do not know if Rodgers or Starks will be running the ball. When Starks does run the ball, he is extremely effective. Now defenses have to choose whether to attack the line and stop Starks, or fall back and protect against the pass. The Packers offense has become even more dangerous that it was in the regular season. Green Bay’s defense is fast, aggressive and smart. Linebackers A.J. Hawk and Clay Matthews own the middle of the field when they play, and Matthews is one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL. Charles Woodson helps patrol the secondary and he is very good at taking away the pass. A quarterback like Roethlisberger, who tends to make up the passing game as he goes along, will have problems against the discipline of Charles Woodson.
