Polamalu was recently announced as the winner of the 2011 AP Defensive Player of the Year, joining fellow teammate LB James Harrison and Green Bay CB Charles Woodson as the other Defensive Player of the Year winners in this year’s Super Bowl.

Polamalu, known for his signature wild hair that hands over his name plate, his key plays and vicious hits is the last person you might expect to be playing in the NFL. If he weren’t blessed tremendous athletic talent he’d most likely be a monk right now. A soft spoken, almost monastic spiritualist off the field Polamalu shows no inclination that he makes his living by knocking people senseless.

However, on the field no player in the league –at least on the defensive side of the ball- is more important to his team than Polamalu.

If the Steelers are going to come out on top of the Super Bowl odds competition they will need yet another big game from Polamalu.

Kickoff for this Sunday February 6th matchup is set for 6:30 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Packers as a 2-point favorite with an over/under total at 44.

Anyone that has seen the Steelers play knows how important #43 is to the team’s defensive game plan.

With Polamalu in the starting lineup over the past 2 seasons the Steelers are an impressive 14-4. Without Polamalu the team is 5-7.

The numbers don’t lie.

Polamalu is arguably the most versatile defender in the league and has free reign in Dick LeBeau’s blitz happy defense. He may lineup in a 3-point stance, he may blitz from the corner, and he may hang out in deep coverage or plug the middle in run support.

It’s impossible to predict what he might do and that unpredictability seems to make opposing QBs very nervous.

And it should. The Steelers safety has made key plays late in games several times this season and has 7 INTs and 1 TD.

Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is one of the best QBs in the league but on Sunday he’ll be playing against the best defense in the league and the Steelers will be counting on Polamalu to make key plays on their way to a possible 7th Super Bowl betting win.

That win was monumental for a number or reasons and was one of the biggest upsets in NFL playoffs history. The Saints were favored by double-digits in the points spread heading into that game and virtually no one gave them a chance to win. Nor should they have. The Seachickens have been rotten all year ranked 25th in the NFL in total defense (25.4 ppg) and 23rd in the NFL in total offense (19.4 ppg) and still somehow capturing the dubious honor of becoming the first team in NFL history to win a division with a losing record.

So if the Seahawks could pull off the major upset last weekend why can’t they do it again? Simple: they’re not playing at home. Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 1:05 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Bears as a 10-point favorite with an over/under total at 41.

The Seahawks are one of the best home teams in the NFL betting odds competition and play in the noisiest outdoor stadium in the country. This weekend they will be playing the spaceship that is Soldier Field alongside frozen Lake Michigan and the environment will not be hospitable.

Nor will RB Marshawn Lycnh be able to run over the Bears defense the way he did to the Saints defenders in his memorable TD rumble last week.

The Bears defense is 4th in the league in total defense (17.9 ppg) and has nasty pass rush. Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck will have to have another 4 TD performance against the Bears for Seattle to win and not even the great Tom Brady did that.

But give the Seahawks credit. They had a perfect game plan on offense last week and executed perfectly, especially Hasselbeck. If Seattle’s offensive brain trust can somehow find the weak point of this Bears’ D and exploit it they’ve got a chance but it seems highly, highly improbable.

The Bears will win this NFL gambling matchup and advance to the NFC championship game.

With two dream matchups in the AFC this weekend its hard to say which game is the better of the two. But one thing is for sure: all the big hits are going to go down in the Pittsburgh vs Baltimore game.

The Steelers (12-4) versus the Ravens (13-4) is hand downs the best rivalry in the NFL and the most physical matchup of any two teams in the league. So it’s a bit surprising that this game will most likely be decided by the QBs and Joe Flacco in particular, not the bone crushing defensive units.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 4:35 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Steelers as a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 37.

The teams split their 2 regular season NFL gambling matchups in the AFC North and despite having two of the best defenses in the NFL (#1 Pittsburgh: 14.5 ppg; #3 Baltimore: 16.9 ppg) it was actually the QB position that decided these games and that will likely be the case again this week.

