NFL Football Betting - AFC Championship Game
Friday, January 21, 2011
by BetUS.com
Football fans are bracing for a defensive tug-o-war between two of the most intense, hard-hitting stop units in the NFL. The New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers clash in the AFC Championship, in what should be one of the best football betting matchups of the postseason.
Oddsmakers sent out the Steelers as 3-point home favorites, following the Divisional Round last weekend. Pittsburgh beat up on the rival Baltimore Ravens, turning it on in the second half for a 31-24 win as 3.5-point chalk.
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That victory is swaying bettors, who have moved the spread off a field goal to -3.5, despite the Jets’ impressive beating of the NFL’s top team – the New England Patriots. New York imposed its will on Tom Brady and the Pats, winning 28-21 and covering the NFL pointspread as a 9.5-point road underdog.
It was the Jets’ relentless pass rush that made the difference last Sunday. They were able to sack Brady five times, knock him down on countless plays and pick off a wayward pass, while limiting the MVP pivot to 29-of-45 passing for 299 yards and two scores. That same defense will put Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in its crosshairs this Sunday.
Roethlisberger was sacked three times by New York in the Jets’ 22-17 win as 3.5-point underdogs in Pittsburgh during Week 15. They limited the Steelers to 264 yards through the air and one touchdown. Pittsburgh’s offensive line gave up 43 sacks this season – eighth most in the NFL – and allowed six sacks to the Ravens last Saturday.
Luckily for Roethlisberger, it looks like tackle Flozell Adams is over his sickness and his partner Jonathan Scott is recovered from a head injury in time for Sunday’s game. New York’s defense registered 40 QB kills during the season, which was ninth in the NFL, and would have attacked any weakness in Pittsburgh’s offensive line.
The Steelers’ stop unit turns its attention to the New York running game. The Jets finished the regular season with the fourth-best ground attack in the league, averaging more than 148 yards per game. That’s carried over to the postseason, where they rumbled for 169 yards and two scores in the Wild Card win over the Indianapolis Colts and 120 yards and a touchdown in the victory over New England.
Pittsburgh boasts the top rushing defense in the land, giving up just under 63 yards per contest this season. The Steelers locked down the Baltimore running attack for just 35 yards and one score in the Divisional Round, but could have their hands full with Gang Green this Sunday. In Week 15, New York was able to bust through the Steel Curtain for 106 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown run from quarterback Mark Sanchez to tie the game at 17-17 in the third quarter.
The Jets also had success passing the ball against Pittsburgh in that game. Sanchez was a modest 19 for 29 for 170 yards passing but came through in the crunch, leading the team in a game-winning drive, which ended in a 34-yard field goal from Nick Folk in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
The second-year QB looked like a seasoned veteran against the Patriots last weekend, putting up 194 yards and three scores. However, this time around, Sanchez faces a Steelers defense that picked off two passes and forced two fumbles in the Divisional Round and has star safety Troy Polamalu healthy in the secondary. Polamalu was fairly quiet versus Baltimore while still nursing an Achilles injury, but already has caught the attention of his fellow USC alum.
The total for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game opened at 39 points but was bet down to 38.5. Their regular season meeting finished over the 36-point number, marking just the second time in their last 10 head-to-head games that the over has paid out. The Jets have gone 1-1 over/under in their two postseason tilts while the Steelers and Ravens finished well above the 37.5-point total last Saturday.
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ben roethlisberger - flozell adams - football betting - mark sanchez - new york jets - nick folk - pittsburgh steelers - troy polamalu
