Seahawks vs. Patriots: Analyzing Biggest Keys to Winning Super Bowl XLIX

The Seattle Seahawks are vying for a second straight title in Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots—the last NFL franchise to pull off a championship repeat.

It's no accident the two top seeds from the playoffs are meeting to decide the Lombardi Trophy winner. They're the two most complete teams in football, featuring two markedly different but equally effective styles of play and coaching that have produced steady results.

New England's staying power has been impressive, though its legacy hinges on winning another championship to erase some of the negativity surrounding the "Deflategate" controversy.

These Seahawks, some of them sullen due to a perceived lack of respect, have come along to upset the established order in their own unique way. They have a lot on the line come Super Bowl Sunday, yet there's not quite as much pressure on the NFC upstarts.

In a game that figures to be a classic, the smallest of margins will determine the winner. Read on for several keys to the game that should go a long way in deciding February 1's big game in Glendale, Arizona.

Asserting Will in the Running Game

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One can bet that Seattle is going to do all it can to establish Marshawn Lynch on the ground, serving as the usual foundation of the Seahawks offense.

As much of a threat as Wilson can be with his legs on both designed runs and as a scrambler, it's "Beast Mode" who brings the pain in the workhorse role.

Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork spoke about Lynch's value on Friday, via NFL.com's Chris Wesseling.

"It seems like he's been getting better and better," Wilfork said. "The more and more he plays the game, it seems like he kicks it to another gear. And that's the sign of a great football player. He's hands down the best back in the game because he can hurt you anytime he has the ball in his hands."

Wilfork gives New England a bit more thickness in the trenches, but the Patriots rated 14th in Football Outsiders' defensive efficiency rankings versus the run. The Seahawks were second, utilizing superior quickness up front to get the job done and open up lanes for their linebacker corps.

Run after contact will therefore be a key for both sides, something Lynch specializes in. It is also an area in which LeGarrette Blount excels, per Pro Football on ESPN:

The musical chairs Patriots coach Bill Belichick tends to play with his backfield should see some rare consistency carry over from the 45-7 conference-championship win over Indianapolis. Blount had three touchdown runs and 148 yards rushing on 30 attempts.

Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press offered his take on Deflategate in the context of Blount's performance:

Superior tackling in the secondary from the likes of Seahawks stars Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor could prove to be the difference. Both can fill the box and lay the lumber on a big ball-carrier like Blount in the event Seattle's sure-tackling front seven lets him through to the second level.

Wilson's athleticism will force New England to account for him and give Lynch the edge over Blount, as both teams vie to set the physical tone by controlling time of possession with their fascinating running backs.

Turnover Margin

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Seattle overcame four Wilson interceptions and a lost kickoff fumble by Doug Baldwin in the NFC title game to beat Green Bay. Being that careless with the football, while uncharacteristic for the Seahawks, won't translate to victory against a team like the Pats.

ESPN Stats & Info notes just how dominant both Super Bowl participants have been in their proficiency and execution:

The Packers led the league with a plus-14 advantage in turnover margin during the regular season. It's little coincidence that New England tied second with Houston at plus-12, followed by Seattle at plus-nine.

New England tied with seven other teams for 13th in takeaways, while the Seahawks were 21st in the NFL. That goes to show the emphasis on ball security.

A branch from the Belichick coaching tree, Eric Mangini, has the philosophy that NFL teams beat themselves with self-inflicted errors more often than they defeat the opposition. Mangini has said the Patriots are the best at avoiding this phenomenon.

The following stat from ESPN's Ryan Ruocco shows how the right blend of game management and playmaking from Wilson has helped the Seahawks turn into a Patriots-caliber juggernaut:

So yes, turnovers will be as significant as ever in determining this year's Super Bowl champion. As much hype as the Legion of Boom secondary deservedly garners, it may be Wilson who is more susceptible to getting picked off.

Among Darrelle Revis, Devin McCourty and a former Seahawk who may know certain tendencies in Brandon Browner, Wilson is in danger of giving the ball away.

Some of that has more to do with a receiving corps that will struggle to gain separation from Revis and McCourty. The bigger Browner should match up well with rising wideout Jermaine Kearse, a frequent crunch-time favorite in recent years.

Both Richard Sherman and Thomas exited the NFC Championship Game with injuries. Though they did return and have an extra week to recover, Tom Brady may have just a bit of an easier time trying to execute the Patriots' short, precision-based passing game.

Linebacker Play

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Pass-rushers Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones pose potential problems to Seattle's line that ranked 24th in Football Outsiders' pass protection rankings.

Dynamic players such as Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril allow the Seahawks to get their own pressure on opposing QBs. They are bound to bounce back after struggling to disrupt Aaron Rodgers' rhythm in the previous contest.

The star power in both secondaries is well known, but the personnel group this Super Bowl likely boils down to is the linebacker corps.

All-Pro Bobby Wagner must match wits with Brady at the line of scrimmage and get Seattle into the proper checks. Wagner did an exceptional job of this versus Peyton Manning in the last Super Bowl, a 43-8 Seahawks victory.

Linebacker Jamie Collins will be among the most versatile athletes on the field when he lines up for the Patriots. Collins has the coverage skills to hang with slot receivers and to cover tight end Luke Willson, giving New England's defensive backfield even further free rein to hawk for the ball.

CBS Sports' Pete Prisco offered his take on how large Collins will loom on Super Bowl Sunday:

After being a one-trick speed rusher as a rookie, former first-round pick Bruce Irvin has evolved into a legitimate strong-side linebacker in his third year. Irvin had two pick-sixes and 6.5 sacks in 2014, showing how much of an X-factor he can be.

The spark Akeem Ayers has provided as a blitzer for the Patriots doesn't quite compare to the game-changing impact Irvin has proved capable of having.

Much criticism surrounded the 2012 draft class that Wagner, Irvin and Wilson were a part of. Wagner weighed in about how far the group has come in reshaping Seattle's place in the NFL, via Seahawks.com's Clare Farnsworth:

"

That whole group that was drafted, we were doubted countless times. ... I was too small and all the other stuff; and similar things were said about others in my rookie class. But we're in a position to possibly win two Super Bowl championships in our first three seasons. So for a bunch of draft picks that they thought were nothing, we've impacted this team a lot.

"

Underrated as still-developing Dont'a Hightower is on New England's weak side, the difference in this could be Seattle's K.J. Wright. Both Chancellor and Wright will be tasked with marking Patriots superstar Rob Gronkowski, if their implicit tactics on Julius Thomas of the Denver Broncos are any indication.

Thomas had just four receptions for 27 yards in the last Super Bowl, and a similar job on Gronkowski will almost guarantee a Seahawks repeat. The rangy Wagner, Wright's passing-game defense and Irvin's surge figure to give Seattle the advantage in this area, with the absence of injured New England Pro Bowler Jerod Mayo also contributing to that judgment.