Odds Favor All-Pennsylvania Super Bowl

By WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Sports Betting at WagerWeb Online Sportsbook

All four divisional-round playoff games in the NFL last weekend were rematches of regular-season matchups, and that will again be the case for the two championship games Sunday. The three teams that won the lone matchup in the regular season went 1-2 last weekend, with only the Steelers handling the Chargers yet again. Meanwhile, the Ravens turned the tables on the Titans and the Cardinals did the same to the Panthers. The Eagles and Giants met for the third time, with Philly winning for the second time in a row.

Once again, the road teams were dominant, with three of the four winning (and obviously covering since all were underdogs). Pittsburgh’s 35-24 win over San Diego in the final game of the weekend ended a streak of five consecutive playoff games won by the road team. There were only three other postseasons in which as many as five visiting teams posted victories: six following the 2005 season, and five in 1992 and 2007.

AFC finalists Pittsburgh and Baltimore met twice in the regular season, with the Steelers defeating the Ravens 23-20 in overtime in Pittsburgh in Week 4 and then 13-9 in Baltimore in Week 15 after a controversial 4-yard touchdown catch by Santonio Holmes with under a minute remaining (where it didn’t appear Holmes crossed the goal line). That win clinched the AFC North and a first-round bye for the Steelers, who are 6-point favorites this time around on WagerWeb.com.

Meanwhile, when Philly hosted Arizona in Week 13 (Thanksgiving night) that was the first game for Donovan McNabb and the Eagles following his benching in Philly’s blowout loss against Baltimore. But McNabb quieted his doubters against Arizona, throwing for four touchdowns with no picks as the Eagles won 48-20. Brian Westbrook became the fourth player in NFL history with two rushing touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns and 100-plus rushing yards in a game. And that was the last game the Eagles gave up more than 14 points. In the six games since, they are 5-1 and 3.5-point WagerWeb.com favorites to make it 6-1 this week.



You can see why the over/under totals on WagerWeb.com this week are so different – the AFC game is at 34, the NFC game at 47. After all, the Steelers and Ravens combined for 65 points in two games, while the Eagles and Cards combined for 68 in one.

While it appears an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl is in the offing (Pittsburgh is +135 to win the Super Bowl, while Philly second at +175 on WagerWeb.com), neither of the Quaker State teams have done well in conference championships lately. While this is the fifth time in eight years that Philly has made the NFC title game, the Eagles lost three of the past four. Pittsburgh is in the AFC title game for the seventh time since the 1994 season. But the Steelers are 1-4 in the previous five at home.

Bet on the Super Bowl