Those betting on Super Bowl odds should expect a relatively low-scoring affair when Pittsburgh and Green Bay get together next Sunday, but this Sunday, there will be a shootout in Hawaii when the AFC and NFC meet for the Pro Bowl.

Pro Bowl Betting – Sunday, 7:00 PM ET

The AFC will be led on the field by New England’s Bill Belichick, who will be making his third trip to Hawaii, but he’ll be without the injured Tom Brady. Instead, he’ll have Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers at his disposal, along with Matt Cassel, who played for Belichick. There is an impressive trio at running back with Jamaal Charles, Arian Foster and Chris Johnson, which makes up for injuries to Andre Johnson and Antonio Gates. Defensively Belichick will have the top corners in the league at his disposal in Nmandi Asomugha and Darrelle Revis, while the Baltimore duo of Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs are also on the roster.

The NFC also has a pair of linebackers from the same team in Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, but they’re just two of the many defensive players who are injured for this game. The offense may have to carry the load with an impressive quarterback trio of Michael Vick, Matt Ryan and Drew Brees. Roddy White and Calvin Johnson will have their hands full against the AFC corners, while Larry Fitzgerald joins the roster for Greg Jennings, one of six Green Bay players excused because of the Super Bowl. Atlanta’s Mike Smith will make his Pro Bowl coaching debut.

This game is now a pick’em after Pro Bowl odds had the NFC as a 1.5-point favorite, and the AFC has won six of the last 11 meetings with an average of 73.9 points in those games. This game will get competitive in the second half as no one wants to lose, but we’re going with Belichick to figure out the right combination to put on at the end of the game. Bet on the AFC on Sunday.

Having laid waste to the league’s upstart bad boys and a longtime rival respectively, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are now set to compete for the 2011 Super Bowl in Dallas on the NFL schedule. With two storied franchises slated to contend, legacy will be a proud topic as kickoff draws closer. The Steelers have won the most Super Bowls in league history with 6 while Green Bay is the all-time leader in original NFL championships with 9. Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike Tomlin’s second trip to the big game before turning 40 will be a living testament to Steelers’ owner Art Rooney’s successful campaign on behalf of African American coaching candidates, the Packers aim to win the trophy dubbed after their legendary coach and godfather; Lombardi, the league’s most revered name. So, with those classic logos and colors swirling amid the debauchery of the Dallas night, two players long departed from Starr and Bradshaw will compete for a place in history. Aaron Rodgers and Ben

Roethlisberger are the latest names in the hallowed records of their teams but their impact as players is unavoidable. Roethlisberger has staked his claim to becoming one of the best players, let alone Steelers, ever with his third trip to the Super Bowl, having won the previous two, while Rodgers is entering the prime of his career as one of the league’s premier quarterbacks and the torchbearer of this resurgent era for Green Bay. Both are supremely talented and iconic in their own way – dichotomous leaders of the NFL’s golden teams, battling for possession of the trophy.

Roethlisberger’s talents and accomplishments as a player are generally summed up by stating that he is the game’s premier “big game”, “crunch time” quarterback. With two league titles to his name, a 10-2 record in playoff games and too many improvisational late-game heroics to count, such an attribution would seem fitting. Big Ben will never be looked to as an example of pivoting perfection – he has never put up mind-bendingly efficient and grand statistics nor does he appear on the field like a football robot designed to execute each play without a flaw. It is Roethlisberger’s imperfections that have come to identify him. Things never appear easy for the quarterback – the score is tight, the pressure is heavy, he’s halfway to the ground, but Roethlisberger has a way of inevitably rising to the occasion and winning ugly. No quarterback in the league is better at converting a broken play into production other than perhaps Michael Vick. When it’s cold outside and the chips are down, Big Ben finds a way. The sealing play against New York in the AFC Championship is definitive of Roethlisberger’s style – as three Jets broke free to chase him, Roethlisberger rolled right, using his athleticism and size to ward off the defenders and complete a running throw to his receiver past the first down marker. Where other quarterbacks might have been sacked or forced into an incompletion, Big Ben coolly delivered victory. Roethlisberger’s 6’5 frame, mobility and arm strength are his tools for evading defeat but it is confident demeanor as a team leader which allows him to do it with such ease.

