Sports Betting Overview:
The New York Jets rode their bravado all the way to the AFC championship game for the second year in a row. The NFL football betting world gets to listen to another week of Jets head coach Rex Ryan and his sound bites. What the Jets did show the Super Bowl betting community is that they have a very potent defense. From the defensive line that puts pressure on the quarterback to the famed Cromartie-Revis secondary, the Jets have a very capable defense.
The Steelers had to come back from a 21-7 halftime deficit to beat the Baltimore Ravens in their divisional playoff game. The Baltimore defense held the Pittsburgh offense to relatively few offensive yards, but the Steelers defense completely shut down the Ravens offense in the second half and took the game away from Baltimore. This sets up an interesting price per head AFC championship game.
Offense:
Even though he is a two-time Super Bowl champion, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has show signs of problems in the late stages of the season and in the divisional playoff game against the Ravens. Roethlisberger was making bad decisions in the first half of the divisional playoff game, and he was holding the ball too long. But it was Big Ben that pulled the Steelers out of their slide and brought the team a victory. Roethlisberger is the epitome of a gun-slinger, and the team will win or lose based on what he does.
The Jets offense in the wild card game was all about the running game. Many observers were wondering if quarterback Mark Sanchez could rise to the occasion if he was called on in the divisional game. Sanchez did what he needed to do against the Patriots, and the Jets running game worked together with Sanchez to put the Patriots away. The Steelers may be a bit of a different story than the Patriots.
Defense:
The strongest part of the New England Patriots team is their offense. The Jets defense managed to shut down Tom Brady and the Patriots offense. The Jets are strong all around on defense. New York has strong pass rushers, fast linebackers and a great secondary. But when it comes to a completely unpredictable quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger, the Jets are going to need to learn to adjust on the fly. If any defense can adjust to the antics of Ben Roethlisberger, it is the Jets.
The Steelers play a different kind of game than the Patriots do on defense. The Steelers do not have a young and inexperienced secondary. The Steelers do have a very punishing set of defensive linemen and linebackers. This defense that the Jets will face will be much more dangerous than the Patriots defense. If the Jets are going to win this game, they need to win the line of scrimmage. That will not be easy against this Pittsburgh defense.
The Bottom Line:
Pittsburgh will knock the smile right of Mark Sanchez’s face when it gets the chance. The Jets are extremely strong on offense and defense, but if the Pittsburgh defense can get to Mark Sanchez then the tide of this game could turn quickly.
Sportsbooks Odds Free Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers
