Katy Perry Meets Filmstudy?
I see this as a very lopsided game. The Seahawks looked dreadful in the NFC Championship with the exception of the last five minutes, and the Patriots – deflated balls and all – were dominant. The game will remain close in the first half while the adrenaline and nerves of playing in the Super Bowl are running high. But once the game slows down the Patriots will emerge as the better team because they’re simply too explosive on offense.
The Patriots have too many weapons and Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas are both dinged up. If the Patriots don’t win by double digits it will be close and Bill Belichick and Tom Brady will be adding another Super Bowl*** victory to their resume. Patriots 30, Seahawks 20. I really hope I’m wrong. ~ Ryan Jones
So often in sports, the team that barely escaped in a win plays lights out in their next game, while the team that dominates can be lackadaisical.
Two weeks ago, the Seahawks seemed lucky and the Patriots were dominant, but the difference in talent level between the Packers and Colts is large.
When the Patriots have won their rings, it’s been by a field goal. When the Seahawks won last year, it was domination.
I expect Seattle’s mental and physical strength to overpower the Patriots.
Seattle 40, New England 17. Russell Wilson MVP (400 total yards, 2 TD, 0 INT). ~ Mike Fast
Nothing would shock me more if the Patriots didn’t win in dominant fashion just to give everyone outside of New England even more of a reason to despise them. The longer Seattle’s offense can keep Brady off the field the better. “Beast Mode” needs to do all of his talking on the field this week. My heart wants Seattle to win 164,000 to zip but my head says Patriots 28 Seahawks 17. ~ Brian Bower
I think I speak for most of us when I say #AnyoneButNewEngland. And as a former Seahawks fan (they were my team when Baltimore didn’t have a team), I have a little rooting interest. I look at it this way… The Seahawks have played very well this season and I see their team as very similar to the Ravens. They have a really good running game, solid receivers who can get the log ball, and one of the best QBs in the game who just makes plays. Defensively, the Ravens front 7 is better but the Seahawks secondary is miles ahead of the Ravens. Baltimore should have beaten the Patriots a few weeks ago and if Seattle can have a similar game plan, with a better secondary, they should be able to win. Seahawks win back-to-back titles, 35-31. ~ Joe Polek
It’s hard to make a prediction while trying to remove the stench of the latest Patriots’ Cheat-Gate from one’s football senses. But here goes….
Frankly, I can’t see how the Seahawks will lose if they bring their A game to University of Phoenix Stadium this Sunday. Three weeks ago the Ravens provided the blueprint for beating the Patriots, a formula the Colts inexplicably didn’t follow, deflated footballs or not. Seattle’s Pete Carroll and D.C. Dan Quinn won’t have that brain cramp. Russell Wilson is more multi-talented that Joe Flacco, Marshawn Lynch is Justin Forsett twice amplified, and I shouldn’t have to say this, but the Hawks’ defensive backfield is light years better than the Ravens unit that gift-wrapped the divisional playoff game for Tom Brady.
Seahawks 31, Patriots 17. ~ Fran Vojik
I have never been less excited about a Super Bowl. I honestly don’t see how the Pats win. SEATTLE stops the run…are good on the back end and get pressure with four.
But I’d say Sherman and Thomas are less then 100 percent if they are it gives NE a puncher’s chance.
Seattle 27 Pats 20 ~ Ken Zalis
New England thrives with their “Evil Empire” tag and handles the Seahawks by at least 7. The Ravens are left to wonder if the game at Foxboro was indeed the Super Bowl and the penalties for #deflategate, while harsh, will never replace the lost trip to XLIX. ~ Ken McKusick
Both defenses shut each other down, scoring under 20 total points in the first 3 quarters, but the New England offense gets it going in the 4th quarter, racking up 14 points to give them a 24-7 Super Bowl victory***. ~ Tyler Lombardi
Two years ago, the Ravens went through Peyton Manning then Tom Brady on their way to winning a Lombardi Trophy. If the Seattle Seahawks can manage a similar path (though separated by a year, not a week), they’d earn two of the prizes. Not only that, but they’d certainly cement their claim to being one of the best defenses of all time. Hopefully the motivation of that outweighs New England’s motivation to embrace their “Us Against Everyone” mentality – which we know all about here in Baltimore – and throw up middle fingers to the world.
The Legion of Boom doesn’t make Brady look quite as pedestrian as they did Manning, but they and their 12th Man (remember how loud New York was with Seattle fans? Arizona is quite a bit closer for them) do enough to capture their second straight title. ~ Derek Arnold
I loath the New England Patriots and deep down inside even their fans have to be disgusted with them, tainting a legacy that probably would have been as accomplished and more chivalrous without the dirty work. But we’ll never know.
Super Sunday won’t solve the mystery that shrouds the Patriots but it will be a highly entertaining game and boil down to the last possession. The Seahawks depend on Beast Mode to get their offense going. Look for the Pats to try and contain the Skittles peddler and to keep Russell Wilson in the pocket. If New England can do that Seattle will need turnovers to win. That said, judging from the Patriots inability to stop Justin Forsett, look for Marshawn Lynch to be beastly. The Patriots keep it close but a failed two-point conversion is the difference as the Seahawks repeat, winning by the score of 24-22.
Here are some prop bet picks:
BET: Which song will Katy Perry perform first at Halftime?
- Firework 3/2
- Roar 3/2
- This Is How We Do 5/1
- Dark Horse 12/1
- E.T. 12/1
- Wide Awake 12/1
- Waking Up In Vegas 20/1
PICK: Wide Awake (I’m hoping everyone is due to a great game)
BET: How many times will “Deflated Balls” be referred to during the game?
- Over/Under 2½
PICK: Over (7)
BET: Will it be mentioned that Pete Carroll was the last head coach of the Patriots?
- Yes +110 (11/10)
- No -150 (2/3)
PICK: Yes
BET: Groundhog Day Parlay
- Punxsutawney Phil sees shadow and Patriots win the Super Bowl 5/2
- Punxsutawney Phil does not see shadow and Patriots win the Super Bowl 11/5
- Punxsutawney Phil sees shadow and Seahawks win the Super Bowl 11/4
- Punxsutawney Phil does not see shadow and Seahawks win the Super Bowl 12/5
PICK: Phil sees no shadow and the Seahawks win
BET: Total Passing Yards – Tom Brady (NE)
- Over/Under 260½
PICK: Under (247)
BET: Total Rushing Yards – LeGarrette Blount (NE)
- Over/Under 62½
PICK: Under (41)
BET: Total Receiving Yards – Rob Gronkowski (NE)
- Over/Under 72½
PICK: Over (87)
BET: Total Rushing Yards – Russell Wilson (SEA)
- Over/Under 40½
PICK: Over (55)
BET: Total Rushing Attempts in the game – Marshawn Lynch (SEA)
- Over/Under 20½
PICK: Over (25)
BET: Total Points – Steven Hauschka (SEA)
- Over/Under 7½
PICK: Under (6)
~ Tony Lombardi