In the teams’ Week 4 meeting it was the Steelers’ lack of a QB (Big Ben was suspended) that led to the loss and in their most recent Week 13 meeting it was a careless turnover (although forced by a very strong Troy Polamalu blitz) that led to the Steelers’ win.

Both defenses are going to play superb and limit their opponents to minimal rushing yards. The Steelers have the top run D in the league (62.8 ypg) and Baltimore is #5 (93.9 ypg). That means it will be the play of the QBs that decides the outcome of this game.Ben Roethlisberger has proven to be the better of these QBs with a career 8-2 record versus the hated Ravens.

Joe Flacco who turned the ball over late in the teams last matchup and cost Baltimore the game must play a near perfect game if the Ravens are going to win this NFL betting odds matchup.

But the 2010 NFL season has been a topsy-turvy one as crazy as it sounds this matchup is actually a game between two division leaders.

At 8-5 the KC Chiefs are atop the AFC West and at 6-7 the upstart Rams are somehow the best of the worst division in the NFL, the NFC West.

So even though this may look like a football afterthought, this game actually has some major NFL playoff implications.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 1:05 Eastern Time and SBG Global will have lines available for this and all the NFL Week 15 games.

The Rams will play host to its cross-state rival and playing at home will have a major impact on this game.

It’s easy to overestimate the effect that weather has on a game but in his case, when it’s the difference between a pass-oriented offense playing indoors or in blizzard like conditions, it certainly makes an impact.

Rookie QB Sam Bradford (2,884 yards, 17 TDs, 12 INTs) has the Rams humming along and the passing game has opened up the offense for veteran Pro Bowl RB Steven Jackson (1,081 yards).

St Louis is also much improved on defense. It’s giving up just 20.6 ppg and 333.9 yards which for a Rams team is reason for hope.

The Chiefs’ defensive stats are nearly identical as it’s giving up 20.6 ppg as well and slightly more yardage (341.9 ypg). Both teams are nearly identical in takeaways as well (Rams 28, Chiefs 25).

But on offense the Chiefs separate themselves as this has been one of the hottest offenses in the NFL gambling action over the past month and is averaging 22.7 ppg on the year. The Rams are averaging just 18.8 ppg (25th in the NFL).

But the wild card here is whether or not Chief’s QB Matt Cassel (23 TDs, 4 INTs) is healthy enough to play. If not, you’ve got to like a hungry Rams squad in this must win sports betting matchup.

The familiar story line, as well as Cleveland head coach Eric Mangini playing against his former employer create an interesting background to this game, but the football matchup overshadows all the off field stuff.

The Browns got off to a horrendous start to the season with a revolving door of incompetent QBs (Jake Delhomme and Senecca Wallace) and lost 5 of their first 6 games.

Enter rookie QB Colt McCoy. Since taking over the reins of this team McCoy has guided this team to a 2-1 record and huge wins in Weeks 8 and 9 over the Super Bowl champion Saints (6-3) and the Patriots (6-2).

Admittedly the Brown’s staff has been careful not to put too much on McCoy’s plate and his stats have been modest as defense and the running of RB Peyton Hillis (4.8 yards per carry, 4 TDs) has carried this team. But he’s an accurate passer and forces opponents in the sports betting action to play off the run a bit.

The Jets have escaped narrow defeat in 2 of their past 3 games and could easily be on a 3-game losing streak heading into the Week 10 action. Their good luck could finally have run out against Cleveland this weekend.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 1:05 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Jets as a 3-point favorite with an over/under total at 37.5.

New York’s defense has been superb once again this year ranking 3rd in the NFL in points allowed (16.3 ppg) and ranking 3rd in rushing defense (87.4 yards per game). That’s a good thing considering that Cleveland RB Hillis is coming off a career rushing day and has been all but unstoppable when healthy this season (184 yards, 2 TDs).

