The latest Super Bowl odds have the Green Bay Packers favored by about three points over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I’m a Pittsburgh-area guy, so naturally I think the Steelers are going to win. It’s interesting, though, that the line hasn’t really changed in the past week or so, as it has become increasingly clear that Aaron Smith and Maurkice Pouncey aren’t going to play.
Smith we probably could have guessed, but after the AFC Championship Game, all we knew about Pouncey was that he had a sprained ankle. Now it looks like he has a broken bone, and he isn’t practicing. The offensive line has been a weakness for the Steelers all year, and it would have been even weaker if not for Pouncey’s strong play. Doug Legursky stepped in for Pouncey in the middle of the AFC Championship Game and played well, except for some snapping issues that should be ironed out by the time the Super Bowl rolls around. Still, he’s a substantial downgrade from Pouncey.
If the Packers can sack Ben Roethlisberger and force him to make mistakes, the Steelers are going to have a hard time. Still, I think the Steelers’ defense is the stronger of the two. We’ll see on Sunday how things work out.