While Big Ben is the unlikely hero, a lucky leviathan who wears cold mud with pride, Aaron Rodgers is the pure bred pivot. Rodgers operates under center with a fluidity that comes from honed skills and dedicated preparation. The quarterback is seemingly adept in all phases of playing the position; he is sharp at recognizing defenses, expedient in his drop back and throwing motion and swift in adaptation should the initial plan be affected. Rodgers has the accuracy of a Soviet sniper at Stalingrad, a guiding hand that allows his quartet of speedy receivers the best possible positioning when the ball reaches their hands, and also possesses a great awareness of the chasers that surround him as he prepares to loft another perfect spiral. The combination of mindset, precision passing and elusiveness makes Rodgers a text book example of quarterbacking and his playoff numbers certainly back up that notion. In three games, Rodgers has completed %71 of his passes for six scores and nearly 800 yards. There is a sense that Rodgers’ streak of strong play might be all the Packers need to walk away with the trophy after New Orleans’ Drew Brees proved last year that a quarterback playing insanely well can carry a team to a championship. Rodgers seems to have completely mastered his offense and gained a firm understanding of the opposition’s methods for stopping it. With the quarterback operating at the level he is now, halting the Packers’ production might be impossible.

There is no “right” way to play quarterback though Rodgers and Roethlisberger make compelling arguments for their style with every game. Both pivots have led their teams to the upper echelon of the NFL standings, both put up impressive numbers and both are supported mightily by their squads. At this point Roethlisberger has two trophies in his favor but if the Packers win this year’s, Rodgers will be near equal based on the fact that this is his team, while Ben’s first championship came as a game-managing youth. Arguing the championship credentials of the quarterbacks gets at a larger point; that so many factors go into the successes and failures of a pivot. Beyond Rodgers’ laser tosses for 400 yards and Roethlisberger’s 4^th quarter scrambles are hard-working rosters, inspiring coaches, dedicated owners and deep, proud histories.

With the transfer window wide open, Europe’s top clubs are engaging in their annual shuffle of expensive players – shopping for the latest, flashiest catch and bidding farewell to those who failed to live up to that billing they were given in the past. The competition for the top prizes can be fierce but with so many capable options on the market no club should go hungry in their mission to please fans and field a competitive squad. At this time it is difficult to sift through the rumors to find nuggets of fact. Names such as Tevez, Arshavin and Forlan have been floated as potential movers but with nothing in writing it is easy to dismiss such hearsay. Perhaps the most intriguing potential signing is the suggested move of FC Porto striker Hulk to Tottenham. Spurs are set to part with Robbie Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko and are seeking a forward to pair with an in-form Jemaine Defoe.

Hulk is the next in a long line of powerful Brazilian strikers set to make an impact for a top club in Europe. The 24-year old has notched 16 scores in 15 matches for Porto this campaign and is one of the most sought after players in the world. Givanildo Vieira de Souza lives up to his nickname with his strength and stocky build, but he was given the moniker instead for his resemblance to actor Lou Ferrigno, who portrayed the comic book character on television. Hulk also possesses great speed and acceleration along with a cracking shot to finish.Hulk’s performance and impressive physical skills have drawn interest from other clubs as well, including Manchester City and several Spanish and Italian teams. The competitive bidding should drive up the player’s cost and the winning club would surely be sending in an offer of at least €35 million to pull Hulk away from Portugal.

Spurs are currently ranked fifth in the BPL table and are seeking a spark. The club has already acquired South African midfielder Steven Pienaar from Everton and has been linked with a few other strikers as well. Luis Fabiano of Sevilla is one of Tottenham’s targets; a slim, fleet-footed antithesis of Hulk (despite being countrymen) who is enduring a down season in Spain. Fabiano’s agent has denied hearing anything about Tottenham’s reported €15 million bid for his client, but in the smoke and mirrors of transfer season such a quote is to be taken with a grain of salt. Other names being reported to be on Spurs’ shopping list are Luis Suarez and Giuseppe Rossi.

