As I always do at this time of year, I've booked Monday off so I can stay up all night to watch the Superbowl. This year's extravaganza is in Tampa Bay, featuring Bruce Springsteen as the half-time entertainment.
In the red corner, representing the NFC, are, amazingly, the Arizona Cardinals. The perennial losers of the NFL limped into the playoffs at 9-7 after clinching an appallingly weak division with 4 weeks to go. Nobody gave them a prayer - me included - but deserved wins over Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia means they are there on merit. They have a very well-balanced offence, with two quality and diverse running backs, a former MVP and superbowl winning QB, and arguably the best receiver in the game, Larry Fitzgerald. However it is the defence that has been responsible for the turnaround in form, forcing an incredible number of interceptions, particularly from Jake Delhomme.
The AFC champions, who will be wearing white, are the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have a functional rather than exciting offence, but an incredibly mean and aggressive defence, and they'll be hoping to become the first franchise to win six superbowls.
The key to the game, as it so often is in Superbowls, will be at the line. If Arizona can protect Warner and punch enough holes to allow James and/or Hightower to keep the linebackers honest, then they have the weapons to damage Pittsburgh. If the Steelers can shut down the running game and force Warner to throw under pressure into that magnificent secondary, it'll be Pick City.
So for me, the game could go one of two ways. It'll either be a low scoring nail-biter like last year, or a complete blowout in favour of Pittsburgh. I'll be rooting for Arizona, but having tipped Pittsburgh at the start of the play-offs, I see no reason to change that now, and I think it'll be one game too far for the Cardinals.
Pittsburgh by at least two touchdowns.
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