Super Bowl 2014: 5 reasons to bet on the Seahawks
Defense wins championships, NFC teams cover Super Bowl spreads and Super Bowl underdogs bite hard. Check out more reasons why Seattle will win the Super Bowl, from Odds Shark.
Jonathan Ferrey
The Seattle Seahawks were the NFL's best defense by a wide margin in 2013, giving up 442 fewer yards than the next-best defense and allowing an NFL-low 14.4 points per game.
If any team can stop the greatest offense in NFL history, it is this Seattle squad. Here are five reasons why the Seattle Seahawks will win Super Bowl XLVIII and why Seahawks bettors will be smiling after betting on their team at +2.5 late Sunday.
1. Defense Wins Championships
Time and time again we see the great defensive teams of the playoffs come out on top of the great offenses. The New York Giants over the New England Patriots twice in the last six years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, Baltimore over New York in Super Bowl XXXV.
The list goes on and on, and this elite defense certainly belongs on this list. In four recent Super Bowls where the top defensive team faced the top offensive club, the defense won three times.
Expert Picks: SB Nation's Panel breaks down Super Bowl XLVIII
Denver did a great job of shutting down San Diego and New England, but neither team has an elite running back like Marshawn Lynch.
Lynch gets stronger as the game goes on while opposing defenses start to wear down. The best defense against Peyton Manning is to keep him off the field, and Lynch gives Seattle the ability to do just that.
3. Brisk Conditions
Even if there is no snow at MetLife Stadium (and you can bet on whether that will happen or not), the bitter cold weather will still be a factor for both teams. Cold-weather games tend to favor the more physical team, and with Seattle’s top-five running game and hard-hitting defense, the weather should be an advantage for the Seahawks.
4. NFC Conference Supremacy
The NFC has proven to be the stronger conference in recent years with a 4-2 SU and 5-1 ATS record over the last six Super Bowls. The team representing the NFC has generally been the stronger defensive team and has come out on top in the big game.
Seattle loses its strong home-field advantage here at a neutral site, however, a key handicapper factor for those with a bet on NFL football menus in Vegas or online.
5. Seattle Strong in Role of Underdog
The Seattle Seahawks have a lot of team pride, making them a very dangerous team to set as an underdog. Seattle is 17-3-1 ATS over its last 21 games as an underdog, with a 9-5 SU record in its last 14 games as a dog.
And Super Bowl underdogs have dominated lately as well, with the dogs going 5-1 ATS and winning four of those games outright.
