Question of the Week: Who Will Win Super Bowl XLIX: The New England Patriots or the Seattle Seahawks?

By Evan Rogers

National Sports Editor 

Despite the Deflate-Gate issues currently surrounding the New England Patriots following their AFC Championship game victory over the Indianapolis Colts, I believe that they will be this year’s Super Bowl Champions. This deflated football controversy would probably rattle most NFL teams, but the Patriots have been a successful franchise with a stable core for over a decade now and I don’t see them being phased by this. This will be the sixth Super Bowl that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have been together for, so they are very comfortable in this position. 

The Patriots are going up against the defending champions, the Seattle Seahawks, known for their strong running game and superb defense. However, this defense suffered a huge blow during the NFC Championship when all-pro defensive backs Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman both suffered injuries. Both have stated that they plan to play on Sunday, but how effective they will be remains to be seen. The Patriots will try to attack the Seahawks in the passing game, highlighted by tight end Rob Gronkowski. I believe that the Patriots will have enough success against a depleted Seahawks defense to give their rejuvenated defense the cushion they need. Patriots 27 – Seahawks 20.

By Greg White

Maroon-News Staff

From the days of Johnny Unitas to John Elway, the Super Bowl has been a fantastic event. Another NFL season has come and gone and the annual question arises of who should win the Super Bowl. Both teams are on opposite sides of the United States, and despite their differences, they do share an important similarity: both teams’ quarterbacks were overlooked in the NFL Draft. It is also these two men, Tom Brady and Russell Wilson, who will either rise to greater heights by winning the Super Bowl, or fall b­y the wayside and be stricken with criticism.

The New England Patriots finished the regular season with a record of 12-4, yet to get to the Super Bowl, they had to win games by the skin of their teeth. One game in particular that the Patriots should have lost was against the New York Jets. Despite the trials of that game, the Patriots had their eyes on the prize. From week seven onward, despite playing tough games against Buffalo and Green Bay, as well as the Deflate-Gate scandal, the New England Patriots are striving to win a fourth NFL championship.

Just like the Patriots, the Seattle Seahawks have also had a tough regular season that resulted in a 12-4 record. In fact, despite winning the previous Super Bowl, the Seahawks’ first seven games of the regular season indicated that they may not return to defend their championship. Furthermore, when the Seahawks played Green Bay in the NFC Championship, the Seahawks were struggling for most of the game. Yet just like the New England Patriots, the Seattle Seahawks had their “eyes on the prize” and defeated Green Bay in overtime.

In sum, both teams have had tough regular seasons, yet when it comes to overall NFL rankings, according to ESPN, the Seattle Seahawks are ranked in the top three of every category regarding offense and defense. Thus despite the trials and tribulations that the regular season brought to both teams, the Seattle Seahawks should arise victorious at the end of the Super Bowl.

By David Josselsohn

Maroon-News Staff 

The Seattle Seahawks will retain their title as champions of the NFL at the Super Bowl this coming Sunday. While the Patriots were unequivocally the more impressive team in last week’s conference championship games, the Seahawks match up well with the Patriots, giving them a real chance to limit New England’s potent passing attack.

For the most part, New England’s offense is predicated around exploiting the mismatches that Rob Gronkowski creates and the attention that defenses give to him. Gronkowski is a rare specimen in today’s game: too big to be covered by a normal cornerback, yet too quick for linebackers. Seattle, though, should be able to counter “Gronk” with Kam Chancellor, who also has a rare combination of speed and size. 

If Chancellor is able to hold his own in this matchup, and Seattle defenders such as Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman can cover the other Patriot receivers, the Seahawks will be able to focus their attention on stopping the run game of New England. What has been an unstoppable offense in these playoffs may come to an abrupt stop this Sunday.

On the other side of the ball, Russell Wilson will have to be elusive and creative to score enough points to win. He will have his hands full with Darrelle Revis playing on the other side of the ball, but the Seahawks have to be optimistic about Marshawn Lynch continuing to eviscerate defenses. Wilson has to avoid the plague of interceptions he had last week, but if he does, this Seattle offense can see enough success to win. It will be a close game, but I expect the Seahawks to prove victorious, 24-20.