The Super Bowl represents the culmination of another NFL season. This year, the game also serves as a showcase for the best franchise of the millennium’s first decade and the team that may usurp that title for the next 10 years.
Watch Super Bowl 2015 online with NBC live stream of Patriots vs. Seahawks
Legacies are on the line during Super Bowl XLIX.
In the era of free agency, the New England Patriots have enjoyed an unthinkably long reign atop the NFL. Over the last 14 seasons, the Patriots have missed the playoffs only twice, each time falling a single game short. The core that drives New England was and remains head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. With those two at the helm, the Patriots have changed form many times. Their early years were defined by a tough ground game and a strong defense, their middle chapters were best known for high-flying passing attacks, and of late they’ve returned to the formula that made them special in the first place.
In addition to Brady, the Patriots lean heavily on tight end Rob Gronkowski. The All-Pro caught 82 passes for 1,124 yards in 2014 along with 12 touchdowns. Those numbers are even more impressive when considering that he played on a limited snap count through the first quarter of the season while recovering from an ACL tear suffered the previous year. Gronkowski’s speed and athleticism help create mismatches against linebackers in coverage while his size (6’6, 265 pounds) proves too much for defensive backs. Even taller corners like Seattle’s Richard Sherman can get out-muscled by Gronk.
Speaking of Seattle, what the Seahawks lack in overall size they account for with team speed. Their front seven includes some of the league’s most athletic defenders, such as All-Pros Bobby Wagner and Michael Bennett. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn uses these pieces to go on the attack, safe in the knowledge that ultra-rangy safety Earl Thomas roams in center field to correct most mistakes. Because of that safety net, Seattle’s corners can take more risks in coverage without it blowing up in their faces too often.
On offense, the Seahawks will play ball-control football and feed superstar running back Marshawn Lynch. Even behind a lackluster offensive line, Lynch creates issues for any defense. He uses his incredible lower body strength to break tackles while his extra gear allows him to speed past most linebackers and into the secondary. Once he reaches that point, few defensive backs have the ability to take him down on their own. But Lynch isn’t the only dangerous runner in Seattle. Quarterback Russell Wilson finished 16th in rushing this season with 849 yards. That figure placed Wilson among the top 10 for most rushing yards in a single season by a quarterback. Given that New England has struggled at times against the run (its defense ranked 14th against the run in DVOA during the regular season), the combination of Lynch and Wilson could prove especially effective during the Super Bowl.
The New England Patriots enter Sunday with a record of 14-4 counting the playoffs. The Seattle Seahawks also come in at 14-4.
How to watch
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
When: 6:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya
Online streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile, NBCSports.com, WatchESPN
Odds
The Seahawks are 2-point favorites according to OddsShark.
Further reading
For more on the Patriots, check out Pats Pulpit. For additional coverage of the Seahawks, head on over to Field Gulls.
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