Super Bowl preview

It’s been a while since we saw the Steelers in a Super Bowl (10 years). And we’ve never seen the Seahawks at the big game. Both teams have two weeks to prepare for relatively easy victories in the championship games. This game is at a neutral indoor venue (Detroit), but is there anything that stands out about how these teams fared on the road this season? The Steelers are playing their best football at the right time of year, going 7-0 SU, 6-1 ATS in the last 7 games. Most impressive, they were the No. 6 seeds in the AFC and are coming off victories against the Bengals, Colts and Broncos, all on the road! That puts Pittsburgh 8-2 ​​SU / ATS on tour this season! Seattle is just 5-3 SU, 4-4 ATS on the road, though they averaged an impressive 27 ppg on the road. Edge to the Steelers.

Philosophically, both teams are similar. Coaches Bill Cowher and Mike Holmgren are veteran coaches who have led their teams to the Super Bowl before. Holmgren makes his third trip, winning once and losing once to the Packers. Both coaches have built their teams with a philosophy around ball control and balanced offenses. Every team has a bruised running back and a strong offensive line.

It was interesting that in recent weeks both teams did not play conservatives, which has been their reputation. Pittsburgh came out throwing the ball often against the Colts and Broncos, and threw several trick plays at the Bengals. In the past, Cowher has been more inclined to run football, critics say too much, but that hasn’t been the case in these playoffs. Don’t be surprised if both teams come out throwing the ball and mixing the plays. The difference this season for Pittsburgh is probably that Cowher has a talented young quarterback who is an excellent decision maker. Cowher is clearly confident in letting Big Ben Roethlisberger throw the ball. That wasn’t the case in the last ten years when he was stuck with below-average quarterbacks like Bubby Brister and Kordell Stewart.

Think of the Super Bowl last year when two good quarterbacks faced off in Donovan McNabb and Tom Brady. Brady was quiet the entire game because he was playing in his third Super Bowl in four years. McNabb, on the other hand, was erratic, especially early on, toppling several receivers and throwing too many lollipop passes, one of which Rodney Harrison intercepted in the end zone in the first quarter. Nerves can take its toll on quarterbacks playing their first Super Bowl with the whole world watching!

The fact that the game is indoors is probably a wash, which does not favor either team. Experience is another factor to consider. Although neither team has Super Bowl experience lately, it would give the Steelers an advantage. Pittsburgh was 16-2 last season and hosted the AFC championship game, losing to the Patriots. That experience factor has helped this postseason, especially since they played three road games in hostile environments in Cincinnati, Indy and Denver. And they played smart football without mistakes. Seattle made the playoffs last season, but faded in the first round against the Rams. Then this year, they had a home field advantage, but played two playoff games against teams with various failures in Washington (little offense) and Carolina (too many injuries, down to their third back row). Also, Seattle doesn’t have a lot of experience in big games on the road.

Looking back on this season, Seattle barely won on the road in St. Louis and Tennessee. And the Seahawks lost 23-17 at Green Bay (their last road game), 20-17 at Washington and 26-14 at Jacksonville to open the season. Also note that the Seattle defense allowed 21 points per game on the road, where they are 7-1 ‘Over’ of the total. Pittsburgh has opened the offense further in the second half of the season and is 5-2-1 ‘over’ the Super Bowl total. The Steelers also have more experience playing indoors: Since Thanksgiving, they’ve played three indoor games, one at Minnesota and two at Indianapolis, at 2-1 SU / ATS.

Finally, games are often won and lost through turnovers and in the trenches. I can’t predict turnovers, but I can point out that in the trenches, both teams were outstanding at stopping the run this season, each making the Top 5 in the NFL. On paper, it is a wash in the trenches, which possibly means that turnovers will be the “difference”, as the French say. Super Bowl 40 should be fun to review for the next two weeks and watch. Good luck as always … Al McMordie.