Super Bowl XLIX Predictions: Section 215 Staffers Select Patriots Vs. Seahawks Winner

While the Seahawks defense may not be quite as dominant as they were a calendar year ago, the unit, led by their defensive backfield, continues to back up their claim of potentially being one of the most dominant defenses that the game has ever seen. Is it possible that a Super Bowl repeat could cement the Seahawks defense as one of the top five of all-time and continue the team’s ascension towards being the NFL’s first dynasty since, well, Tom Brady and the early-to-mid 2000’s Patriots?

Perhaps one of the most intriguing storylines about a Patriots vs. Seahawks Superbowl is that it may go a long way in swaying how many feel about the Tom Brady Vs. Peyton Manning debate. A year ago, Manning struggled in the Broncos 43-8 loss to the Seahawks in what was the least competitive Superbowl of the millennium. While Manning was far from the only player on the Broncos to struggle, the game certainly didn’t help his legacy. If Brady leads the Patriots to a victory against a similar Seahawks defense, does that tip the scales in the debate? Or if the Seahawks are able to slow Brady and the Patriots the same way that they did Manning, is that just another testament to how great the “Leigon of Boom” and this defense are?

I tend to believe that the Seahawks will repeat as Super Bowl champions. While I don’t think that the Seahawks will blow out the Patriots, I believe that their defense will key a fourth quarter 28-17 win. As for my Superbowl MVP, I’ll go with

future Eagle

Byron Maxwell, who will nationally hop out of the shadow of the rest of the secondary quartet he plays with in what could be his final game as a Seahawk.

Here are Super Bowl XLIX predictions from other members of the Section 215 staff.

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Jason Ferrie-Section 215 Senior Staff Writer

Score: Patriots 27-Patriots 24

I think all of this “Deflate-gate” nonsense is going to motivate Brady. Not to mention when a backup corner calls your best player (Rob Gronkowski) overrated, things don’t tend to play out that way. I mean have you seen the size of Gronk? Is that a guy you want to mess around with? Expect Gronk to come out and prove to the world that he is the most physically dominant player in football.

The Pats are so well balanced and have more offensive talent than Seattle. You can argue that Seattle’s number one wide receiver wouldn’t be more than a slot receiver on the Pats. Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner should control the wideoutss and force Marshawn Lynch to win the game. While he is capable of doing that, I’d expect New England to stack the box and force Russell Wilson, who is coming off a four interception game, to beat them. Wilson and Lynch will make it close, but Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski will be too much late in the game and the Pats will win 27-24.

Akiem Bailum-Section 215 National Columnist

Score: Seahawks 31-Patriots 21

MVP: Russell Wilson

On paper, Seattle looks like much more of a challenge for the Patriots than the Giants were the last time the Super Bowl was in Arizona. Not only do the Seahawks have a litany of offensive weapons in Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Doug Baldwin, etc., but everyone knows about how imposing their defense can be. Just ask the Denver Broncos last year about how badly the (Legion of) boom was lowered on them.

Meanwhile, could there be a team playing with more chips on their shoulders than a Patriots team that has already won three Super Bowls with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady? Given that they lost their last two Super Bowls, plus the Deflate-Gate controversy, Belichick and Brady may want this one worse than their last trio of titles.

In the end, something tells me that the Seahawks will play this game with a lot of confidence after the way the Green Bay game turned out. That defense will be something to contend with as it was for Denver last year, to say the least.

Mike Lacy-Section 215 Staff Writer

Score: Seahawks 23-Patriots 20

MVP: Russell Wilson

The Patriots are an excellent offensive team. Tom Brady is obviously one of the best quarterbacks of all time, and Rob Gronkowski provides him with one of the best weapons in football.

Can Russell Wilson and Kam Chancellor lead the Seahawks to a Superbowl repeat? Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

They’ve looked near unstoppable at times.

However, as good as the Patriots are, they’re matched against a unit that is even better in the Seahawks defense.

Remember last year? Everyone was talking about how the Broncos’ powerful weapons on offense would be impossible for even the Seahawks to stop. The Seahawks didn’t just stop them, they flat out dominated them. I don’t see the Patriots faring much better.

On the other side of the ball, the Seahawks offense isn’t spectacular. But Russell Wilson just seems to have a knack for making just enough big plays to keep drives going.

I predict the game will come down to the fourth quarter, with the Patriots’ defense desperately needing a stop. I envision them growing increasingly frustrated as they are unable stop Wilson and Marhsawn Lynch from picking up first downs.

By the time they get the ball back, it will be too late for Brady to mount a comeback drive.

Denny Basens-Section 215 Staff Writer

Score: Seahawks 30-Patriots 17

MVP: Marshawn Lynch

The Seattle defense has rediscovered their top form at the right time.

Their shutdown defense has propelled them through the final month of the regular season, and helped them overcome one of the elite offenses in the league–the Green Bay Packers–for the right to advance to this game. The Seahawks are a prideful bunch, but they back up their talk better than any other franchise in the league.

They demolished Peyton Manning and the historic 2013-14 Denver offense, and now I believe they’ll cement their legacy as one of the great defensive units of all time by overcoming Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

When you look at the New England offense, with the exception of Rob Gronkowski, the weapons just aren’t that impressive. Julian Edelman has been a reliable target for Brady, and Brandon LaFell has emerged as a pleasant surprise on the outside, but this group doesn’t strike nearly the same amount of fear into a defense as Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Julius Thomas and Wes Welker did a year ago.

Although Seattle doesn’t have an overwhelming offense on paper, Russell Wilson and company always seems to make big plays in big moments of big games. I don’t see Wilson coming out and having another game like he did against Green Bay, in which his performance was littered with turnovers.

In their last couple of Super Bowl appearances, the Patriots have fallen flat on their faces with poor offensive performances. No one in the league has been able to solve the Seattle defense, and I don’t believe that even Bill Belichick and Tom Brady will be able to achieve such a goal.

And with as an embarrassing a year as its been for the NFL off the field, it’s only fitting that Lynch, a player who has been troublesome for the league all year–whether its been through press conferences, gold shoes, or crotch grabs–goes off for a monster game and wins the MVP award.