Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots clash in Superbowl XLIX in Phoenix on Sunday with most pundits forecasting a very tight match.
The Seahawks closed out the regular season with four straight victories but had to produce a remarkable late rally to overcome Green Bay Packers. The Seahawks’ passing game was exposed for almost an hour by the Packers and that will not have gone unnoticed by New England. Their late fight-back to stun Green Bay was sealed with Jermaine Kearse scoring a thrilling overtime touchdown strike.
Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson rescued Seattle. The Patriots will focus on stopping Wilson from making the big plays and stop the marauding runs of Lynch. No quarterback has a higher percentage under pressure than Wilson and how New England deal with him is likely to be the key to the match.
Seahawks’ Pete Carroll will become only the seventh coach in history to lead his side to back-to-back Superbowl victories if they are successful on Sunday. His rival Belichick already has three Superbowl wins as head coach and two as an assistant, his most recent being in 2004. His tactical genius is certain to come into play in such a tight match as this.
New England quarterback Tom Brady will be making his sixth appearance in a Super Bowl and is seeking record-equalling fourth victory. That would put him alongside Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.
The Patriots have one of the most efficient offenses in the league with Tom Brady running the show. They are always prepared to adapt to whatever the opposition throws at them. The stats for the past three years reveal that only the 49ers have allowed fewer yards after initial contact on a per-carry basis.
The total points market was trading at 48 earlier in the week and it is very tempting to go short with two such evenly-matched teams. The touchdown market could hold some value in supporting James Develin at 12/1. He is as short as 5-1 elsewhere so that 12-1 may not last long.
New England were the last team to successfully defend the Superbowl in 2005 and are aiming to prevent the Seahawks from replicating that achievement. They could just have the experience to withstand another late surge from the Seahawks and cling on for a nail-biting victory.
Patriots to win by 1-6 @7-2 Bet365
James Develin touchdown at any time @12-1 BetVictor
Total points under 47.5 @10-11 William Hill
Betfair:
Bet on Henrik Stenson to become the BMW PGA Championship Winner.
Paddypower:
Back Australia to take the Ashes home with them.
Betway:
Back Rafael Nadal to become the Mens French Open Winner.
Coral:
Back One For Arthur to win the Grand National.
Bet365:
Back Mexico to win the Confederations Cup.
