It’s here! Superbowl Sunday is here! Now it’s time to get yourself ready with the Superbowl festivities.  Get that 6 foot sub, keg of beer, get your Superbowl pool squares and pull the pool numbers. 

Then it’s time to talk football. Here are some things to look for in today’s Superbowl matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers:

When The Steelers Run The Ball
Watch for running back Willie Parker to have a big game.  Over the last two games he has run for over 100 yards, including a 146 yard performance against the San Diego Chargers in the divisional playoffs.  And for you betting types, the Steelers are 6-0 in postseason play when Willie is a starter.

When The Steelers Throw The Ball
Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers starting quarterback, won a Superbowl ring in Super Bowl XL, but was not a factor in that game. In fact, he threw 2 interceptions and had a passing rating of 22.6.  This time around, expect Ben to be a big factor, even with his favorite receiver, Hines Ward, wearing a brace and playing with a sprained knee.

When The Cardinals Run The Ball
Do you remember Edgerin James?  He was benched in November in favor of Tim Hightower but regained the starting spot in the playoffs.  He ran for 203 yards on 52 carries and added a new dimension to the Cardinals offense.  But the Cardinals will need to spread the running game around with Hightower and J.J. Arlington to keep the Steelers number one rated defense honest.

When the Cardinals Throw The Ball
Kurt Warner, the starting quarterback, lead the Arizona passing game to the second most prolific in the league this year.  Warner has the luxury of a trio of 1,000 yard receivers to throw to, including larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston.

Special Teams
Nobody has ever returned a punt for a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh’s Santonio Holmes has already returned a punt for a touchdown this season.  Arizona’s Steve Breaston has the ability to deliver breakaway returns.  He did it in his first pro game, a 73-yard punt return last Fall.

X-Factor
Steelers: Troy Polamalu is a super strong aggressive strong safety who has the hands to intercept passes and the running ability to bring it back for a touchdown.

Cardinals: The coach, Ken Whisenhunt’s trick plays.  The Cardinals used a trick play against the Philadelpha Eagles in the conference championship game that went for a touchdown. It seemed to deflat the Eagles momentum and make the defense think about that play for the rest of the game.

Super Bowl Prediction
Pittsburgh Steelers 17   Arizona Cardinals 14
The defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers will be too much for the Cardinals.

GAME INFO:

Atlanta Falcons vs. Arizona Cardinals
Game Date/Time:  Sat, Jan 3, 2009 4:30 pm EST : University of Phoenix Stadium, Arizona
TV: NBC

THE TEAMS AGAINST THE SPREAD
The Falcons are 8-8 ATS overall, 5-3 ATS away, 1-0 as the favorite and 0-0 as the away favorite

The Cardinals are 9-7 ATS overall, 5-3 ATS at home, 7-3 as the underdog and 3-0 as a home underdog

THE LINE (subject to change)
Atlanta is the favorite by 2 points. The Over/Under is 51 1/2 points

THE PREVIEW
The Falcons played well down the stretch winning 3 of their last 4, but the one negative was Matt Ryan throwing 5 interceptions in his final 4 games. He had just 6 in his first 12 games. The Cardinals do not have a good pass defense and he is forecasted for a strong game with 250 passing yards and a rating of 91 in simulations. However, there is a 52 percent chance he throws 1 or more interceptions and the Falcons win just 35 percent of these simulations. If Ryan throws no interceptions the Falcons have a 58 percent chance of winning. Michael Turner was phenomenal at home this year averaging 129 yards on over 5 ypc, but on the road he averaged just 83 yards on 3.9 ypc. He is forecasted for a good, but not great game with nearly 90 yards. If Turner can dominate on the road like he were at home and have 100+ rushing yards the Falcons have a 68 percent chance of winning. The Cardinals are getting a great 300+ yard, 2 TD performance form Kurt Warner. Both Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are averaging over 90 receiving yards in simulations and there is a 42 percent chance that both have at least 75 yards.

The Arizona Cardinals 5-5 in their last 10 games - losing to playoff teams.  In that stretch they have only beaten the Seahawks and Rams twice and San Francisco once. They lost to New England, Philadelphia and Carolina on the road and to the Giants and Vikings at home.  The Falcons are 7-3 in their last 10 games but have beaten teams like Carolina, San Diego and Minnesota. 

THE PREDICTION
Arizona Cardinals 28  Atlanta Falcons Falcons 24

Expect Kurt Warner to have the game of his life. And the Cardinals will prevail to an overperforming Atlanta Falcons team. Remember, the Cardinals are 7-3 as ATS underdogs and 3-0 ATS as underdog at home during the 2008 regular season.
The Atlanta Falcons are 0-8 ATS after two or more consecutive wins over the last three years.

Take the Cardinals and the 2 points - and take the over in the parlay bet