Super Bowl 2015: Initial Odds, Final-Score Prediction for Patriots vs. Seahawks

The matchup for Super Bowl XLIX is set. The Seattle Seahawks will embark on a quest to repeat as champions against the New England Patriots on February 1 in what should be a showdown for the ages.

Five turnovers didn't prevent the Seahawks from earning the right to defend the Lombardi Trophy in Sunday's 28-22 NFC Championship Game victory over Green Bay.

Speaking of winning in unconventional ways, New England didn't hand the ball off to a running back in the second half of a divisional-round win over the Baltimore Ravens last week. Then the Patriots pounded the rock with LeGarrette Blount to blow out the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Legendary quarterback Tom Brady gets a chance to win a fourth Super Bowl for New England in facing the toughest possible test in Seattle's defense. Talk about a dream scenario for the league and for those who appreciate great football.

Below is the basic viewing information for Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona's University of Phoenix Stadium, along with initial odds from OddsShark.com and a final-score prediction.

Date	Matchup	Initial Odds	Time (ET)	TV
Sunday, February 1	New England Patriots (1) vs. Seattle Seahawks (1)	Seahawks (-2)	6:30 p.m.	NBC

Super Bowl XLIX Breakdown, Final-Score Prediction

John Froschauer/Associated Press

The commendable job the Seahawks did on Packers star QB Aaron Rodgers was most impressive (5.2 yards per attempt, two interceptions). Even if Rodgers was hobbled by a bum calf, his arm and ability to pick apart defenses from the pocket were still intact.

But after getting shredded often by Ravens signal-caller Joe Flacco in the prior game, New England's secondary stepped up in the AFC title game.

Andrew Luck often had nowhere to go because his receivers couldn't create separation. This ugly in-game anecdote from ESPN Stats & Info was a reflection of that:

Stupendous execution in the short passing game is the bedrock of what allows the Pats offense to thrive and attack opponents from so many angles.

Cian Fahey of Rotoworld felt the final score could have been even more lopsided if New England was just a bit sharper versus Indianapolis:

"

Patriots have left a bunch of plays on the field in this game too. Bunch of drops. It's not like they needed to play great to blow you out.

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) January 19, 2015"

Such schemes don't necessarily translate well to facing Seattle's Legion of Boom, but the Seahawks don't have a ton of playmakers in their receiving corps in matching up with players like Darrelle Revis and Devin McCourty.

Football Outsiders has the Patriots ranking 14th versus the run and Seattle as the second-best unit in defending it. Marshawn Lynch was able to gash Green Bay's front seven that had been playing better for 157 yards rushing on Sunday, and he could do similar damage in the Super Bowl.

One secret to Seattle's success is its Patriots-like focus on what's immediately ahead, as Russell Wilson articulated after the hard-fought triumph over Green Bay:

Given how complete both of these teams are and how excellent they've been over the past three years, it's hard to choose either way. No matter what diverse array of schemes New England throws at the Seahawks, though, Seattle's physical identity and fear of no one, even the mighty Patriots, will culminate in a championship repeat.

There is a lot of pressure on Brady to win another ring before his window closes, and he's not guaranteed another opportunity. That so many Seahawks play with a huge chip on their shoulders benefits them, and they have less to lose from a legacy standpoint than Brady does.

As a prime example, Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman commented on Seattle receiver Doug Baldwin's postgame testimony in which he was fired up about outsiders not giving his team its due credit:

But now, at least to start, oddsmakers see the Seahawks as one-point favorites, though the game is essentially a tossup.

At some point New England has to be in for a down year after four straight trips to the conference championship stage. Such a development should transpire whenever Brady finally starts declining, a trend he shrugged off in spectacular fashion just at the beginning of this year.

It would be quite an achievement for the Seahawks to pull off the first back-to-back trick since after the 2004 season—and to do it against the team that last did it in the Patriots.

The win would spark dynasty talk in the Emerald City. It is a concept almost inconceivable in the modern NFL for anyone other than New England.

Prediction: Seahawks 24, Patriots 20