Super Bowl XLIX Betting Guide: Staff Picks
The staff at theScore put on their prognosticator hats and made predictions for Super Bowl XLIX, highlighting reasons for their choices. The pickers are Gino Bottero, Caitlyn Holroyd, Rob Pizzola, Arun Srinivasan, Joe Thomson and Dan Wilkins.
Super Bowl XLIX Betting Guide
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New England Patriots (pk) vs. Seattle Seahawks; total: 47
Bottero: In winning their last eight games, the Seattle Seahawks surrendered an average of 9.8 points, and led the league in scoring defense in the regular season. The team to lead the league in scoring defense during the regular season has made the Super Bowl 16 times, going 13-3 in those games. The Seahawks win again, but it won't come as easy as last year. Seahawks 20, Patriots 13
Holroyd: Defense wins championships, but the Seahawks' secondary may not be as healthy as the team's leading on. Let's also not forget that Seattle was nearly defeated by a banged-up Aaron Rodgers. The New England Patriots are a better, more adaptable team than the Green Bay Packers and have all the tools needed to exploit the Seahawks. Patriots 24, Seahawks 20
Pizzola: The Pats excel at exploiting opposing teams' defensive weaknesses, but you can't exploit a defense that has no weaknesses. Seattle has had two weeks to prepare for an offense that has no legitimate deep threat. The Seahawks talk a lot of smack, but they back it up, and I think we'll see a game eerily similar to last year's Super Bowl rout. Seahawks 26, Patriots 13
Srinivasan: It will be a close matchup between the league's two best teams, but Seattle will prevail due to its linebackers' athleticism and a ground game that will wear out New England's front seven. If the Seahawks get a lead, they're almost impossible to fight back against; they'll edge the Patriots by a touchdown. Seahawks 27, Patriots 20
Thomson: The lack of designed runs for quarterback Russell Wilson in the NFC Championship Game was baffling. The Seahawks won't make that mistake again and will get back on track offensively. The question marks surrounding the health of Seattle's secondary will be put to bed early by multiple turnovers. The Seahawks win in another Super Bowl route. Seahawks 33, Patriots 13
Wilkins: Though the Seahawks' dominant defense creates a number of matchup problems, the Patriots can keep the chains moving with a power running game and short passing attack. On defense, look for the Patriots to stack the box against the run while still being able to match up with the Seahawks' receivers on the outside, preventing Seattle's offense from moving the ball with any consistency. Patriots 20, Seahawks 16
Lines courtesy Scoresandodds.com.