Super Bowl 2015: Final Patriots vs. Seahawks MVP, Stat, Prop Predictions

After two weeks of long buildup and anticipation, which included scientific talk of how footballs may or may not deflate in different weather and whatever Marshawn Lynch was or wasn't saying, it's time to focus on what happens between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks between the lines at Super Bowl XLIX. 

Give the NFL credit for understanding that two weeks' worth of discussion about its biggest game is an ingenious way to build hype. Everyone who makes a prediction will have too much time to go over analysis that it will lead to changing your pick 700 times. 

Whatever actually ends up happening in Arizona on Sunday night, the crystal ball has been taken out and shined up real nice to provide a glimpse of the future. Here are the final picks for the Patriots vs. Seahawks showdown, which includes the Super Bowl champion, game MVP and some fun with the prop bets. 

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Patriots	7	6	0	8	21
Seahawks	3	7	10	7	27

Prop Bets and Predictions

Bet	Odds	Prediction
Length of National Anthem	Over/Under 2 minutes, 1 second	Over
Broadcast references to "Deflated Balls"	Over/Under 2.5 times	Over
How many times will Katy Perry be mentioned in first half?	Over/Under 1.5 times	Over
Bill Belichick Hoodie Type	Sleeves Cut (2-3); Sleeves Intact (11-10)	Cut
Which coach will be mentioned first by name on TV after kickoff?	Pete Carroll (100-110); Bill Belichick (100-130)	Belichick
Will Marshawn Lynch do his "obscene" celebration after scoring a TD?	Yes (4-1); No (1-6)	Yes

Prop bets are as big a part of the experience during the Super Bowl as the game itself. The lock of the night is how long it will take Idina Menzel to finish the National Anthem, with the over/under being set at two minutes and one second. 

It's not an unreasonable line, especially since David Barron of The Houston Chronicle noted on Twitter that there is some precedent for Menzel performing the National Anthem at a sporting event:

Even though the MLB All-Star Game rendition was shorter than the Super Bowl odds, this is a much bigger stage and will afford her the perfect opportunity to use those Broadway-tuned pipes to hold the "a" in "Brave" to push her past the 121-second mark. 

I take back what I said about the lock of the night, as the references to deflated balls seems unusually low considering the amount of conversation around it over the last two weeks. The oddsmakers did buy themselves some leeway by saying it had to come during the broadcast, which presumably means everything after the coin toss. 

Still, the second Tom Brady steps on the field, it's going to be one of the first things that gets mentioned. Take the over and don't be shocked if it happens in the first two minutes of New England's first offensive drive. 

Elsa/Getty Images

The Bill Belichick hoodie bet is a difficult one to forecast because he's such an enigma that you never know what's going through his head. 

However, just looking at recent trends, signs point to the Patriots head coach going with cutoff sleeves. In New England's two playoff games at home, which were played in cold and, for the AFC Championship Game, rainy weather, Belichick had full sleeves. 

Going back even further, the last time Belichick had cutoff sleeves was in Week 15 against Miami. The temperature at Gillette Stadium on that December day was a balmy 43 degrees, per Pro-Football-Reference.com. 

The Super Bowl will be played in the controlled environment at the University of Phoenix Stadium, which features a retractable roof. Belichick will have no reason not to cut the sleeves off his hoodie on Sunday.

MVP Pick: Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks

Rushes	Yards	Receptions	Yards	Total TDs
23	114	3	41	2

Of the possible MVP picks for Seattle in this year's Super Bowl, Marshawn Lynch is right at the top of the list. Picking quarterbacks is easy, but Russell Wilson doesn't fit the traditional mold of a Super Bowl MVP because he's not great from the pocket and needs to scramble to make plays. 

The Seahawks are at their best when Lynch is carrying them. He's also a nightmare for opposing defenses to bring down, especially after first contact and in the second half. 

Per John McTigue of ESPN Stats & Information, Lynch has been a first-down machine and yards-after-contact monster in 2014:

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Although he gained more yards from scrimmage in 2012 (1,786) than he did in 2014 (1,673), he made the most of his touches this season. Lynch gained a first down on 26 percent of his offensive touches this season, the highest of his career. 

Of course, Lynch is best known for his physical running style. He averaged 2.53 yards after contact on 280 rushes this season. ESPN Stats & Info’s yards-after-contact data goes to 2009, and in that time there have been two instances of a player rushing 200 times and averaging more yards after contact –- and that includes Adrian Peterson’s MVP campaign in 2012. 

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Jay Clemons of Fox Sports South did bring up two stats involving Lynch that suggest something will have to give on Sunday:

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Of his last 11 outings, Seahawks tailback Marshawn Lynch (183 total yards, one TD in the NFC title game) has racked up 100 total yards and/or one score nine times.

On the flip side, of his five career outings against the Patriots, Lynch (original draftee of the Bills) has only crossed the above threshold just once.

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The second half is when Seattle makes its money. Lynch has been dynamite after halftime all year, including getting 146 of his 183 total yards against Green Bay in the last 30-plus minutes (including overtime).

Justin Forsett ran all over New England in the divisional round with 129 yards on 24 carries. Lynch will have a similar stat line, going for 114 yards and two touchdowns (one receiving) on 23 carries. 

In addition to his prowess on the field, there's also a part of everyone that wants to see Lynch win the MVP award just to see what will happen when he steps up to the podium to get his trophy. The Super Bowl MVP is also slated to take part in a press conference with Roger Goodell on Monday morning. 

Besides making complete sense as the Super Bowl MVP, there's also the humorous side story that would come from Lynch winning the honor. Let's hope it happens just for one more day of drama when Beast Mode has to step in front of the microphone.