Though the field of available center forwards to play for manager Harry Redknapp is endless, it is suspected that the choice will come down to the two Brazilians, and which of their two clubs is more willing to part with a star striker. Redknapp is looking for a player to join Peter Crouch and Defoe to provide instant offense and produce a positive BPL result. Transfer season always promises hope for clubs that are rich but middling and Tottenham certainly fits that category. Locked in intense competition with other wealthy clubs such as Chelseas, Manchester United and Manchester City, Spurs feel constant pressure to shake up their roster and try as many combinations as they can to rise to the top of the BPL table. Whether it is the powerful figure of Hulk or the hyper-skilled Fabiano who next takes the field at White Hart Lane, Tottenham figures to freely spend their funds in this most frivolous of terms in the football world.

Super Bowl betting players have one more round to get through before they begin wagering on the big game, and here is who we think will represent their conference in Dallas in a little over two weeks.

Packers Bears Betting – Sunday, 3:00 PM ET

The Packers are favored by 3.5 points on the road in Chicago, where they are 2-3 SU and 3-2 ATS in their last five trips. These NFC North rivals are meeting for the first time in the postseason since 1941, and they split their two meetings during the regular season with the home team winning each time. This is a tough NFL pick to make, but you have to take Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers over Chicago’s Jay Cutler, who made his first postseason start since high school just last week. Not only is Rodgers playing great, he has good numbers against the Bears.

NFL Picks: Green Bay -3.5

Jets Steelers Betting – Sunday, 6:30 PM ET

The Steelers are 3.5-point favorites against the Jets at Heinz Field, where New York came away with a 22-17 win in Week 15. That win made the Jets 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS in their last five visits to Pittsburgh, and the Steelers will be looking to shut down a New York ground game that was just one of three to go for 100 yards or more against them this season. We’re giving the edge to the Steelers, and even though the Jets have proved people wrong all season, we think they’ve run out of gas at your online sportsbook.

NFL Picks: Pittsburgh -3.5

Super Bowl betting players are gearing up for an exciting second round in the playoffs, and it could be better than last week’s wild-card weekend of insanity.

Ravens Steelers Betting – Saturday, 4:30 PM ET

Pittsburgh are 3-point home favorites against their AFC North rivals, and even though the road team won both games this season, we’re sticking with the Steelers at home with a tie bet on the spread; the last four games between these two have been decided by a field goal.

Packers Falcons Betting – Saturday, 8:00 PM ET

The Packers come into Atlanta as 2.5-point underdogs, but we’re going with the upset based off their win in Philadelphia last week, their defense is better than Atlanta, and the Packers really should have won their Week 12 trip to the Georgia Dome. They won’t make the mistakes they made back then.

Seahawks Bears Betting – Saturday, 1:00 PM ET

The Seahawks are 10-point underdogs for the second straight week, but this is a different Chicago team than the one they faced in Week 6. The Bears are much better up front, and they’re coming off a bye now, and in Week 6, it was the Seahawks were coming off a bye week.

Jets Patriots Betting – Sunday, 4:30 PM ET

The Patriots are 8.5-point home favorites against their AFC East rivals, and the line is so high because of their 45-3 romp at home over the Jets in Week 13. It won’t be a 42-point win this week, but we think the Patriots win comfortably. New England is 15-4 after a bye week under Bill Belichick, and that’s enough to earn our sports betting online faith.

The Baltimore Ravens left Arrowhead Stadium victorious on Sunday but they seemed to be carrying a feeling of anticipation rather than satisfaction.Beating the Kansas City Chiefs, champions of the lowly AFC West division in the NFL standings, was simply a passage game to the Ravens’ real test; a battle royal with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field this Saturday. Pittsburgh and Baltimore have been rumbling for the better part of the past decade, fighting for control of the AFC North during the regular season and routinely meeting in the harsh weather conditions of the playoffs. With the Steelers ahead by one win in the overall series since 2003, Baltimore will be playing for pride as much as passage to the next round.

What makes the Ravens-Steelers rivalry so compelling is the structural similarities between the two teams. Both squads’ strength lies in their defense and their ability to run the ball; smash mouth football, a philosophy that has long been Pittsburgh’s identity and which was carried over to Baltimore by former Steelers assistant coach Marvin Lewis, who was the defensive coordinator for the Ravens’ Super Bowl win in 2001 and defensive back Rod Woodson, who had been a Steeler for the bulk of his career before signing with the Ravens in 1998. With Lewis and Woodson long departed, Baltimore has maintained their position as the Steelers’ mirror image, though Pittsburgh has clearly had the upper hand over the past 10 years, winning 6 division titles and two Super Bowls. Both teams are led by fiery young coaches; Baltimore by John Harbaugh and Pittsburgh by Mike Tomlin, leaders who revel in their team’s physical style of play. The excitement of the clubs’ coaches was not the spark for the rivalry but rather the gas poured on top of an already raging blaze.

