Sera and I are big fans of the Super Bowl and we usually are in agreement on who will win the big game. Not this time. Sera is going for the Green Bay Packers and I'm picking the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This is definitely a pick 'em with the line spread at 2 1/2 in favor of the Packers, with super-stud QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and linebacker Clay Matthews anchoring the defense. The over-under is 44.5, which means is you choose the over, you are expecting a high-scoring game. The under means more on an emphasis on defense, especially in the red zone.
Pittsburgh, of course, is led on offense by QB "Big Ben" Roethlisberger, who already has two Super Bowl wins in his resume, and should he win a third tonight, he will have to be put in the same category as his contemporaries, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Brady was just named MVP of the NFL, the very first unanimous selection. On defense, the Steelers are led by James Harrison, the hard-hitting linebacker.
At 14-2, New England was favored to win the Super Bowl, but was not knocked off by New York Jets who were then sent home by the Steelers in the AFC title game.
Green Bay comes in as the No. 6 seed wild card, having a much easier road to the big game with wins over a hobbled Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles and then a victory over the Chicago Bears, whose QB, Jay Cutler, was on the sidelines for the second half with a knee injury.
Sera doesn't really know why she likes Rodgers, except that he is cute and has a nice smile. She doesn't like Big Ben because of his off-the-field troubles in the off-season.
Rodgers is good and he's brash, but too brash in my book. Big Ben is no choir boy, amid allegations of sexual assault involving a co-ed at a bar, but he is a proven winner in big games. Hey look, Ray Lewis was a Super Bowl MVP for the Baltimore Ravens, one year after he was implicated in a murder with charges ultimately dropped that prior off-season.
Ultimately, I think the difference maker will be Troy Polamalu, the All-Pro strong safety of the Steelers, known for his blitzes and interceptions.
I'll take the Steelers and the 2 1/2 points and the "under" in what I believe will be a low-scoring game. Sera likes the Packers because of the momentum of the playoffs. She, too, thinks the game will be low scoring.
This is a great family day, regardless of the outcome.