It is the NFL’s showcase event. The culmination of 128 pre-season games, 512 regular season games, 10 playoff games, thousands of accumulative hours of training and preparing, and thousands more kilometres of travel.

It is the number one seed in the AFC versus the top team in the NFC. It is the might of the Seahawks defence against the high-powered and versatile Patriots offence.

It is age and experience versus youth and exuberance. It’s Tom Brady versus Russell Wilson.

It’s Brady against Richard Sherman. It’s Sherman versus Darrelle Revis. It’s a one bedroom apartment on Revis Island.

It’s Marshawn Lynch in a silent battle with the media, Doug Baldwin in a much louder struggle. It’s a reunion for the Legion of Boom. It’s the first meeting since “You mad, bro?”

All you need to know about Super Bowl XLIX from The Roar, starting at 10:30 AM EDST Monday
The Roar’s Sam Rigney with everything you need to know about Super Bowl XLIX
How New England can win
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It’s footballs inflated to exactly 13 psi. It’s Bill Belichick versus Pete Carroll. It’s a chance for redemption in the desert. It’s the final stamp on a legacy or the next step in forging a dynasty.

It is Super Bowl XLIX.

Three keys to the game

Marshawn Lynch versus the Patriots front-seven
Patriots coach Bill Belichick likes to take away his opponent’s best offensive weapon and there is little doubt that for the Seahawks that is tackle-busting running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch ranked fourth in rushing yards this regular season and equal first in touchdowns.

The Seahawks don’t have an elite wide receiver on their roster and their success is built on a strong running game and dominant defence, so a lot of the offensive spark comes from Lynch. When called upon he rarely lets his team down and is often the nucleus for one of their wild comebacks.

Belichick and Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia may be planning to stack the box in a bid to nullify the run game of Lynch and quarterback Russell Wilson. With shut-down corner Darrelle Revis already (hopefully) taking out one side of the field, the Patriots’ ability to stop the run will be the single most important key to winning this game. Stop Lynch, force the Seahawks to punt and control the clock and Brady, Belichick and the Patriots will win another Super Bowl title.

But it is a 60-minute job – the Packers did a decent job of limiting Lynch’s impact early in the NFC Championship game, but he finished with 157 yards on the ground and the go ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Covering Rob Gronkowski
His size, skill set and strength in the red-zone make covering Gronkowski a match-up nightmare for any team. A favourite for AP Comeback Player of the Year, Gronkowski led all tight ends in yards and touchdowns during the 2014 regular season. So who is going to cover him in Super Bowl XLIX?

Seahawks safety Earl Thomas gives up eight inches to Gronkowski and despite his ferocious tackling ability may struggle to pull down the monster tight end in space. Richard Sherman is taller and a better cover player, but will likely be split out wide on one side of the field covering the Patriots more elusive receivers.

That leaves strong safety Kam Chancellor, who matches up better with Gronkowski and plays a physical style of game. The key for Chancellor will be not allowing Gronkowski a free release at the line of scrimmage. If he jams the big tight end up and gets him off his routes, rather than just letting him run down the seam then he could go some of the way towards neutralising one of the Patriots’ biggest weapons.

Special teams
It’s one of those NFL clichés that few fans actually believe: the game is won on all three phases. They don’t get the headlines or the big paychecks, but special team players can have just as much of an impact on a game as those on offence and defence. Just ask the Green Bay Packers and their back-up tight-end Brandon Bostick, who let an on-side kick deflect off his face-guard in the Packers’ devastating loss to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game.

But it’s not just Bostick. There have been a number of huge special team plays, good or bad, in recent Super Bowls or playoff games that have affected the outcome. Take Jacoby Jones’ 108-yard kick-off return touchdown against the 49ers a few seasons ago or Percy Harvin’s 87-yard return against the Broncos last year. Defence may win championships, but solid special teams can make sure you don’t lose them.

Four (unexpected) players to watch

Brandon Browner (Patriots)
A former member of the Legion of Boom, Browner was suspended for the Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory over the Broncos last year after he violated the league’s substance abuse policy. Now he is facing his old team for the first time and has the chance to make amends on the biggest stage.

Browner has slotted in well alongside Revis in the secondary and has provided the Patriots’ defence with an irreplaceable physical style of play. However, much to Belichick’s frustration, he also leads the team in penalties. The Seahawks are familiar with Browner and may know how to get under his skin. If he keeps his cool, avoids getting flagged and plays tough against the Seahawks receivers then he may have his fairytale comeback.

Doug Baldwin (Seahawks)
The Seahawks had just completed a miraculous comeback over the Green Bay Packers and were bound for their second straight Super Bowl. The Seahawks players were positively jubilant, Russell Wilson was crying, but Doug Baldwin was mad. He was mad at the doubting media, mad at NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders, who he said called him mediocre, mad at the world. He may have a Super Bowl ring, but Baldwin also has a massive chip on his shoulder.

