Football Odds– Two under the Rader Factors in the Super Bowl. Green Bay is a two-point favorite in football odds against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. Even though Green Bay is favored in NFL betting lines at the Sbg global sportsbook there are a couple of factors that have gone under the radar that point to Pittsburgh winning the game.
Aaron Rodgers Shoulder
If you are going to bet on the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl then for you to win your wager, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has to have a big game. And he will have to do it with a sore shoulder. It is really going underreported but Rodgers was hurt in the NFC Championship game against Chicago. He was hit by defensive end Julius Peppers and he injured his shoulder. It is not enough that he will be on the injury report but history has shown that an injury that is just enough to cause trouble but not be reported can be enough to swing a game.
Three years ago it was Tom Brady of the Patriots who suffered an ankle injury late in the season and he was not as sharp in a loss to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. Rodgers has the ability to escape sacks but it is worth remembering that he was sacked 31 times this season and five more times in the playoffs. He suffered two concussions this season and is facing a Pittsburgh defense that led the league in sacks. If Rodgers shoulder is not at full strength he could make a mistake that turns the Super Bowl around.
Pittsburgh Tight End Heath Miller
You might laugh at the tight end being mentioned as a key player in NFL betting lines but you won’t be laughing for long. Last year in the regular season when the Steelers beat the Packers 37-36 it was Miller who had a huge game against the Green Bay secondary. He had 118 yards as he continually found space in the middle of the Green Bay defense. It could happen again as the Packers are not a good team against opposing tight ends. Green Bay finished with the second best defense in the league but they still have not solved the tight end problem. And Miller is better than any of the tight ends Green Bay has faced the past three weeks.
Maybe Green Bay will win and cover the football odds in the Super Bowl but there are definitely some signs for concern.