Super Bowl XLIX: Burning Questions for the NFL's Championship Game

Burning questions for the Super Bowl can come in many different forms. There might not be a question that has burned future Hall of Famer Tom Brady more in his NFL career than "You mad, bro?"...brought to us courtesy of outspoken Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman.

Brady might not be mad, at least publicly, about that infamous exchange with Sherman in 2012. But we are going to see if he can get even, and then some, in Arizona. It is drama almost too perfect even for the grandest game in sports.

With about a week-and-a-half left to wait, Bleacher Report presents the hottest burning questions leading up to Super Bowl XLIX. This will get you jacked up and informed for the big game. It will even make you agonize over the fact that we can't just watch it all unfold right away.

Which New England Patriots Running Game Will Show Up?

It won't matter which running back the New England Patriots decide to go with from their stable against the Seattle Seahawks, but you do have to wonder which running game will show up. It'd better be the good version, or this Super Bowl is going to unfold like the previous one.

The Pats absolutely cannot afford to repeat the performance they had in the divisional round against the Baltimore Ravens, managing just 13 rushes for 14 yards and four first downs. The Seattle Seahawks' Legion of Boom secondary is too good to beat, unlike the Ravens.

The Indianapolis Colts allowed the Patriots to improve leaps and bounds on the ground this past Sunday. The Pats rushed 40 times for 177 yards and 14 first downs. That, of course, is the difference between eking out a 35-31 victory versus blowing out the Colts 45-7.

The Pats cannot afford to lay an egg on the ground against an elite run defense. The Ravens are far closer to the Seahawks in success against the run, finishing fourth in the NFL to the Seahawks' third. The difference is the Seahawks were No. 1 against the pass.

The deciding factor against the Colts was LeGarrette Blount, who managed just three rushes for one yard against the Ravens but ripped the Colts for 30 carries, 148 yards and three touchdowns. Center Ryan Wendell agreed, telling The Boston Globe's Ben Volin:

"

I can't say enough [about Blount]. Whatever the best things possible that I can say, print that. LeGarrette never ceases to amaze me, he was running so hard tonight. It's inspiring to watch. He'll give us a lot of credit, but there's plenty of times where we didn't block the play just right, and LeGarrette gets yards on his own.

"

The Seahawks are no Colts run defense, though. The Seahawks have allowed just two 100-yard rushers this season (DeMarco Murray in Week 6 and Jamaal Charles in Week 11). The Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers' lead backs, Jonathan Stewart and Eddie Lacy, couldn't reach 75 yards in these playoffs.

Blount, Jonas Gray, Shane Vereen and Brandon Bolden are no Murray, Charles or Lacy. They might not even be as good as Stewart.

If the Pats cannot run the ball—with whomever they choose—they won't be pulling off any miraculous comebacks against the Seahawks like they did the Ravens.

How Healthy Will Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas Be Late Next Week?

You saw it in all its dramatic glory—as Richard Sherman is wont to emphasize—Sherman (elbow) clutching his arm close as the Green Bay Packers were trying to win the NFC Championship Game at the end of regulation.

The Packers didn't challenge him, necessarily. New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, the opportunist, won't be overlooking a potential advantage like that.

"I will be out there. I promise you that," Sherman told reporters after the NFC Championship victory, The Seattle Times' Bob Condotta reported.

With two full weeks between games, you can bet Sherman will be ready physically to do all the things a lightly challenged cover corner is asked to do. No one bothers to attack the Seattle Seahawks' defensive left side, where Sherman does his work, when their best corner is 100 percent.

Might the perception of a lack of health encourage Belichick, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and quarterback Tom Brady to test the waters over there with Brandon LaFell or Rob Gronkowski? Those are big, physical targets who could rough up Sherman a bit and test the strength of that wing.

It isn't just Sherman ailing in the Legion of Boom. Earl Thomas, the free safety and arguably the understated leader of it all, dislocated his shoulder against the Packers, although he also was playing at the end of regulation and overtime.