The defensive playmakers involved in this game are innumerable. Baltimore is led by their furious and vocal middle linebacker Ray Lewis, a force of nature on the field whose presence is felt by opposing players and fans alike. Behind Lewis in the secondary is safety Ed Reed, the NFL’s leader in interceptions since his entrance to the league in 2002. Reed is a spectacular playmaker as evidenced by his league-leading 8 interceptions this year despite missing the first six games of the season due to injury. The former Defensive Player of the Year will be playing with heavy thoughts on Saturday – Reed’s brother is missing after escaping from the Police in Louisiana. In addition to its leading University of Miami conglomerate, the Ravens also boast Terrelle Suggs and Haloti Ngata; two players who live in the opponent’s backfield. Suggs is an outside linebacker with an impressive motor, totaling 11 sacks this year as the Ravens’ top pass rusher, while Ngata is one of the NFL’s best space eaters – a massive lineman who routinely blows up offensive plays for a loss of yards. Pittsburgh matches the Ravens’ petrifying personnel with their own clan of headhunters, led by Samoan safety Troy Polamalu. Polamalu has become one of the league’s most recognizable players due to his long mane of unruly black hair, which falls out of the back of his helmet and flaps as he flies around the field. Beyond appearance, Polamalu has earned a reputation as maybe the NFL’s best player on the defensive side, constantly making crucial tackles and creating turnovers in crunch time for Pittsburgh. The safety is often the beneficiary of the pressure his front seven applies on the opposition. The Steelers’ 3-4 defense, crafted and directed by coordinator Dick LeBeau, is a unit that is feared league wide for its ability to halt the running game and crush quarterbacks. Doing the latter, mostly, for the Steelers is their pair of outside linebackers LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison. Woodley has demonstrated sharp instincts in his four years out of Michigan, even proving to be capable in pass coverage whole Harrison has used his intensely aggressive style of pursuit and punish to earn a Defensive Player of the Year award and several fines for dangerous hits.

Scores will be at a premium on Sunday with both teams aiming to control the clock and match the brutal cold with stingy defense. With two iron fists punching at one another’s knuckles, whichever team gets stronger play from the quarterback position will most likely win the game. The Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger has proven over the course of his career that he can put the offense on his shoulders and win big games while the Ravens’ Joe Flacco has yet to truly come into his own as a premier pivot. The two installments of this rivalry on the regular NFL schedule this year were decided by a combined six points with both teams winning on the other’s home field. Even without the constant hype and barbs traded by the organizations’ players and staff, this game should be anticipated because it is the definition of playoff football: cold, hard, angry war.

In a rematch of last year’s AFC championship game, the New York Jets will attempt to stop Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night. The focus of the matchup will again be Manning’s offense versus the Jets’ aggressive defense – a unit molded in the visage of its general, Head Coach Rex Ryan. In last year’s meeting, Ryan’s crew rode the momentum of consecutive underdog victories as the travelling fifth seed to challenge the Colts for the majority of the game, only to eventually fall 30-17. Much has changed for both teams since; the Jets have graduated from unlikely contenders to the league’s rowdy rock stars while the Colts, despite making the playoffs for a record ninth consecutive season, have lost some of their Super Bowl shine.

When news broke that the Jets were to be featured on this year’s edition of HBO’s NFL training camp mini-series Hard Knocks, it seemed like the perfect marriage of medium and content. The unfiltered delivery of the show matched the team’s candid lunacy; there were personalities and comic moments abound. Naturally, the star of the show was Ryan, the larger than life nut running the nuthouse, who at once inspired confidence and trepidation. As the season played out for New York their reality show credentials became less of a running joke and more of an onus for the team. Controversies arose from all angles as the team was criticized for harassing a female reporter at practice, wide receiver Braylon Edwards was arrested for a DUI, quarterback Mark Sanchez struggled on the field and Ryan himself was exposed as an internet foot-fetish fanatic. Despite the ongoing circus, the Jets managed to finish with an 11-5 record, finishing second to New England in the AFC East in the NFL standings and earning a postseason berth. There is a sense that the Jets’ ability to remain competitive in the face of controversy stems from their coach’s remarkable aptitude for drawing the storm to himself, deflecting attention from his team. Ryan’s press conferences are loud, boisterous and humorous – he makes himself the dominant personality on the team and absorbs the focus of the media, allowing his squad to play without distractions on Sunday.

