The New England Patriots are no strangers to playing in the Super Bowl in this building. They played here back in Superbowl 42 in a 17-14 loss to the New York Giants, the Loss that ended their bid for a perfect season. This marks the 8th Super Bowl appearance for the Patriots in franchise history, having gone 3-4 in the previous 7 games. In franchise history, the Patriots hold a record of 27-18. New England got off to a slow start during the regular season, but managed to right the ship to claim the AFC East crown and head into the playoffs on a hot streak. New England ended up finishing the season with a 12–4 record and the number one seed in the AFC. They finished fourth in the NFL in scoring (468 points) and eighth in points allowed (313), and had the largest point differential in the NFL (with an average margin of victory of 9.7 points). The Patriots defeated the Baltimore Ravens 35–31 in the AFC Divisional playoffs, and then defeated the Indianapolis Colts 45–7 in the AFC Championship Game. With their appearance in this Super Bowl, the Patriots join the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers as one of the three teams that collectively share the record for most all-time Super Bowl appearances, as each has appeared in eight separate Super Bowls to date.
Seattle is making the big game for the 2nd year in a row, becoming the first team to do that since the New England Patriots did it in 2004 and 2005. Before last year, Seattle had made one other appearance in the big game, that coming back in Superbowl 40 in 2--5, a loss to the Steelers. Seattle has a lifetime record of 14-12. As far as this season goes Seattle, much like New England, got off to a rocky start. However, they went on from there to win nine of their final 10 regular season games, preventing their opponents from scoring any touchdowns in five of them. By the time they finished with a 12–4 record and entered the playoffs, they had earned the number one seed, and not allowed any touchdowns in the previous 10 quarters. Their defense ranked first in the NFL in fewest points allowed (254) and their offense was tied at first in rushing yards (2,762). The Seahawks defeated the Carolina Panthers 31–17 in the NFC Divisional playoffs, and then defeated the Green Bay Packers 28–22 in the NFC Championship Game. Pete Carroll will be the fourth head coach to face his former team: Weeb Ewbank defeated the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, Dan Reeves lost to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII and Jon Gruden defeated the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. Pete Carroll coached the Patriots from 1997 to 1999, and he was succeeded by Bill Belichick.
For the second season in a row, and only the third time in 21 seasons, the number one seed from each conference will meet in the league championship game. This also marks the first ever playoff meeting between Seattle and New England. This is going to be a very physical football game. Both teams come in with the exact same regular season record, although New England had a slightly higher scoring offense. Its going to come down to two things, the run game and the defense. From an offensive perspective, sure New England has the better passing attack. That's no knock on Russel Wilson as a passer but not only is Tom brady a better passer, but he has better weapons to throw to. Sure Doug Baldwin and Jermain Kearse are good wide outs, but I just feel that Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are slightly better. This is where the defense will really come into play. The Legion of Boom, lets face facts, are a better defense than that of New England. They were able to contain Green Bay in the NFC title game, allowing the offense to get back into the game and help Seattle pull it out. Besides, knowing how well Seattle studies tapes. They are in all likelyhood going to do what Baltimore did in the divisional round. Make life miserable for Brady. I know the Patriots won that game, but Seattle has enough talent to do somethign the Ravens couldn't and that's finish the game off when they have a chance.
The Patriots held the Colts to 83 rushing yards, but face a more daunting task against Marshawn Lynch. Lynch finished the league as the best rusher in the entire league, finishing with 1,306 rush yards on the year. Sure New England has a good running game with LeGarrette Blount. Blount provided a spark by gaining 281 yards and averaging 4.7 per carry in five regular-season games after being cut by Pittsburgh. Now throw in the fact that he rushed for 148 yards and three TDs against the Colts. Those are some stellar numbers. As good as Blunt has been, he's facing the best defense in the league. Seattle hasn't yielded more than 73 yards to any rusher since Kansas City's Jamaal Charles had 159 on Nov. 16 in its most recent defeat. Also if you noticed, the last two Patriots loss in the Super Bowl, both of which were against the New York Giants, they lost to the top defense in the entire league.
Here's how I see this game going down. The Seahawks' defense overwhelms the Patriots' offense with its collective speed, physicality and athleticism. The "Legion of Boom" is going to bully Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell and Danny Amendola while also putting a blanket around Rob Gronkowski to force Tom Brady into a miserable day. The offense does what is has to do and takes the title.
The Pick: Seattle Seahawks
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