Seattle head coach Pete Carroll told Condotta:

"

Both of those guys were in dire straits of 'Could they play?' They played their hearts out. Their courage and toughness and standing up for who they are and what they mean to this team to try to finish this game and not allow it to be any other way—it was so impressive, it really was. There are a lot of guys who do that, it was just really symbolic—Earl with the big brace on his shoulder back out there playing and Richard, who couldn't straighten his arm out.

"

Again, now might be the only time Sherman and Thomas can be had. Unfortunately for Brady and Co., the game is still a week-and-a-half away.

Can the New England Patriots Slow Down Beast Mode?

It is no secret: The Seattle Seahawks need and want to run the ball with Beast Mode, aka Marshawn Lynch.

They are stubborn with the run. It is why the Seahawks are back in the Super Bowl. They had the No. 1 rushing offense while placing just 27th in passing.

The New England Patriots, with physical cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, figure to be less exploitable downfield. They have given up some big rushing performances this season, though.

Knowshon Moreno—remember him?—rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown in the Pats' Week 1 loss, which seems like it was a different season at this point.

Jamaal Charles (92 yards, a touchdown and two receiving scores) and Knile Davis (107 yards) helped lead a Kansas City Chiefs 41-14 blowout of the Pats in Week 5, almost equally an eternity ago.

The Jets' Chris Ivory ran for 107 yards and a touchdown in Week 7. Matt Forte totaled 114 in Week 8 for Chicago. Eddie Lacy nearly cracked 100 in the Green Bay Packers' Week 13 victory over the Pats. Justin Forsett racked up 129 yards on the ground in the divisional-round near-upset in New England a few weeks ago.

Clearly, to beat the Patriots, you run the football. You can argue Lynch is better than all those guys the Pats have faced.

The numbers support it, of course.

Coy Wire, Fox Sports NFL analyst, broke down the Seahawks' "1-Back Zone" rushing attack, which is similar to the Ravens', he wrote. The Pats struggled early against the Ravens' run game but improved as the contest went on, as Wire wrote:

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The Patriots' second-half defensive adjustments were good all year long. New England's defense ranked fifth 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.

"

The Packers bottled up Lynch until late this past Sunday. How the Pats defend him throughout the Super Bowl will be a huge deciding factor in the game. The Seahawks are almost one-dimensional...until you load the box to stop the run and play Cover-Zero over the top and get beat for a long touchdown.

It should be noted that is how Seattle overcame the Packers in overtime. Also, it is how the Seahawks topped the Patriots in the infamous "You Mad Bro" game in 2012.

Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has his hands full, he told the Boston Herald's Adam Kurkjian, and notes the Seahawks' use of the zone-read attack.

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Seattle has a number of different runs that they execute as an offense that would be one of their packages that they use. They execute it at a very high level. It's extremely dangerous; they do it from a number of different looks. They obviously have tremendous skill players that can handle the ball and handle that type of offense. Obviously Marshawn Lynch is a huge problem in the run game and so is Russell Wilson. I think it’s a very dangerous weapon that they have.

"

Seattle's offense might seem vanilla to the general public, because running the football so much can lull you to sleep, but their attack is far more complex under the hood than you might think.

How Does the Legion of Boom Defend the Indefensible Rob Gronkowski?

Say what you want about the running games, but Rob Gronkowski is the single most difficult matchup in the entire Super Bowl. He might be the most difficult matchup in the NFL.

ESPN.com's Mike Sando and Matt Williamson rank Gronk as the No. 1 player among the projected 106 in this Super Bowl.

Gronk is too fast to cover with linebackers and strong safeties, even if they are Kam Chancellor-good. He is too big (6'6") to put a cover corner on because he can outreach and outmuscle them for the football.

The Seattle Seahawks might be better equipped than anyone with the Legion of Boom, but how they decide to defend Gronk might dictate how the New England Patriots attack. If they single-cover the tight end, you have to expect he will win against anyone. If they roll Earl Thomas over the top, who does that leave free downfield?

NFL Media's Jordan Babineaux breaks down the idea of Chancellor working against Gronk in this video on the Seahawks' official website, noting the best approach is to mix zone and man coverage.

