Super Bowl 2015: Seahawks vs. Patriots Start Time, Odds Favorite and Predictions

It took a serious playoff scare on both sides, but the long-expected showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX is now officially on.

In a league built on parity, two top seeds battling in the big game has been a rarity, to say the least, over the last two decades. But for the second straight year, both No. 1 seeds in the AFC and NFC made it to the final step.

Last time ended in a resounding Seahawks romp of the Denver Broncos that came seemingly out of left field. But considering what Seattle and New England had to go through this year, a much closer game should be in the cards.

Let's take a look at everything you need to know for Super Bowl XLIX.

When: Sunday, February 1, 2015

Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Start Time (ET): 6:30 p.m.

TV: NBC

Spread	Over/Under	Moneyline
Seahawks -1	48.5	NE 51-50, SEA 25-28

Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark, last updated January 19.

Super Bowl XLIX Preview

Somehow, some way, the Patriots and Seahawks both forged their own paths to Super Bowl XLIX.

For the Patriots, it took coming back from a pair of 14-point deficits—the first team in NFL history to do so—against the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round. Once the team got past that incredible test, there was no doubt it would conquer its next challenge, as New England walloped Indianapolis 45-7 in the AFC Championship Game.

The Pats will go on to face the defending Super Bowl champions, but quarterback Tom Brady expects his team to be ready to go, per the team's official Twitter account:

It would be beyond false to suggest the Seahawks had a cake walk to get a chance to defend their crown.

Seattle entered the NFC Championship Game against the Packers on a six-game winning streak and playing at CenturyLink Field, but neither advantage seemed to matter all that much when Green Bay got out to a 16-0 lead. Yet the Seahawks chipped away, and even when the Packers picked off Russell Wilson for the fourth time with five minutes to go and a 12-point lead, it wasn't over.

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

The Packers went conservative on offense, while the Seahawks picked up their offensive game, scoring a pair of touchdowns aided by a late onside kick. Green Bay tied it up to go to overtime but couldn't keep Jermaine Kearse from reeling in the game-winning score.

Despite the victory, an obvious talking point regarding injury cropped up, as star cornerback Richard Sherman played through obvious pain in his left arm. Earl Thomas III—another standout in the Legion of Boom—also has an injury, although both iterate that they'll play in the Super Bowl, per SportsCenter:

So it's on to the Super Bowl between the Patriots and Seahawks, and what a dream matchup it figures to be—at least on paper.

Seattle brings its obvious strength of a suffocating defense that led the NFL against the pass and ranked third against the run. It was far from its best early against Green Bay but stiffened up and held the Packers to two second-half field goals to give the offense a chance to win.

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

The Patriots offense (ninth passing, 18th rushing) doesn't bring the same statistical acumen, but it promises to be a handful for the Seahawks. LeGarrette Blount is red hot coming off a 148-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Colts, and Tom Brady is firing on all cylinders.

One thing remains certain: Brady won't be scared of going Sherman's way, as ESPN's Skip Bayless noted:

It won't be the offense that puts the Patriots over the hump in this one; rather, it will be a dominant defense.

New England held Andrew Luck to just 126 passing yards after he went for 300-plus in each of his first three meetings against them, and cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner will all but eliminate Wilson's passing options. Marshawn Lynch won't be easily contained, but the Patriots are stiff against the run and will make him earn every yard.

The Seahawks figure to find some more offensive success through 60 minutes than they did Sunday, but it will still be an uphill climb to hang with the Patriots into the fourth quarter. They will give themselves a chance to win it, but doing so against New England's defense will prove too tough a task.

Prediction: Patriots 27, Seahawks 23