Steelers cap season with Super Bowl win
Steelers cap season with Super Bowl win
And so just like that, the NFL season is finished. And what a finish it was as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals combined for 23 points – 16 by the Cards – over the last half of the final quarter of the season. In the end, it was Pittbusrgh taking home their sixth Super Bowl title with a 27-23 win. Here's a quick recap of the game and the season, with a look ahead to next year.
Who needs Hines Ward when you have Santonio Holmes?
Holmes’ spectacular seven-yard touchdown catch with 0:35 on the clock lifted the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday, capping an eight-play, 78-yard scoring drive in the dying minutes.
Holmes finished with nine receptions for 131 yards to take home Super Bowl MVP honors for the Steelers, who failed to cover despite the late heroics.
For all the dramatics of the fourth quarter – which included a 64-yard TD pass from Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald that put the Cardinals ahead 23-20 with 2:37 to go – the real nail biting for bettors happened moments earlier. Trailing 20-7 and with the payday for its backers in jeopardy, Warner connected with Fitzgerald on a jump ball from the 1-yard line with 7:37 left, putting Arizona in position to cover.
That’s exactly what the Cards did as 6½-point underdogs at most books, as 58% of bettors who wagered on the spread sided with the eventual winners ATS. The finale also played over the 46½-point number listed by most outlets, although the total was as high as 48 points at various locations throughout the past two weeks.
Holmes’ strong play down the stretch was the difference on the field for Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers, who went away from the banged-up Ward during the second half. Ward caught two balls for 43 yards despite a sprained MCL for Pittsburgh, which got a Super Bowl-record 100-yard interception TD return from James Harrison to end the first half.
Home sweet home?
The 2008 season demonstrated oddsmakers might be putting too much stock in homefield advantage, especially as franchises continue to move into bigger stadiums with less history and personality. Road teams went an impressive 143-118-6 ATS this season, good enough for an almost 55% win rate. Away favorites were even better at 46-34-2 ATS, although the trend is representative of a much smaller statistical sample.
Totals? Oddsmakers once again proved bettors should tread lightly and pick their spots when playing the over/under: NFL games played over the listed number 129 times and under on 128 occasions. This amounts to a de facto perfect season for the gentlemen setting the lines.
AFC turned upside down
In a conference that was supposed to be all about New England, San Diego, Indianapolis, and Jacksonville, eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh and upstart Tennessee stole the show.
While the Patriots (11-5, 9-7 ATS) had a respectable season without Tom Brady, the Steelers (12-4, 9-7 ATS) rolled to the Super Bowl title behind one of the best defenses in league history. The Titans (13-3, 12-4 ATS) had the conference’s best record to go along with their sterling mark against the number, which matched that of resurgent Baltimore (11-5, 12-4 ATS).
Profitable Giants fizzle out late
The defending Super Bowl champs were the best play against the spread in the NFC, but the Giants (12-4, 12-4 ATS) never recovered at the window following Plaxico Burress’ injury and team-imposed suspension. New York fell to Philadelphia (9-6-1, 10-6 ATS) in the conference divisional round, while Carolina (12-4, 9-6-1 ATS) suffered the same fate as the Giants.
It looked as though the second-seeded Panthers were set to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, but they ran into Arizona (9-7, 9-7 ATS) on their way to Tampa Bay. The Cardinals defeated reborn Atlanta (11-5, 9-7 ATS) in the NFC wildcard round before their wins over Carolina and then Philly, which outlasted Dallas (9-7, 7-9 ATS) and Washington (8-8, 6-8-2 ATS) in the ultra-competitive NFC East.
In need of a bailout
Jacksonville (5-11, 4-12 ATS) was the biggest disappointment for NFL handicappers in 2008. After being picked by many preseason prognosticators as a sleeper pick on the Super Bowl futures board, the Jaguars started the season in the red and stayed there.
Denver (8-8, 4-11-1 ATS) wasn’t far behind Jacksonville in draining backers’ pockets, although Cleveland (4-12, 6-9-1 ATS) probably garnered more negative press than either of the aforementioned money losers. The only reason the Browns didn’t finish at the bottom of the pro pigskin moneylist was because bettors caught up to their dismal ways by midseason.