The Jets should be able to keep Hillis under control and Rex & Co. will try and force the rookie McCoy to beat them with his arm. And he just might do it. The Jets one weakness on D has been against the pass having given up 12 TD passes with just 5 INT.

If McCoy is able to toss a TD pass or two, and avoid turning the ball over the Browns will win this NFL gambling matchup.

This will be the first Thursday night game of the season. Fans love the mid-week game, teams hate it. Thursday night games mean a short prep week and little time to game plan for an opponent. That means that little things like turnovers, home field advantage and third-down conversions could play huge roles in a potential win.

Kickoff for this Thursday matchup is set for 8:25 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Falcons as a 1-point favorite with an over/under total at 43.

The NFL gambling lines maker like the Falcons and so should you.

This game is almost too close to call and the small details will be huge in this matchup.

Atlanta has a big edge in takeaways this season (19 vs. 12 for Baltimore) and that is something that could sway the game in their advantage.

Another advantage for the Falcons is the team’s running attack (136.5) which is tied for 6th best in the league going up against the Ravens run defense which surprisingly ranks 13th in the NFL and is allowing 104.8 ypg. If the Falcons can establish the run and control the time of possession they have a very good chance of winning this game.

More likely both teams will have a tough time running the ball and will be forced to pass more than either side would like.

Again, the Falcons would have the advantage as Matt Ryan is a better QB and the Falcons passing game is slightly better statistically. Both Ryan and Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco has been playing well but Ryan has better receivers (WR Roddy White and TE Tony Gonzalez) and even though Flacco will be throwing at a Falcons pass defense that’s given up 350.5 yards passing per game the nod still goes to Ryan who will be playing at home and won’t have to deal with crowd noise.

Baltimore is one of the most complete teams in the league and could very easily win this matchup, but if you’re going to play the sports betting action on this game the home team Falcons seem like the smart pick.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 1:05 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Jets as a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 44.5.

It may seem strange but that’s exactly the type of season it’s been so far in the NFL. Parity is at an all time high with no undefeated teams surviving the first month of the season and no clear cut favorite among the ranks. The Pats have the best record in the league at 6-1 but no one is convinced of this team.

The Jets are tied for the second best record in the league and may be the best team but this group faces a dog fight in Detroit this weekend and may not survive.

Detroit is a team on the rise and better than its 2-5 record indicates. After losing its starting QB and rising star, Matthew Stafford, after only a few quarters of action the team floundered for the first month of the season. But with Shaun Hill doing an impressive job filling in behind center and the defense starting to come alive this team is now 2-2 over its past 4 games and is scoring almost 32 points a game (2nd best in the NFL).

With Stafford back in the lineup this team has even more potential to score in the NFL betting odds competition as evidenced by his 4 TD game last week against a tough Redskins D.

The Jets have the 2nd best defense in the league (15.7 ppg) and are all but impossible to run against (88.7 ypg on the ground). But the Lions are not a good running team and will give the ball to Stafford to beat the Jest in the air.

This has been the Jets’ weakness all season. And even though the team’s 218.6 yards passing allowed per game isn’t atrocious, the team has given up 10 passing TDs in 7 games and has just 5 INTs.

That is a very favorable matchup for the gun slinging Lions and even if they don’t win they should be able to beat the sports betting point spread.

A Total of 18 meetings and Arkansas has won 11 times and the Gamecocks 7 times. See the NCAA Betting lines at SBGGlobal.com on this important SEC match-up which will be on ESPN TV. It’s amazing that these two teams come into this game and both are 6-2 overall with South Carolina leading in conference wins with 4-2 while Arkansas is 3-2. What’s also interesting is that each of these two teams has a loss to Auburn with Arkansas other loss to Alabama and South Carolinas second loss was to Kentucky!

In this division the Gamecocks can guarantee reaching the SEC title game by a win against Arkansas and with a win by Vanderbilt over Florida. If Florida wins then there will be a shootout next week in Gainesville for the East Title, and Florida is a heavy favorite to win! For three years the Gamecocks have started at 6-2 only to have problems finished the season in each of those seasons. In 2007 they lost the last 5 games, and then they lost the final three games in 2008 and in 2009 four of the last five.

