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Seahawks vs Patriots: 15 Bold Predictions for Super Bowl XLIX

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15 Bold Predictions for Super Bowl XLIX

Marshawn Lynch
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

This year’s Super Bowl is set as the No. 1 playoff seeds will square off for the Lombardi Trophy. The New England Patriots will go for their fourth win in eight tries as the Seattle Seahawks will try to take home back-to-back titles in their third overall appearance. One of these teams has no idea what it’s in for and history will repeat itself for both franchises on the game’s biggest stage. Think that’s bold? You ain’t seen nothing yet.

15. The Game Will See Less Than 50 Combined Points Scored

Russell Wilson Marshawn Lynch
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

15. The Game Will See Less Than 50 Combined Points Scored

Russell Wilson Marshawn Lynch
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

This contest will resemble last year’s AFC title game in that New England will struggle to score points. It won’t be quite as lopsided as the Seahawks’ demolition of the Broncos in the Super Bowl a year ago, but Tom Brady will get beaten up and the Patriots will abandon the running game early, making him a sitting duck. The Seahawks will chew up clock on offense and score between 28 and 31 points while holding the Patriots to 17 or less.

14. No Patriots RB Will Have 10 Carries or 30 Yards

Brandon Bolden
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

14. No Patriots RB Will Have 10 Carries or 30 Yards

Brandon Bolden
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

For the second year in a row, New England rode LeGarrette Blount to victory over the Colts in the playoffs. But like they always do, the Patriots will abandon the running game early once they start to get bullied by the Seahawks on both sides of the ball. The Pats like to pretend like they’re a physical squad, but they’re about to get a reality check.

13. Russell Wilson Will Not Throw an Interception

Russell Wilson
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

13. Russell Wilson Will Not Throw an Interception

Russell Wilson
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

After throwing a career-worst four interceptions in the biggest comeback win in Conference Championship Game history, Russell Wilson will be nearly flawless in the Super Bowl against a defense that includes Darrelle Revis. Of course, he won’t throw more than 25 passes, but he’ll complete 70 percent of them and won’t make any mistakes like he did against the Packers.

12. Julian Edelman Will Record Super Bowl Record 12 Receptions

NFL: Detroit Lions at New England Patriots
Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

12. Julian Edelman Will Record Super Bowl Record 12 Receptions

NFL: Detroit Lions at New England Patriots
Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Like most quarterbacks, Tom Brady goes to his security blanket on short dump-off passes when he’s in trouble. However, Brady’s security blanket is his pint-sized water bug receiver, not a regular tight end (don’t worry, we’ll get to Rob Gronkowski next). Because of that – and the fact Brady will throw the ball at least 50 times – Julian Edelman will take home an individual consolation prize to go with the loss: a Super Bowl record 12 receptions.

11. Rob Gronkowski Will Record His Second-Worst Game of the Year

NFL: New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

11. Rob Gronkowski Will Record His Second-Worst Game of the Year

NFL: New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

During the Patriots’ embarrassing 41-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4, Gronk had two catches for 31 yards. He’ll have three catches for roughly 40 yards in this contest and none of them will be meaningful. One of the ways in which Pete Carroll will out-coach Bill Belichick is he’ll take away New England’s top weapon. That’s much easier said than done but if there’s any unit that can do it on this stage, it’s Seattle.

10. The Seahawks Will Score Touchdowns on Both Defense and Special Teams

NFL: Divisional Round-Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

10. The Seahawks Will Score Touchdowns on Both Defense and Special Teams

NFL: Divisional Round-Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Remember the play in last year’s Super Bowl when Peyton Manning got leveled while letting the ball go and Malcolm Smith caught the floating ball and took it all the way back? This play will be almost identical except it will be Kam Chancellor with the pick six. In addition, Doug Baldwin will block a punt that will be scooped up and taken in for a score.

9. An Offensive Lineman Will Record a Reception

Nate Solder
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

9. An Offensive Lineman Will Record a Reception

Nate Solder
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

More and more in the NFL, teams are using offensive linemen as eligible receivers in goal line situations. Although the Seahawks aren’t likely to do that in the Super Bowl, the Patriots definitely are. Heck, this is a team that has put linebackers in at tight end at the goal line in the Super Bowl. A big man may not score, but one of them will catch a pass in this game.