Bill Belichick is the master of adjustments. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is extremely experienced, too. Having a chess piece as tough as Gronk can help the Patriots dictate things against the Seahawks, unlike most of the Legion of Boom's opponents, as the Boston Herald's Jeff Howe wrote:

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Finding Gronkowski might actually be easier than expected. (Linebacker K.J.) Wright and safety Kam Chancellor will get their chances, but the Seahawks preferred to cover Cowboys tight end Jason Witten with Wright and (linebacker) Wagner, who is better suited to spy running backs. Wright and Wagner are as fast as any linebackers in the league, but they're not up to snuff against Gronk. Chancellor's one-on-one ability is the wild card.

"

Of course, if Richard Sherman and/or Thomas are not 100 percent, the Pats might want Gronk to have his way with them physically. This is going to be outstanding theater.

Whose Legacy Will Be Enhanced: Tom Brady's or Russell Wilson's?

I highlighted 10 storylines that make you love or hate this Super Bowl matchup Monday, and one of the loves was the drama between Tom Brady's Super Bowl stardom vs. Russell Wilson's. Brady's started pristine, as Wilson's has with the victory a year ago. Brady's has been stained of late with those two losses to the upstart New York Giants.

Is Wilson going to be new face of Super Bowl glory? Or will Brady regain that lofty legacy?

The way this unfolds will leave a lasting image of both players, for better or for worse. At age 37, this might be Brady's last chance. No one can know with certainty now, but this could be Wilson's, too.

It won't be easy for either. They are going to earn their lofty, lasting and indelible Super Bowl image.

Wilson is looking to go 2-0 in Super Bowls through three NFL seasons. Brady, who won a title in his second season as well, is making a record-setting sixth Super Bowl start and hopes to up his championship record to 4-2. A loss here would leave Brady 3-0 in his first three and 0-3 in his last three, a tough mark to take into retirement—whenever that might happen.

The Boston Herald's Ron Borges and Steve Buckley debated this on Comcast SportsNet New England's Sports Tonight after Sunday's matchup was set.

Borges said Brady might have more at stake.

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He would have as many [wins] as his boyhood idol, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw. No one would have more, that's the plus side. The downside is, you've also lost two and they didn't, so you can't get away from that. So he's kind of always going to be saddled with that. If he loses and he's 3-3, what are you going to say? 'Well, he's a .500 player in the Super Bowl?'

"

Buckley argued Brady cannot lose...in a hypothetical and historical sense.

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He can't go backwards, he's a top-3, top-5 [quarterback]. But he is a top all-time quarterback ... To get into that discussion and stay in that discussion, Brady's got to win a fourth Super Bowl.

"

A proud Super Bowl hero is going to be shaking his head and dealing with offseason questions about winning the big game in this "what have you done for me lately" league. That is some high-stakes drama for both Brady and Wilson.

Who Is Going to End Up Being the Las Vegas Favorite?

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

This is an interesting one, because Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest day on the sports-wagering calendar. We rarely get such a close matchup going in.

Depending on where you go to wager, you could get either the New England Patriots or Seattle Seahawks as the favorite, according to OddsShark.com. That makes this game the ultimate pick-'em, as prominent online sportsbook manager Kevin Bradley wrote in an email to me earlier this week:

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(This past Sunday) was not ideal with both the Packers and Patriots covering the spread, but we cannot complain as this Super Bowl matchup is ideal for us from a futures perspective. We have the line essentially at a pick-em right now but we're seeing a ton of Patriots money which very well could make the Patriots the favorite before it's all said and done. It's not surprising as their blowout against Indy is fresh in people's minds and the Seahawks turnover show did not seem to impress anyone. Looks like we will be big Seahawks fans once again this year.

"

Business Insider's Cork Gaines wrote at story titled "Las Vegas Screwed Up The Point Spread For The Super Bowl—And It Could Cost Millions."

