Tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC the biggest event of the year in American sports will kick off-the Super Bowl. This year's big game pits the Seattle Seahawks, representing the NFC, against the New England Patriots, and can be live streamed online free by clicking this link. Seahawks fans that are unable to watch the game can listen to the radio broadcast on 710 KIRO, while Patriots fans may do likewise on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
The Seahawks' strong suit is clearly its defense, which will take the field as the No. 1 defense in the NFL this season per FootballOutsiders.com. They have a strong pass rush, rank second against opposing rushers, and their notorious "Legion of Boom" secondary is ranked third against the pass.
The only point of Seattle's defense that can be viewed as some semblance of weakness is their ability to defend opposing tight ends. That may be a crucial factor though against New England; they boast the NFL's most dangerous tight end Rob Gronkowski, who scored 12 touchdowns this season.
Gronk was targeted 131 times this year by Tom Brady, reeling in 82 of those passes for 1,124 yards. The Seahawks' safety tandem of Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor is arguably the best in the NFL but guarding Gronk is no easy task for any defender.
On the flip side, New England's defense was middling against the run. They will have a big problem stopping Marshawn Lynch from entering "Beast Mode," if he resembles the form he showed in the NFC Championship against the Green Bay Packers. Lynch rushed for 157 yards and a score in that contest.
The Patriots were particularly poor in short yardage, late-down situations-dead last in the NFL. They ranked fourth from the bottom in terms of stopping runs at or behind the line of scrimmage. If they cant keep Lynch under control, that will open up the entire field for Russell Wilson's dual passing and rushing threats.
Prediction: Seahawks 27, Patriots 21
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