And so just like that, the NFL season is finished. And what a finish it was as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals combined for 23 points – 16 by the Cards – over the last half of the final quarter of the season. In the end, it was Pittbusrgh taking home their sixth Super Bowl title with a 27-23 win. Here's a quick recap of the game and the season, with a look ahead to next year.
Who needs Hines Ward when you have Santonio Holmes?
Holmes’ spectacular seven-yard touchdown catch with 0:35 on the clock lifted the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday, capping an eight-play, 78-yard scoring drive in the dying minutes.
Holmes finished with nine receptions for 131 yards to take home Super Bowl MVP honors for the Steelers, who failed to cover despite the late heroics.
For all the dramatics of the fourth quarter – which included a 64-yard TD pass from Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald that put the Cardinals ahead 23-20 with 2:37 to go – the real nail biting for bettors happened moments earlier. Trailing 20-7 and with the payday for its backers in jeopardy, Warner connected with Fitzgerald on a jump ball from the 1-yard line with 7:37 left, putting Arizona in position to cover.
That’s exactly what the Cards did as 6½-point underdogs at most books, as 58% of bettors who wagered on the spread sided with the eventual winners ATS. The finale also played over the 46½-point number listed by most outlets, although the total was as high as 48 points at various locations throughout the past two weeks.
Holmes’ strong play down the stretch was the difference on the field for Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers, who went away from the banged-up Ward during the second half. Ward caught two balls for 43 yards despite a sprained MCL for Pittsburgh, which got a Super Bowl-record 100-yard interception TD return from James Harrison to end the first half.
Home sweet home?
The 2008 season demonstrated oddsmakers might be putting too much stock in homefield advantage, especially as franchises continue to move into bigger stadiums with less history and personality. Road teams went an impressive 143-118-6 ATS this season, good enough for an almost 55% win rate. Away favorites were even better at 46-34-2 ATS, although the trend is representative of a much smaller statistical sample.
Totals? Oddsmakers once again proved bettors should tread lightly and pick their spots when playing the over/under: NFL games played over the listed number 129 times and under on 128 occasions. This amounts to a de facto perfect season for the gentlemen setting the lines.
AFC turned upside down
In a conference that was supposed to be all about New England, San Diego, Indianapolis, and Jacksonville, eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh and upstart Tennessee stole the show.
While the Patriots (11-5, 9-7 ATS) had a respectable season without Tom Brady, the Steelers (12-4, 9-7 ATS) rolled to the Super Bowl title behind one of the best defenses in league history. The Titans (13-3, 12-4 ATS) had the conference’s best record to go along with their sterling mark against the number, which matched that of resurgent Baltimore (11-5, 12-4 ATS).
Profitable Giants fizzle out late
The defending Super Bowl champs were the best play against the spread in the NFC, but the Giants (12-4, 12-4 ATS) never recovered at the window following Plaxico Burress’ injury and team-imposed suspension. New York fell to Philadelphia (9-6-1, 10-6 ATS) in the conference divisional round, while Carolina (12-4, 9-6-1 ATS) suffered the same fate as the Giants.
It looked as though the second-seeded Panthers were set to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, but they ran into Arizona (9-7, 9-7 ATS) on their way to Tampa Bay. The Cardinals defeated reborn Atlanta (11-5, 9-7 ATS) in the NFC wildcard round before their wins over Carolina and then Philly, which outlasted Dallas (9-7, 7-9 ATS) and Washington (8-8, 6-8-2 ATS) in the ultra-competitive NFC East.
In need of a bailout
Jacksonville (5-11, 4-12 ATS) was the biggest disappointment for NFL handicappers in 2008. After being picked by many preseason prognosticators as a sleeper pick on the Super Bowl futures board, the Jaguars started the season in the red and stayed there.
Denver (8-8, 4-11-1 ATS) wasn’t far behind Jacksonville in draining backers’ pockets, although Cleveland (4-12, 6-9-1 ATS) probably garnered more negative press than either of the aforementioned money losers. The only reason the Browns didn’t finish at the bottom of the pro pigskin moneylist was because bettors caught up to their dismal ways by midseason.