Super Bowl 49 will pit a pair of recent NFL blue bloods against each other. The New England Patriots will make their sixth Super Bowl appearance since Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have been together in Foxborough. The Seattle Seahawks have similar dynastic aspirations under head coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Russell Wilson, coming off a Super Bowl win last season.
How to watch Super Bowl XLIX: TV schedule, online stream, radio and more
The Seahawks may have a burgeoning dynasty, but to prove it they’ll need to take down the most successful NFL team of this century in Super Bowl 49. Here’s how to watch.
Good luck picking a winner. The Patriots are 1-point favorites according to OddShark, perhaps on the strength of a dominant win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship. Conversely, the Seahawks had to crawl out of a significant deficit to beat the Green Bay Packers in an NFC Championship thriller. Fans should be wary of recency bias, however. A week prior, it was the Pats squeaking past the Baltimore Ravens, 35-31, while the Seahawks blew out the Carolina Panthers.
Both teams understand postseason pressure as well any NFL franchises can, so don’t expect a letdown now.
The most eye-catching matchup, on paper, is New England’s offense against a Seattle defense that ranked No. 1 in the NFL allowing the fewest yards and points against during the regular season. The Patriots offense has been strong this season, though perhaps hasn’t reached the same heights as recent iterations. Still, Belichick’s ingenuity has made the unit look fearsome the last two weeks.
Against the Ravens, the Belichick all but abandoned the run, allowing Brady to pass the ball 50 times even after the Patriots had surmounted a 14-point deficit. Against the Colts, New England reinvigorated the running game, giving LeGarrette Blount 30 carries as he piled up 148 yards and three touchdowns. The Patriots averaged more than 400 yards and scored 35 and 45 points in those two games, respectively.
With two weeks to prepare, Belichick and Carroll should both be at their best, giving you plenty of reason to tune in.
How to Watch
Date: Sunday, Feb. 1
Super Bowl kickoff time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Super Bowl TV: NBC
Announcers: Al Michaels (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Michele Tafoya (sideline)
Super Bowl 49 live stream: The game will stream off the NBC Sports website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra mobile app for tablet and phones. No cable or satellite subscription required.
Radio: XM 225 & 85 | Seattle: KIRO-FM (97.3) & KIRO (710 AM) | New England: WBZ-FM (98.5)
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