The Must See NFL Matchups On Super Bowl Sunday

Surprise, the top team in the AFC and NFC will face off in the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots now have six trips to the Super Bowl in the Bill Belichick, Tom Brady era. Two weeks ago the Patriots rolled over the Indianapolis Colts 45-7. The Patriots are averaging a ridiculous 40 points in their two playoff games. The Patriots will be a formidable opponent on Super Bowl Sunday. The defending Champs the Seattle Seahawks seemingly have nine lives. Last week with minutes remaining their season appeared to be all but over. The Seahawks scored three touchdowns within minutes in regulation and overtime to shock the world. NFL fans can’t ask for a better game so let’s get right into this matchup!

The Patriots offense right now is playing football at the highest level. This team can beat the defense in so many ways. They can run a spread matchup and pass the ball 50 times for the victory. They can also play power offense, run the ball 40 times and dominate the opponent at the line of scrimmage. The efficiency of this offense is off the charts. During the postseason the Patriots have converted over 62% of third down conversions. Brady is a tremendous NFL quarterback. He is in complete control of the offense. He has outstanding accuracy. His understanding of the game is off the charts.
The Patriots offense loves to play keep away. The offense is at its best when they can manufacture long drives down the field. They want to wear down a defense for four quarters. Brady is very willing to spread out the ball to all of his receivers. In the postseason alone, five different receivers have caught a touchdown pass from Brady. With the Super Bowl on the line, I expect Brady to look to Rob Gronkowski early and often. Even though Gronkowski plays tight end, he had more receiving yards and touchdowns than any other Patriots or Seahawks player this season. The Patriots are 4-0 when Gronkowski has over 100 receiving yards. He will need to be a major playmaker in this matchup. Gronkowski is the team’s best big play receiver. He has underrated speed, tremendous size and excellent hands. He is also a dominant force in the red zone. He runs routes in the middle of the field, can run slants and fade routes that defenders are powerless to stop.

The Seahawks may be a lot of things, but pushovers they are not! This defense doesn’t try to confuse the offense they just out execute them. The defense is full of playmakers at every level of the defense. Defensive end Michael Bennett is capable of taking over games. Linebackers K.J. Wright and Bobby Wagner each recorded over 100 tackles this season. The Seahawks best unit on defense is actually their secondary. This season three of their four defensive backs were voted in as pro bowlers; Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas. Each of these players is a stud in their own right.

For this matchup the biggest x factor will be strong safety Kam Chancellor. I expect Chancellor to shadow Gronkowski all across the field. Chancellor has the size and strength to disrupt Gronkowski off his routes and affect the timing of Patriots passing plays. Chancellor is an effective blitzer and can bring pressure to Brady. Chancellor also will need to be excellent in the run game. His size is an asset as he can disrupt running plays. In a matchup between the Patriots high octane offense and the Seahawks #1 defense turnovers can also turn the tide. The Seahawks defense has forced at least two turnovers in their last four postseason games. This season the Patriots were 2^nd overall in turnover margin. Honestly, you can’t really script a better Super Bowl contest. Picking the winner of this game is kinda like picking a favorite child… It shouldn’t be done but I’ll do it anyway. I’m taking the over and predict the Seahawks will win 27-24.