AAVR Magazine

Superbowl Mania!

Hello readers. Once again I have to apologize for a long absence in keeping you informed on sports news around the nation. However, I see no better time to begin once again with Super Bowl 43 just a week away. This year in football has been filled with as many ups and downs for many organizations around the league. The season, yet again, came down to multiple teams fighting for just a couple playoff spots. Leading to an exciting last two weeks of the regular season, in which our minds were filled with hundreds of playoff scenarios which showed us that up to five games could effect one team’s future.

The playoffs this year were pretty good I thought. They were filled with the underdog teams such as the Vikings and Dolphins, as well as the powerhouses of the Giants and Steelers. Most of the games were very entertaining. With the big hits from the Steelers and Ravens defenses, as well as some of the smash-mouth running. Games varied this year with some being decided by less then 3 with low scores or others being decided by less than 3 with high scores. There weren’t too many blowouts, which kept all the games interesting.

But on to Super Bowl 43 match up which will bring us to warm and sunny Florida. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals have fought their way through the playoff bracket to earn their chance to hoist the Lombardy Trophy. It is no big surprise that the Steelers have made it this far. They had a solid team since the beginning of the year and have fought hard throughout. The Cardinals, however, were not expected to represent to NFC in the Super Bowl. I believe that the Giants were the top favorite in the NFC, because when week 8 rolled around and they played Pittsburgh it was deemed a possible Super Bowl match up. However, the Cardinals have been able to upset opponent after opponent and earn their spot.

Keys to the Game:

This game reminds me a lot of Super Bowl 37, in which the offense of the Raider played against the Defense of the Bucs, and we all know how that ended. In this game we have the high-powered, high-scoring offense of the Cardinals who must face the hard-hitting, in your face defense led by safety Troy P. The key to this is if the CB’s and Safety’s can stop Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, and Larry Fitzgerald from getting in a groove. If Warner gets in a groove early there may be some trouble. Look for a lot of quick slants and crossing routes over the middle to get mis-matches in zone coverage with the LB’s of Pittsburgh. I do not see RB James having a big game. I think he will put up average numbers against the Steel Curtain at best.

Going the other way I don’t forsee Big Ben and the Steeler offense being totally shut-down by the Cardinal defense. Just look at a week ago with the Eagles. They managed to comeback with three straight trips to the end-zone post halftime and make it a game by the end. The Cardinal defense may have a few good series here and there early, but once the offense of the steelers figures a solid game plan I think they can execute and beat the defense.

Prediction:

Honestly I think this is an easy pick, I have the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43. The only thing is I can’t say how entertaining this game is going to be. I think the Steelers are going to control this game on both sides of the ball. It could be a blowout if they can stop the pass of the Cardinal offense. However, if the Cardinals hit a few big plays they may keep it closer than expected. My own prediction is Steelers by double digit win at 27-17.

Now all I have to say is enjoy the festivities with family and friends and stay safe.

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