A woman takes a photo of Roman numerals for Super Bowl XLIX Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015, in downtown Phoenix. The New England Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
It all comes down to the final game of the season; and for the second year in a row, both number one seeds from each conference will meet up in the Super Bowl.
The defending NFC and Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will square off against the AFC champion New England Patriots on the biggest stage in all of sports on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona.
No team has won back-to-back titles since the 2003-2004 Patriots. How ironic that the Seahawks are trying to repeat as champions against the last team that was able to pull off that feat.
There is a lot at stake for the New England Patriots in this game. The Patriots are trying to end a decade-long championship drought filled with controversy, including deflated footballs.
“Deflate-gate” has dominated the headlines leading up to this year’s Super Bowl and seems to shadow Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady wherever they go nowadays. Both the head coach and quarterback have done everything they can to deflect the allegations against the organization and shift their focus to the Seahawks, but the constant media attention is hard to ignore. It’s a shame that the majority of the headlines have been dedicated to footballs and not the actual football game, but “deflate-gate” should not be a factor in the outcome of this year’s Super Bowl.
A victory in Super Bowl 49 would give Brady and Belichick their fourth Super Bowl ring. A victory would also put Brady in elite company when it comes to the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Brady would become only the third quarterback to win four Super Bowls along with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw. A victory would align Belichick with former legendary Steelers coach Chuck Noll as the only coaches to win four Super Bowls.
The Seahawks are looking for the second consecutive Super Bowl title and second in team history in only three appearances. With a victory, quarterback Russell Wilson would join Brady as the only two quarterbacks to win two Super Bowls in their first four seasons. When the game kicks off, Wilson will surpass Brady as the youngest quarterback to start two Super Bowls.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was replaced by Belichick as head coach of the Patriots back in 2000. Oh, how the times have changed.
There are many matchups that make this Super Bowl one of the most intriguing contests in recent history. As of right now, it could be the most even matchup in Super Bowl history. Vegas has the Patriots as a one-point favorite and if that stands, it could be the closest spread in the history of the Super Bowl. The game is a classic matchup of a great offense with New England versus a great defense in Seattle, but don’t overlook the matchup of the opposite groups.
Here are some matchups to look forward to.
1. Which quarterback will steal the show?
Tom Brady has been in these situations before. Six Super Bowl appearances is something to be proud of, but a victory Sunday will put Brady in the discussion as the greatest quarterback of all time. Brady has demons to exorcise in Glendale. Facing perfection, Brady and the Patriots faltered against the Giants in Super Bowl 42. There will certainly be motivation from that loss with Brady and the Patriots. Brady has a tough task preparing for the NFL-leading Seahawks defense that stifled Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in last years’ Super Bowl.
The dual-threat ability of Russell Wilson makes him one of the most prolific players in the NFL. What Wilson is good at is extending plays with his feet, making throws inside and outside the pocket and getting the ball downfield with his arm strength. The Patriots’ secondary is one of the best in the NFL but hasn’t looked like it in the playoffs. The play-action passing game could benefit Wilson and the Seahawks in the game.
2. How will the Seahawks try and stop Rob Gronkowski?
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is arguably the greatest weapon in the NFL. When Gronkowski is healthy, Brady and the passing game is better. With 1,124 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns for the year, Gronkowski is the top tight end in football and the top target for Brady. The linebackers and safeties for the Seahawks will do the majority of coverage on Gronkowski. Whether it’s safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor or linebackers K.J. Wright and Bobby Wagner, they’ll need to be physical like they have all season in order to stop Gronkowski running routes up the middle of the field.
3. How will the Patriots defense try and contain Marshawn Lynch?
Seahawks running back Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch is quiet when it comes to talking to the media, but his play on the field is anything but quiet. Lynch has rushed for 1,306 yards on the season adding on 13 scores, good for fourth in the NFL. His physical style of running has given teams problems all season as he could run through tackles and dash by defenders on the outside. Players like Vince Wilfork, Rob Ninkovich, Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower on the front seven for the Patriots defense will have a tough time defending Lynch, but they have the talent to contain him and limit his yards. The odds are we’ll see a heavy load of “beast mode” Sunday.
4. Which group of wide receivers will make more plays?
You won’t see any big names in either group of wide receivers, but that hasn’t slowed both teams down all season. The average football fan probably can’t name a receiver on the Seahawks roster. The top two receivers for the Seahawks, Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse, aren’t the most talented, but they make plays attacking the ball when it’s in the air and fight for the football. Don’t underestimate emerging tight end Luke Willson either.
The Patriots have a combination of small shifty receivers in the slot and big physical playmakers. Slot receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola help move the chains for Brady, and Gronkowski and wide receiver Brandon Lafell provide big targets down the field. The problem for the Patriots’ wide receivers is that none of them can create separation and make plays on their own. The Seahawks’ secondary is a favorable matchup against the Patriots wide receivers.
If this year’s edition of the Super Bowl ends up like last year’s, I would be shocked. The matchups across the board are almost even, and the game could go either way.
The difference for me in this game is Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. What Belichick is good at is providing bulletin board material for his team to motivate them. Some may also say that he’s good at bending the rules a little bit, but that’s a different story. Belichick will use all the distractions surrounding the Patriots as motivation to lead them to a win.
The Seahawks defense will give Tom Brady problems, but I see Brady driving down the field for the game-winning and legacy-sealing drive to win his fourth Super Bowl.
Prediction: Patriots 24, Seahawks 21
