Super Bowl XLIX Preview

The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will meet in Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona. Both teams come into the game as the #1 seeds in their conference, and if you watched the NFL all year these are definitely the two best teams in the entire league. Before I get to my prediction, every Super Bowl has a few story lines heading into the game. To me, there are three really big story lines that headline this game:

1) Deflategate. The Patriots have heard about this all week, and they will continue to hear about it even after the game on Sunday. It will have no affect on the game, and no one suspects that the Pats will be deflating footballs for Sunday, but it has caught the attention of the mainstream media down at the Super Bowl. When people look back at this game years from now, the Deflategate issue will be one the most enduring aspects of this game.

2) Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are in their sixth Super Bowl together. They are 3-2, and they are going for that elusive and coveted Super Bowl win number four. That fourth one will up there with the immortals in Super Bowl history. Belichick will tie Chuck Noll, and Brady will tie Joe Montana. It is the last piece of the puzzle for both Brady and Belichick. Everyone has been skeptical of them since they haven’t won a Super Bowl since the Spygate allegations came out in 2007. They lost two heartbreaking games to the Giants in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI. They were literally a helmet catch and a Wes Welker drop from having five Super Bowl titles. Now, they get another shot, and this might be their last and best shot at that Super Bowl.

3) In the era of parity in the NFL, it is so hard just to make it back to the playoffs after winning a Super Bowl. The Seahawks not only returned to the playoffs but are the first Super Bowl defending champion to win at least one playoff game since the 2005 Patriots. Now, they are back in the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. They can become the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the Pats did it in 2003 and 2004. It would vault Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson to another level if they can get their second Super Bowl win in a row. Plus, how amazing would it be if they knocked off Peyton Manning and Tom Brady both years in route to winning the Super Bowl consecutive years. The Seahawks have a chance to etch their names deeper into NFL history with a win on Sunday.

Here is the breakdown of Super Bowl XLIX and the prediction….

Last Week’s Record: 2-0

Overall Playoff Record: 5-5

Regular Season Record: 135-113-8

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

A Case for the Seahawks: Does anyone believe that the Seahawks secondary can’t shut down the Patriots receivers? Outside of Rob Gronkowski, no one on the Pats roster seems to strike fear into the Legion of Boom. It looks like a big time mismatch. Also, remember in last year’s Super Bowl how Denver just couldn’t block the Seahawks defensive line. There is a part of me that thinks the same can happen this week-especially if NE starting center Bryan Stork is out. The Seahawks might be able to tee off on Tom Brady up the middle and in the pocket. There is something about Russell Wilson. Can’t you see the Pats containing him for three quarters and then all of a sudden when the game is tight at the end, he starts running around and making Russell Wilson-type plays? The same could be said for Marshawn Lynch. The Pats could have him bottled up for most of the game, and then all of a sudden he starts breaking 35 yard runs and running through the entire Patriots defense. Finally, maybe the karma is on the Seahawks side. They avoided controversy all week because the focus was on the Patriots and Deflategate. They are the defending champs, and no one is talking about them. They escaped the NFC Championship and shouldn’t even be in the Super Bowl. Maybe it is just their year, and their time once again.

A Case for the Patriots: You know that the Pats will find a way to exploit the one part of the Seattle defense that they can exploit. They will find a way to move the ball with Tom Brady and that offense. If Green Bay was able to move the ball effectively on Seattle, then you know that the Pats will as well. I think the Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas injuries that they suffered in the NFC Championship will be worth a look. If they are both not 100%, then the edge goes to the Patriots in a big way. On defense, the Patriots secondary matches up very favorably to the Seattle WRs. I don’t see a good matchup for any of the Seahawks receivers against anyone in that NE secondary. When you give Belichick two weeks to figure out a team, then you would expect the Patriots to have a solid game plan and give Russell Wilson some problems. This might the Patriots last, best chance at winning a Super Bowl in the Brady/Belichick era. All hands will be on deck and you can expect the Pats to coach and play their ass off in this one. Everything will be left out there on the field on Sunday-you can bet on that. Finally, can’t you see the Patriots using the whole Deflategate scandal as motivation? When the Patriots feel threatened, then they can be very dangerous. Don’t underestimate the power of motivation for Belichick and his team. They might just go off just on principle.

Prediction: NEW ENGLAND (-1) over Seattle: This has all the makings of a great Super Bowl. I think it will be a close game that goes back and forth. In the end, I think the Pats will find a way to win this game. I don’t think it will be dramatic with a late field goal, and I can see Brady hitting Gronkowski or Edelman for a key first down throw to clinch the game on a 3rd and 6 or something like that. I think the Pats will do just enough to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Boston and give Brady and Belichick that long awaited fourth Super Bowl and send them in the annals of NFL lore.

Final Score: Patriots-24 Seahawks-19