The problem is, despite all of his hot air, Baldwin has only thrown up mediocre stats so far in his career. He still does not have a 1000-yard season and as the team’s number one receiver this year he ranked 42nd overall in receiving yards with 825. He may play on a run first team, but this is a passing league. Baldwin’s chance to silence those doubters for good couldn’t come at a better time and on a bigger stage.

LeGarrette Blount (Patriots)
Blount should be enjoying the off-season with the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but instead he is preparing for the biggest game of his life. This season has seen an incredible turnaround for Blount, who was cut by the Steelers for walking off the field before the end of a Week 11 game against the Tennessee Titans before landing with the Patriots two days later.

Ironically, the Steelers could have used Blount when star back Le’Veon Bell went down with injury ahead of the playoffs. That’s ancient history now and Blount could be the x-factor for New England against the stout Seahawks run defence. Belichick plays his card ridiculously close and it’s never clear which running back is going to see the lion’s share of carries, but when Blount’s name has been called he has exploded in big games. He destroyed the Indianapolis Colts in the post-season over the last two seasons and could prove hard to stop if he gets on a roll at Arizona.

Jon Ryan (Seattle)
No I’m not suggesting Ryan is going to toss another touchdown this week, but instead the veteran punter may have a more conventional impact on the game. Average starting field position is a strong suit for the Seahawks. Their offence had the fourth-shortest average field to work from during the regular season and their opponents had the longest. A lot of that advantage comes from Ryan.

He had the lowest rate of punts returned in the NFL this season at 26.7 per cent. If he can pin the Patriots down in their own 10-yard line consistently it will make things difficult for Brady and Co. And if he wants to throw another touchdown pass then Seahawks fans won’t be complaining either.

Five (quick) storylines to follow

Legacy
Four out of six sounds a lot better than three from three. That is the equation for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Brady enjoyed an incredible start to his career, leading the Patriots to three titles in his first five years in the league. But it has been 10 years since his last Super Bowl win and since then twice Eli Manning and the Giants have thwarted him in the big game. If Brady claims a fourth championship then he should be in the discussion for best ever.

Dynasty
Like Brady before him, Wilson has enjoyed a lot of early success in his professional career. You could argue both enjoyed the advantage of playing with an excellent defence, but both also have the uncanny ability to shake off mistakes in big games and get on with the job. If the Patriots’ golden era from 2001 to 2004 can be called a dynasty, then surely the Seahawks are forging out their own period of dominance right now. No team has even qualified for back-to-back Super Bowls since the Patriots won in both 2003 and 2004.

Injuries
It’s one thing to get through the post-season, but it’s another to come through unscathed. If it wasn’t for another major storyline (see further down) then the health of the Seahawks’ two best defensive backs may be the biggest news heading into Super Bowl XLIX. Sherman looked in serious pain during the fourth-quarter against the Packers after spraining his elbow, while Thomas suffered a dislocated shoulder.

Sherman has practiced all week and should take his place, but Thomas has either missed practices or been limited during the week and is listed as questionable at this stage. The Seahawks’ secondary are one of their main strengths and Pete Carroll would love to have his guys firing on all cylinders to ensure the likes of Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell don’t break out. Thomas and Sherman should play, but their health is something to keep an eye on in both the build-up and once they are out on the field.

Lynch
I wrote last week about the need for Lynch to stop playing games with the media and either speak when required or disclose a rumoured problem with social anxiety. We all know how this is going to go; Lynch will be scheduled for mandatory media interviews, he won’t say much, if anything, and the circus will continue.

The problem is Lynch has made this not speaking thing such a big deal that he is going to have media from all over the planet scrambling to get a weird sound bite from him. Also, everyone else who is serious about covering football is going to want to hear from Lynch about being off contract at season’s end. Either way, expect to remain in the dark about what Marshawn Lynch is thinking.

#deflategate
Yep. I had to mention it. Regardless of how big a deal you think the scandal around the Patriots possibly deflating footballs before their game against the Colts in the AFC Championship game, there is little doubt it has become a distraction for the franchise.

We’ve heard from Brady and Bill, who have both professed their innocence and ignorance, so that should be it right? End of story? Wrong. This is the Patriots we are talking about, a team still plagued by allegations of cheating ahead of their last title against the Panthers in 2004. This story will dominate the news cycle long after the Super Bowl is over.

Prediction: The Patriots will cast aside deflate-gate, Brady’s legacy will be ensured and Gronkowski will wreak havoc.

Patriots 24 Seahawks 20.