WINNER. TAKES. ALL!

Super Bowl XL is right around the corner and after coming off of a couple of emotional playoff wins, the Steelers roll into Detroit as a four-point favorite over the Seattle Seahawks. This game has already made its mark in the history books, with Pittsburgh being the first #6 seed to make it to the big game, and Seattle making the franchise's first trip to the Super Bowl.

The story gets better: Motown native Jerome "The Bus" Bettis is coming home to play possibly his final game in his first ever Super Bowl appearance. Bettis, an NFL icon, will stop at nothing to make it a final glorious victory before his retirement. The question is: can the stellar Hawk defense maintain the aggression that has kept every other team at bay all season to shut down Bettis and the rest of Pittsburgh's relentless attack?

These are two of the premier defenses in the NFL, filled with explosive hard hitting talent in the secondary, linebackers capable of making big plays, and an experienced, well-seasoned coaching staff calling the adjustments. So both teams measure up defensively pretty close to evenly. The key to winning this game then is going to be finding an offensive rhythm and keeping it.

So who's it going to be? Which offense will be able to put up points on these defenses? The 23 year old Roethlisberger, who has shown incredible poise and heart this season? Or Brett Farve's understudy, the Seahawk's Matt Hasselbeck, who has this season alone thrown for 24 TDS and over 3400 yards? One of them will have to step up and keep the offense on the field, relying on the protection up front picking up the inevitably relentless blitz.

Shaun Alexander (RB Seattle) needs to have a breakout game to control the clock and find the open field for Hasselbeck. He was the League MVP this year and scored a record breaking 27 touchdowns, and with a great game just last week, he only needs to carry that momentum over to continue putting points on the board in Detroit. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh opened the AFC Championship last week throwing the ball the entire opening drive. Establishing that same early threat in Detroit will take some of the pressure out of Seattle's run game. With Roethlisberger's accuracy (a 98.6 quarterback rating!) and the threat of Bettis crashing up the gut, how do you stop Pittsburgh on the third down or anywhere near the goal line? The only answer is that Seattle will need to feed off some underdog energy and come out swinging. The Hawks will have to take the ball down the field and get into the end zone every first drive, keeping the Steelers' pounding offense off the field and keeping their defense own fresh. Turn-overs will be crucial: its no doubt going to be a close game and both defenses have a track record of coming up with spectacular "Big Plays." Bill Cowher's not going to be holding any stops with his playbook. Don't be surprised if Randle-El throws a touchdown or goes the distance on a reverse.

Super Bowl XL, the biggest sporting event of the year, is sizing up to be a the biggest matchup of the decade. It's been a long time since we've seen two teams like this matched up so evenly. The Seahawks played their season in great fashion, outdoing the Steelers statistically in almost every category, but Pittsburgh's style of play and blue-collar approach have won the hearts of the oddsmakers. This is what the NFL is all about.

SO ENJOY THE GAME!
And meet us back here next week for the post game update.

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