The thinking there is the initial line that favored the Seahawks has been lowered by all the early money coming in on the Patriots. That is generally impacted by the wagering pros, Gaines wrote:

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The early betting action is typically done by the more seasoned and often professional gamblers making big bets (aka "sharps"), while Joe Public typically waits until a day or two before the game or even until game day. ... So when the Super Bowl kicks off there will likely be a lot more money riding on New England—which means if the Pats win, Vegas is going to lose big time.

"

This side story is as juicy as it is potentially profitable for the degenerate gambler in most of us.

Will Darrelle Revis Be the One to Make Doug Baldwin Earn Respect?

Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin keeps talking about getting respect around the league (see Monday's storylines to love and hate). 

Here's Baldwin's full rant outside the Seahawks locker room Sunday, as relayed by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Stephen Cohen:

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Are you ready for this? Are you? How many of you m----------s doubted us? How many of you doubted us when we were 3-3? Y'all, I want you to write this down. Write this down, OK? When we were 3-3, everyone counted us out. Y'all didn't believe in us.

A whole bunch of people thought we weren't going to make it. At 6-4, it was, 'Ah, that's OK. They have a winning record, but they aren't going to make the playoffs.' At 16-0 at the half [Sunday], how many of you m----------s counted us out? How many of y'all doubted us?

It is indicative of our season. Y'all didn't want to believe in us. It's OK. We don't need you to believe. We're going to believe in ourselves. We ain't worried about you m-----------s. We are worried about ourselves.

When we were down 16-0 at the half, guess what we said? 'Don't trip.' You don't win the game in 30 minutes. You win it in the second half. We did what we do. We played Seahawks football. And now, we'll see y'all at the Super Bowl.

"

He is likely to have to go through Darrelle Revis, arguably the best cover cornerback of all time. Former Patriot Rodney Harrison called him the best on the planet, as Boston.com's (and Bleacher Report's) Erik Frenz wrote in August.

Revis might have something to say about Baldwin's words when things are all said and done. It is almost agonizing to wait the two weeks to watch this unfold before the world's eyes. 

Who Is Going to Wind Up the Hero?

As you can see from the angles covered here, there are myriad ways this Super Bowl can unfold. The questions we most ponder, perhaps, is how will it all be remembered and who is going to be the leading figure from it?

You can bet on anything for Super Bowl Sunday, but wagering on the MVP is a very popular prop. Here are the odds to win Super Bowl XLIX MVP honors, according to OddsShark.com: 

1. Tom Brady 3-2
2. Marshawn Lynch 15-4
3. Russell Wilson 15-4
4. Rob Gronkowski 9-1
5. LeGarrette Blount 12-1
6. Richard Sherman 25-1
7. Doug Baldwin 33-1
8. Kam Chancellor 33-1
9. Julian Edelman 33-1
10. Darrelle Revis 33-1
11. Earl Thomas 40-1
12. Bobby Wagner 50-1
13. Brandon LaFell 66-1
14. Jermaine Kearse 66-1
15. Byron Maxwell 66-1
16. K.J. Wright 66-1
17. Shane Vereen 75-1
18. Danny Amendola 100-1
19. Patrick Chung 100-1
20. Jamie Collins 100-1
21. Dont'a Hightower 100-1
22. Devin McCourty 100-1
23. Rob Ninkovich 100-1
24. Luke Willson 100-1
25. Stephen Gostkowski 150-1
26. Steven Hauschka 150-1
27. Malcolm Smith 150-1
28. Field 25-1

It is interesting to note:

• Brady is a favorite over the Seahawks' top options, even if the game is a relative pick-'em.
• Sherman is a favorite over Revis in the headlining matchup of elite cornerbacks.
• Betting the "field" against that group of names looks like a bad, bad play at 25-1.

The Super Bowl stage can make or break careers. In a game that appears so evenly matched between the top seeds in each league, it can be one significant performance that makes all the difference.

Now, if only the game could hurry up and get here.

Follow @EricMackFantasy

Eric Mack, one of the giants among fantasy writers, is the Fantasy Football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, where you can ask him endless questions about your team, rip him for his content and even challenge him to a head-to-head fantasy game.