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Super Bowl XLIX Betting Preview – Pats, Seahawks Both Hope to Run to Title

John Benson

by John Benson in News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:40 AM PST

Super Bowl XLIX: New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks (-1, 48 o/u)

Going into Super Bowl XLIX, we have been hearing about DeflateGate ad nauseam. Some people are finding it hard to explain to their kids why a team caught cheating is playing in the championship game, but the media frenzy is complete bull … ony, since the Pats would have beaten the Colts even if they’d been playing with a large, oddly-shaped rock.

Whatever the explanation behind DeflateGate, there is a Super Bowl taking place next weekend and presumably there are still plenty of bettors more interested in the matchup than the tangential storylines.

After New England running back LeGarrette Blount blew up for 148 yards and three touchdowns in the AFC Championship Game, you better believe Pete Carroll and company are devising a strategy to limit the Pats’ ground game.

“I think they have good versatile runners,” said Seattle middle linebacker Bobby Wagner. “Blount ran the hell out of the ball last week, that’s definitely going to be a challenge with him back there. It balances out their passing game. I think if we stop the run and make them one-dimensional, we will be fine.”

Granted that’s easier said than done, with Blount running the ball like Earl Campbell.

“He’s able to stop on a dime,” Wagner said. “He has shifty moves as if he is smaller back. You just have to be ready because he can shake you and he can run you over so you’re going to have to be perfect on tackling.”

The Seahawks will have access to tape from the Divisional Playoffs, though, when the Baltimore Ravens completely shut-down the New England running game to the tune of 14 yards on 13 carries. New England indeed became one-dimensional in that game, and it wound up a lot closer than expected, with the Pats eking out a come-from-behind four-point win as seven-point favorites.

On the other side of the ball, the Patriots, who boast the ninth-ranked defense, will be keying on Marshawn Lynch, who averages 4.7 yards per carry. “Beast Mode” racked up 1,306 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns this season and was an integral part of Seattle’s top-ranked rushing offense.

“Seattle has a number of different runs that they execute as an offense,” said Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. “They execute it at a very high level. It’s extremely dangerous; they do it from a number of different looks.”

The running game was one of the only things working for the Seahawks in their 28-22 OT win over the Packers in the NFC Championship Game. Lynch had 157 yards on 25 carries against Green Bay. But turnovers kept the Seahawks off the board until halftime and doomed their chance of covering as 7.5-point favorites.

With all of this high-powered rushing, the clock will keep running. That means the game will be shorter and, alas, the under (48) will be in play.

(Photo credit: Kelly Bailey [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)

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