Odds are out and according to TheSpread.com, the Steelers are 7-point favorites over the Cards.

The Steelers won the AFC North crown with a 12-4 record, and were 9-7 against the spread. They held opponents to 13.9 points a game this season – ranking them No. 1 in the NFL in total defense and points allowed.

Oddsmakers from online sports book Sports Interaction have made the Steelers a 7-point favorite over the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, and have established the over/under total at 47.

The Cardinals were NFC West Champions this year despite finishing with an average 9-7 regular season record. They too were 9-7 against the number this season and won most of their games with their prolific offense, scoring 26.7 points per game and averaging 292.1 passing yards per game.

Fellow TSR writer John Paulsen and I were talking about the game and we both came to a similar notion that Pittsburgh fans will likely push the spread up before kickoff. If the spread gets closer to 10, I would lean towards the dog and just hope that Kurt Warner doesn’t turn the ball over and give the Steelers easy scoring opportunities. If the spread drops, I would probably jump on the Steelers and assume their defense would put the clamps down on ‘Zona’s passing game.

The over/under total has been set at 47, which seems rather high to me. The Steelers don’t score a ton of points and one would figure that their defense would limit the Cards to 20 points or fewer. Regardless, both the line and total seem pegged right by odds makers.