8. Darrelle Revis Will Play Exceptionally Well and No One Will Notice

NFL: AFC Championship-Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

8. Darrelle Revis Will Play Exceptionally Well and No One Will Notice

NFL: AFC Championship-Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Darrelle Revis has one job: shut down the opposing team’s top receiver. The Seahawks’ leading pass-catcher is Doug Baldwin, but he doesn’t have a Calvin Johnson-like effect on their offense. Revis could easily hold Baldwin catchless in this game, but it won’t really help the Patriots. Russell Wilson is good at distributing the ball around and Seattle will expect to lose a receiver to Revis on almost every play and work around it effectively.

7. The Patriots Will Go 0-for-3 on Fourth Down Attempts

Tom Brady
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

7. The Patriots Will Go 0-for-3 on Fourth Down Attempts

Tom Brady
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Considering they’ll be down by a decent margin early on in the game, the Patriots will be forced to go for it on fourth down multiple times…and they won’t convert a single attempt. The Seahawks actually weren’t one of the NFL’s better defenses on fourth down this year – eight of 14 attempts were converted against them – but they have raised their level of play in the postseason again and they’ll show it against an overmatched New England team.

6. The Patriots’ Four-Linemen Set Won’t Do Them Any Favors

Patriots huddle
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

6. The Patriots’ Four-Linemen Set Won’t Do Them Any Favors

Patriots huddle
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

As usual, Bill Belichick has a new wrinkle for his offense this year: A four-linemen set with six receivers, one of whom is ineligible. It has worked well thus far with defenses not knowing which of the six skill-position players to ignore. But with two weeks to prepare, Pete Carroll will have an answer for this in the Super Bowl and it will start with Seattle jamming everyone at the line, causing these exotic plays to break down from the start.

5. Pete Carroll Will Out-Coach Bill Belichick

NFL: New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

5. Pete Carroll Will Out-Coach Bill Belichick

NFL: New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

For years now, the Patriots’ head honcho has kept his team ahead of the curve in the NFL during the regular season and even into the playoffs on some occasions. However, he has been beaten at his own game the past two times his team has made it to the big game. Expect this incredible Seattle defense to confuse and frustrate Tom Brady and expect Marshawn Lynch to run down the throat of whatever exotic defensive scheme Belichick draws up.

4. Tom Brady Will Throw Three Interceptions

Patriots Seahawks Football
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

4. Tom Brady Will Throw Three Interceptions

Patriots Seahawks Football
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

He hasn’t thrown three interceptions in a single game since his four-pick fiasco against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 of 2011. However, Tom Brady tossed it to Seattle twice back in 2012. The Seahawks were good then and now they’re an exceptional unit that has beaten both Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning twice in the past calendar year with at least one interception in each contest. Brady is in for a triple pick afternoon with at least 50 attempts.

3. The Seahawks Will Win by at Least 14 Points

Pete Carroll Seahawks
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

3. The Seahawks Will Win by at Least 14 Points

Pete Carroll Seahawks
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The NFC Championship Game was the real Super Bowl this year as our prediction for the Super Bowl winner would have been either winner between Seattle and Green Bay. Aside from the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, no AFC team can match the intensity and physicality of these NFC teams. The Patriots won’t be able to overcome getting pushed around by the Seahawks and things will get ugly by the middle of the third quarter.

2. Marshawn Lynch Will Win the Super Bowl MVP Award

Marshawn Lynch
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

2. Marshawn Lynch Will Win the Super Bowl MVP Award

Marshawn Lynch
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

In a pass-happy era of the game, the teams with stifling defenses and punishing running games are still the ones bringing home Lombardi Trophies. When things looked bleak for the Seahawks in the NFC title game, they stayed true to their identity and rode Marshawn Lynch to victory. Expect a heavy dose of Beast Mode (25 carries) and an awkward postgame reception of the individual award.

1. Tom Brady Will Say Something Really Stupid After the Game

NFL: AFC Championship-Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

1. Tom Brady Will Say Something Really Stupid After the Game

NFL: AFC Championship-Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots’ quarterback really likes to use the f-bomb when things don’t go his way – he called it “fun” earlier this year – and he likely will use that word when asked a snarky question by a reporter after losing by a pretty good margin to the Seahawks. Even if he doesn’t, he’ll probably say something about how the Patriots are still the better team and just had (another) bad game in the Super Bowl. You keep thinking that, Tommy Boy.

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