Ryan will need more than his bravado to best the Colts on Saturday; he will need his sharp defensive intellect. In games in which Ryan’s defenses (he previously acted as the defensive coordinator for Baltimore) have lined up across from Manning, the coach is 1-5. The Jets have the personnel to compete with the Colts’ offense but there is always the lingering feeling that Manning will find a way to deliver victory late in the game, despite his struggles this season. Though the man who has been considered the golden standard for the pivot position passed for 4,710 yards and 33 scores this season, Manning had a string of awful multi-interception games in which he threw picks that were returned for touchdowns in crucial situations. The quarterback finished the season with 17 interceptions and his team required a late field goal in the final game on the NFL schedule to make the playoffs. Manning faced sharp criticism, at least by his standards, for Indy’s slip and rightfully so – if one player is given considerable credit for a team’s successes then he should be equally culpable in its failure. Still, anyone who has followed the Colts this year and in seasons past understands that Manning’s struggles were partially the product of a slew of injuries to key offensive players. Tight end Dallas Clark, a third down safety blanket for Manning since he arrived eight years ago, missed half of the season and will not return until next year. More importantly, running back Joseph Addai missed eight games, weakening the Colts’ rushing attack and forcing Manning to throw on every down; which ultimately led to the quarterback’s multitude of turnovers. Indianapolis does not appear as dominant as they have in previous seasons but Ryan’s defense will still need to contend with a focused Peyton Manning, the spectacular Reggie Wayne and the rest of the gang at home, which is never an easy task. The Jets’ answer for Wayne, Manning’s top target, is cornerback Darrelle Revis. The swift Revis held himself out of training camp to receive a contract extension after he completed a season as the NFL’s premier shutdown coverage corner, and thus became a major plotline on Hard Knocks. Since, the defensive back’s nagging injuries and good but not great performance on the field has relegated his name to the back of league discussions but he is sure to receive his due attention as the Jets’ most important defender on Saturday. Wayne is a brilliant route runner with the athletic ability to create big plays, so he will prove a formidable challenge for Revis’ speedy backpedal and sharp instincts.

There will be reputations, and of course, the ability to advance, on the line on Saturday. Manning can recover from his midseason stumble to prove once again that he can never be doubted, while Ryan can silence critics with a win against the media’s darling star. The game will be decided by who feels pressure and who applies it – if Ryan’s dogs, led by linebackers Calvin Pace and Bart Scott, can get after Manning a Jets’ victory will sound off like a tuba in a drunk tank.

Super Bowl betting is underway as the wild-card games will be played this week, and here is who we think will go through to the next round.

Saints Seahawks Odds (Saturday, 4:30 PM ET)

The Saints are 10.5-point favorites on the road, and while we don’t expect them to lose, they could have more trouble covering the spread than people think. Qwest Field is arguably the loudest stadium in the NFL, and the Seahawks are actually pretty good at home. We’d suggest New Orleans on an SU bet, but take Seattle ATS.

Jets Colts Odds (Saturday, 8:00 PM ET)

The Colts are 2.5-point favorites at home, where they ended the Jets’ season last year in the AFC title game with a 30-17 win. New York coach Rex Ryan, who was also defensive coordinator in Baltimore, has lost all seven of his career meetings with Peyton Manning. We think this ends in the same fashion, so go with Indy to cover.

Ravens Chiefs Odds (Sunday, 1:00 PM ET)

The Ravens are 2.5-point favorites on the road, and they’ll win for two reasons: they have far more experience at this point in the season than the young Chiefs, and Kansas City will lose offensive coordinator Charlie Weis after the season, and that will affect them. Take Baltimore to cover.

Packers Eagles Odds (Sunday, 4:30 PM ET)

The Eagles are 2.5-point favorites at home, but we’re taking Green Bay for the upset because their defense is far stronger from front to back than the Eagles, and we’re not sure how healthy Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson are despite sitting out last week’s game. Go with Green Bay when you’re sports betting online this weekend.