Patriots vs. Seahawks: Betting Odds and Strategy for Super Bowl 2015

The long layoff between conference championships and the Super Bowl can be both a good thing and a bad thing for experienced bettors.

Although many have pondered who would be competing in Super Bowl XLIX all season long, a dream matchup between the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots is finally official. With two weeks in between games, the extra time can give bettors the opportunity to figure out which team has the edge.

Then again, the 14-day break can also weigh on bettors' minds as they go back and forth repeatedly on who to go with in a Super Bowl that very well could be a pick-'em by kickoff on Feb. 1. Overthinking it is all but expected, with so much time to dissect the matchup.

With that said, let's go ahead and take a look at where the odds stand right now, and what the biggest matchup talking points are.

Spread	Over/Under	Moneyline
Seahawks -1	48.5	NE 50-53, SEA 25-26

Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark, last updated January 20

Patriots vs. Seahawks Betting Strategy

The simple memory of what took place this time last year will either make this pick even easier for some or even tougher for others.

That memory, of course, is the Seahawks absolutely clocking the Denver Broncos to the tune of a 43-8 score in last year's Super Bowl—a Super Bowl that was expected to go down to the wire and feature one of the best offense-defense matchups in NFL history.

Seattle left no doubt of their defense's sheer dominance then, and haven't done much to dethrone themselves throughout 2014. But before you chalk up another Seahawks rout, there are some things to keep in mind.

First, and most pressing, is that the New England Patriots are a team much better suited to go up against a smash-mouth team like Seattle.

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Unlike last year, the Seahawks will face a team capable of running it with similar conviction. LeGarrette Blount is coming off a 148-yard, three-touchdown performance behind a downhill-running offensive line, but legendary quarterback Tom Brady can make an even bigger impact through the air.

Peyton Manning came in last year with an insane passing attack, but not much of a running game to back it up—at least not one that posed a problem for Seattle's physical front.

Brady—like Manning did—will have his hands full with the Legion of Boom secondary, but its biggest component may be under 100 percent. ESPN's Ed Werder noted Richard Sherman's elbow is only sprained, but it was significantly hampering him late in the NFC Championship Game:

The Seahawks jumped on Manning early and it followed with an offensive onslaught, but both of those will be easier said than done in terms of repeating against the Pats. 

Packers running back Eddie Lacy helped set the tone early in Sunday's game against Seattle, who didn't have an answer for him in the early going. If Blount can do the same for Brady, he'll be getting the one-on-one matchups with Rob Gronkowski and Brandon LaFell that he covets.

And when it comes time to throw Sherman's way, you can bet Brady won't be scared, per ESPN's Skip Bayless:

The Patriots' biggest offensive strength coincides with Seattle's best defensive strength, but the same can be said of the other side of the ball.

No team in the NFL rushed the ball better than Russell Wilson's Seahawks in 2014, but they go up against a stout Patriots front led by Vince Wilfork that stymied opponents all season long. As ESPN NFL noted, they have given up as many touchdowns rushing all season as Marshawn Lynch secured in a two-game stretch alone:

So while it's tough to tell which team maintains the advantage in these matchups that could go either way, it does remain apparent that a blowout isn't in the cards.

Manning's Broncos were built to throw it around the yard and not much else, so the Seahawks only had to stop one facet of the game—along with some efficient offense—to run away with it. This time around, not only do they go up against a better defense, but also an offense that can mix it up and score in many ways.

While the most recent history tells us that the Seahawks should dominate their way to another Super Bowl victory, don't be surprised when it turns out to be a late-game thriller.