You can believe that is being discussed regularly in team meetings. The Arkansas team will be challenging the Gamecocks defense who has allowed 260 yards passing per game and the QB for Arkansas Mallet who was named last week’s SEC player of the week throwing for 409 yards and 3 TD’s. One drawback for Arkansas is their leading receiver last week was injured and is out for the season.

Fortunately they have some depth at WR. Arkansas has won three of the last four games against the Gamecocks winning last season 33-16. The two QB’s last year had very similar statistics with Mallet having 329 yards with 23 of 27 passes for the Razorbacks and Garcia had 327 yards with 20 of 34 passes. Check out the NCAA Football Odds on the SEC game.

Interestingly the SBGGlobal Sportsbook Odds makers in this SEC Match-up have the Gamecocks favored at -4 with the OV/UN 45 ½ and on the Money Line the Gamecocks are -185 and the Razorbacks are +165. Take notice that these Odds are subject to instantaneous change based on wagering volume!

As with any game featuring the Colts the focus point for both teams will be Peyton Manning. It’s difficult to appreciate what he does on a weekly basis because he’s so consistent there hasn’t been a player that’s dominated so thoroughly for so long since perhaps Joe Montana. The only difference is that Joe Montana played in the pre-free agent era and was surrounded with hall of fame talent in San Fran throughout his career.

For Manning, who turns whoever plays with him into a Pro Bowler, it’s much more of challenge playing with an inferior supporting cast, but it doesn’t seem to matter. Any time he has the ball in his hands it’s simply expected that he’ll do something great.

Most teams have basically given up trying to stop him on defense and instead the preferred game plan for beating the Colts is simply keeping the ball out of his hands. For teams that are able to eat clock with a dominant run game this strategy has been successful.

However, the Skins do not possess such a running game and in fact have one of the worst rushing games in the NFL gambling action. The team ranks 25th out of 32 teams in the league and is averaging just 88.6 yards on the ground per game. That stat is must have the Skins D-coordinator sweating bullets. And even if the Skins defense can contain Manning for a half, which is very possible considering how well Washington’s secondary has been playing of late, no one is better at making second half adjustments than the Colts’ Offensive Coordinator, who also moonlight’s as the team’s starting QB.

But the skins have the next best thing to a strong running game and that’s a West Coast offense full of dink and dunk passes that eat up a lot of time in their own right.

It’s hard to say if that will be enough against the Colts and most likely it won’t be as Manning leads his team to another narrow win in the sports betting odds on Sunday.

Unfortunately for the Panthers they won’t be playing any of these 0-3 teams this week but rather the defending Super Bowl champion Saints and Drew Brees.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 1:05 Eastern Time and sbg sportsbook opened with the Saints as a 13.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 44.5.

As is generally the case after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy the Saints have struggled a bit this year. Granted it’s played some quality competition and 2-1 versus the Falcons, Vikings and Niners on the road isn’t a bad outcome, all things considered. But this team is not the high flying, dominant circus act it was last season –at least not yet.

But the offense should get plenty of opportunities to pad the stats against the Panthers 22nd ranked defense. Brees should pick apart a Panthers secondary that’s only giving up 207 yards per game but has given up 6 passing TDs in just 3 games. The run defense is even worse (111 rushing yards per game) and the Saints will be able to set up their devastating play action with little worry.

The Saints defense, which depends on turnovers to keep execute, will have a feast against the stable of noodle-armed QB on the Panther’s roster. Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen have combined for 6 INTs and 2 TDs through the first three games. New Orleans’ secondary will surely add to that total.

The Saints defense hasn’t been as effective as it was last season but the Panthers offense should be just what the doctor ordered. The secondary should get a pick or two and the interior defense should have little problem shutting down Carolina’s decrepit running game in which talented backs Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams are combining for just 82.7 yards a game.

Saints will steam roll the Panthers in this sports betting showdown.