Super Bowl XLIX: 3 Keys to a New England Patriots Victory

Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots will look to dethrone the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on Sunday when they take to the field in Glendale, Arizona. Seattle is looking to become the first franchise to repeat as Super Bowl winners since the Patriots last did it in the early 2000’s.

These two conference champions are the most well-rounded teams in football as they both posted 12-4 records during the regular season. The style in which each side plays with differs, yet they’re equally effective on both sides of the football.

New England has not played Seattle since 2012, but they’ve drastically improved since then. They’re more than motivated to take down the Seattle. That’s no secret, especially amid the laughable “deflategate” scandal. But what must the Patriots do in order to beat their opponent this week?

Here are my three keys to a Patriots Super Bowl win.

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Stifle Marshawn Lynch, force Russell Wilson to pass

Seattle is 8-0 in games that Lynch scores a touchdown. He’s eclipsed 100 yards on five different occasions this season, including a 157-yard effort in the NFC Championship game. Without a doubt, the Seahawks look to establish the run before they take to the air. Containing Lynch will be key for the Patriots if they hope to force Pete Carroll’s squad out of their comfort zone.

Green Bay held Lynch to just 10 yards on five attempts in the first half of the NFC title game. As a result, Wilson was forced to throw the football from the pocket. Wilson threw 3 picks in the first half as their offense was clearly operating outside of its gameplan. He’s a mediocre pocket passer in my opinion.

If the Patriots can contain Lynch and limit his big plays, the Seahawks will be forced to throw the football. The advantage certainly goes to the Patriots in that regard. With Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Devin McCourty and Kyle Arrington roaming the field, Wilson’s targets should be covered up. More turnovers will likely ensue if the Patriots succeed with a smothering run defense.

Establish LeGarrette Blount and the run game

The Patriots are at their best from an offensive standpoint when Blount and the running game operates with effectiveness. In the three games that Blount scored in this season, including the trouncing of the Colts in the AFC title game, the Patriots have outscored their opponent 120-29.

Establishing the run will allow the offensive linemen to get involved physically, thus generating momentum and confidence up front. It will also keep the Seahawks defense honest.

Setting up the play-action pass will keep the Legion of Boom on its toes and their outstanding linebackers will be left to guess what’s coming at them. If Blount gets rolling, the Patriots will be able to dictate play and Seattle doesn’t respond well to that.

Running the ball successfully has proved to be key in defeating them this season. In three of Seattle’s four losses, they allowed their opponent to rush for over 100 yards.

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Build up an early lead

The Patriots cannot afford to get off to a slow start. Seattle has too good of defense to play come-from-behind football against. The Seahawks will just sit back in blanketing coverage if the Patriots find themselves having to throw to erase a deficit.

On the flip side of things, forcing Seattle to throw to erase a deficit is what the Patriots should be looking to do. They’re a team that is susceptible to turnovers when playing from behind. Green Bay proved that fact.

We’ve seen Tom Brady and company avenge slow starts with late-game comebacks on numerous occasions this season, but that was of course against opponents of far less talent. They don’t want to try their luck at that game with the Lombardi Trophy on the line.

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