SUPER BOWL XLIX
No. 1 New England Patriots (14-4) vs. No. 1 Seattle Seahawks (14-4)
Kickoff: 6:30pm
The Line: Pick'em!
The Lowdown: It's the matchup that everyone's been waiting to see, despite the noteworthy unlike-ability of both these squads. Nobody outside of New England enjoys seeing the Patriots win due to their checkered past (not even going into it...enough is enough) and overall frosty demeanor. Seattle, in their own right, followed their miracle victory last week by crying as if they were middle-aged mothers who just found out they were in attendance at an Oprah's "Favorite Things" taping.
These two top seeds certainly their bumps on the way to the Big Game. The Pats got all they could handle from the Ravens in the Divisional Round, falling behind by 14 points on two different occasions. But unlikely as that eventual victory was, the Seahawks totally out-did them with a complete Houdini act against Green Bay in the NFC Championship. There came a point in the fourth quarter where about two dozen things had to break right for Seattle to win. And just like dominos, each one came through.
But then again, there's a reason these two were the top seeds in their conference, and a reason both are the final teams standing. New England has Tom Brady orchestrating a potent pass offense, with some serious help from tight end Rob Gronkowski. A great offense is nothing new for the Pats- but their revamped defense has been a welcomed change for their squad. Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Devin McCourty...all the sudden it's not so easy to chuck the ball on them anymore.
Well, Seattle doesn't care very much about tossing the ball anyway. Running back Marshawn Lynch- as knuckle-headed as he ay be from time to time- is the force behind everything the Seahawks do on offense. He is a punishing runner, capable receiver, and someone who is a nightmare to tackle for four straight quarters. Quarterback Russell Wilson works in the pass and runs of his own to complete the offense. But much like last season's historic unit, Seattle's identity is in its defense. The same defense that refused to let the NFC Championship get out of control when Wilson threw interception after interception early in the game. The same defense that terrified Peyton Manning and the Broncos straight out of the building in last year's Super Bowl. Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, Bobby Wagner, Michael Bennett...there are stars every place you look.
So with the two potent defenses taking the field, many folks are going south on the 47.5 over/under line. The key to the game will be Lynch's ability to gash New England's defensive front vs. Brady's ability to maneuver his way around Seattle's suffocating secondary.
The Pick: Very little drama in this one. I thought the Colts had a chance to take down New England, and maybe they would have if that Pats hadn't cheated (one last trolling job to take into the long offseason.) Seattle played some of the worst football they were capable of ever playing two weeks ago, yet still found a way. Though they won't quite have their vicious homefield advantage in the Super Bowl, early reports are that the Seahawks:Patriots fan ratio is tilted heavy towards the west coasters. I saw what this defense did in eviscerating Denver last year, and I saw them somehow keep the Seahawks in a game from hell two weeks ago. New England is a great team...and Seattle is just an itty bitty bit better. The last time the Patriots played a Super Bowl in Arizona,
Seahawks 16, Patriots 10
