Patriots vs. Seahawks: Super Bowl 2015 Odds and Box-Score Projections

All eyes will be on the big names on Feb. 1 in Super Bowl XLIX, but how will the under-the-radar players perform?

While Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch are crucial to the outcome, there are so many more who will make their presences felt. Linebacker Malcolm Smith won the Super Bowl MVP for the Seattle Seahawks last season. Did you expect that during the days leading up to the action?

There are several players who could be this year's Smith. Heck, Smith could be Smith again. That would certainly be unprecedented, at least for a somewhat lesser-appreciated player, but there are roughly 40 other players who will directly impact this game.

This will be a competitive Super Bowl against two No. 1 seeds, so it'll take each athlete's best to make a difference. Below you'll find game odds and box-score predictions for some of the most impactful players.

Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

When: Sunday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Live Extra

Odds (via Odds Shark on Tuesday, January 20 at 9 a.m. ET)

• Spread: Seahawks (-1)
• Over/Under: 48.5

New England Patriots

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Player	Notable Stats
Tom Brady	18-of-27, 255 Yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
LeGarrette Blount	18 Carries, 63 Yds, 1 TD
Julian Edelman	6 Rec (9 Tgts), 82 Yds
Rob Gronkowski	5 Rec (7 Tgts), 65 Yds, 1 TD
Brandon LaFell	3 Rec (5 Tgts), 49 Yds, 1 TD
Chandler Jones	3 Tackles, 1.0 Sacks
Vince Wilfork	4 Tackles, 1 Tackle for a Loss
Dont'a Hightower	8 Tackles, 1 Pass Defensed
Darrelle Revis	3 Tackles
Brandon Browner	2 Tackles, 1 TD Allowed

Running the ball semi-effectively is New England's key to beating Seattle. Pounding the ball serves a twofold purpose. For one, it gives LeGarrette Blount the opportunity to build off last weekend's dominant outing in which he scored three touchdowns.

There are many ways to describe his devastating running style. CBS Sports summed it up emphatically:

Perhaps more importantly, though, it opens up the air attack from Brady. Seattle may have been the No. 3 team during the regular season against the run, but an offense—even one led by Brady—cannot solve a defense of the Seahawks' caliber without at least an attempt at balance.

Brady is 10-2 this season when he attempts at least 35 passes. He has proved multiple times over the past decade-plus that he can put the Patriots on his shoulders and carry them. But it's not wise to throw 35 times against the Seahawks.

Peyton Manning was the only quarterback to attempt more than 30 passes against the Seahawks in the regular season. The result was a 26-20 loss, and Manning was picked off once. Aaron Rodgers tried 34 passes in the NFC Championship Game. He was picked off twice.

Teams have gotten the hint that passing an exorbitant amount against Seattle is a bad idea.

That makes Blount an X-factor. He just needs to help Brady set up the play action to try to catch the Legion of Boom napping. It doesn't happen often, but Brady is one of the best at that style of play.

Defensively, the Pats must contain Lynch in the first half. If they can survive that far, then they'll be fine. Why? Fox Sports' Coy Wire explains:

"

The Patriots' second-half defensive adjustments were good all year long. New England's defense ranked 5th in the league for fewest rush yards allowed in the second half and overtimes in the regular season (41.7 yards per game). One of the fun aspects of this Super Bowl matchup is that Seattle's offense led the NFL with 111 yards per game -- with Lynch averaging 5.13 yards per carry -- in the second half and overtimes this season.

"

Keeping Lynch in check in the first half basically ensures success in the second half. At least, that's what the numbers indicate.

Linebackers Akeem Ayers and Dont'a Hightower are crucial in this endeavor, as are defensive linemen Vince Wilfork and Chandler Jones.

Seattle Seahawks

John Froschauer/Associated Press

Player	Notable Stats
Russell Wilson	16-of-27, 232 Yds, 2 TD, 0 INT, 45 Rush Yds
Marshawn Lynch	17 Carries, 56 Yds, 2 Rec, 8 Yds
Doug Baldwin	5 Rec (8 Tgts), 72 Yds
Jermaine Kearse	2 Rec (5 Tgts), 44 Yds, 1 TD
Luke Willson	3 Rec (4 Tgts), 25 Yds, 1 TD
Richard Sherman	4 Tackles, 1 Pass Deflected
Bobby Wagner	13 Tackles, 0.5 Sacks
Kam Chancellor	8 Tackles, 1 INT
Earl Thomas	4 Tackles
Michael Bennett	3 Tackles, 1.5 Sacks

There are two keys to this game for the Seahawks. Priority No. 1 is stopping Blount on the ground, because allowing him to make plays opens up the passing game for Brady, as mentioned above. Seattle doesn't want that.

When it comes to stopping the run, the discussion starts with linebacker Bobby Wagner. He was named an All-Pro despite missing five games, and the Seahawks haven't lost since he returned to the lineup in Week 12 from a turf toe injury.

Blount has played just one game against the Seahawks in his career—during his rookie season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2010. He carried the ball 18 times and racked up 164 yards, including one catch for three yards. That defense didn't include Wagner or Bruce Irvin, both of whom were drafted in the 2012 NFL draft.

Wagner is the epitome of a difference-maker. He finished second on the team with 104 combined tackles even though he sat out five contests. To say he's the key to a successful defensive outing is an understatement.

When asked where this Seahawks defense ranks all-time, Wagner told NFL Network's Albert Breer that it should be the best:

Priority No. 1A is getting the passing game going against a tough secondary. Should the team execute in those two areas, it's likely that head coach Pete Carroll will hoist the Lombardi Trophy for the second year in a row.

Wilson needs his main weapons, wide receiver Doug Baldwin and tight end Luke Willson, to be difficult assignments for New England's defensive backs. Tramon Williams and Sam Shields played very good coverage against Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse in the NFC Championship Game, hence Wilson's early struggles.

It was the Packers' tendency to play their safeties up that allowed Wilson to get rolling. On the final play of the game, there wasn't a safety in sight. Wilson simply threw a dime against one-on-one coverage.

Baldwin finished the day with six receptions (nine targets) for 106 yards—35 of which came on one grab in overtime. He has been a reliable target lately, as CBS Sports' Jason A. Churchill points out:

Baldwin excels as a possession receiver, making plays consistently and keeping defenses honest so Kearse can beat them over the top. But another beneficiary is Willson.

Defenses focus on Baldwin in the middle of the field, leaving Willson open. He's recorded four catches only once this season because of a reliance on pounding the ball on the ground. He has made the most of his opportunities in his last four outings, though, recording 11 catches (16 targets) for 250 yards, three touchdowns and a two-point conversion.

Aside from Lynch on the ground and Willson in the air, the Seahawks don't have a true red-zone target. Willson's ability to take advantage of mismatches against linebackers on and-goal situations will partially determine how well the offense performs.

Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn