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Seattle take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. Here’s three ways the Seahawks can go back to back in 2105.
Target Rob Gronkowski early and often
As important as Tom Brady is to New England, you can mount a pretty solid argument that Gronkowski, the lumbering tight end (and unwitting star of some questionable adult fiction, just recently), is just as important.
Without doubt, he’s a superstar of the team and the NFL itself. Indeed, three years ago, a below-par Gronkowski had a minimal impact on the game, which led to – another – Patriots loss to New York, in a game that the Pats were probably favourites.
Fast forward three years, and Gronkowski is, as far as we know, healthy and ready to go, and you can imagine that Brady will look to bring him into the game early, and target him plenty throughout.
Why? Because, of all the New England offensive threats, Gronk is the hardest one for Seattle’s talented defence to curtail.
Gronkowski could have a massive influence on this game. If he’s kept largely out of the contest by the Seattle defence, that’s bad news for New England. I believe Gronkowski needs to have a huge game for the Pats to triumph.
I’m talking somewhere around the century mark in receiving yards, including a few big plays.
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
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The Roar’s Super Bowl XLIX and American football coverage
Start times, broadcast details and key information
Don’t turn the football over
A rather obvious key to winning any sort of football game, but particularly important at Super Bowl time. Why? Well, I read a crazy stat during the week that a team who scores a Pick-6 touchdown has never lost a Super Bowl.
We’ve seen some memorable ones over the years, including a Peyton Manning’s against New Orleans, which sealed a Super Bowl title for the Saints.
Giving up a defensive touchdown is clearly a massive morale-killer, and this is particularly the case, given the way Seattle’s talented defence goes about things.
Points or not, if they can get a few turnovers, the game could swing drastically in their favour.
Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman – these guys live for taking the ball away, and, provided they are all healthy – and there have been some questions in this regard since the NFC Championship Game – Brady and his receivers are going to need to be incredibly disciplined in the aerial attack.
It’s fair to say they haven’t seen a defensive corps quite this good all season, and the Seahawks would love nothing more than to force New England’s offense from the field.
To that end, the Pats will need to be perhaps more disciplined than they’ve ever been before. No silly throws when the pocket collapses, protect the football if Brady’s taking a sack, and sure-handed catches by his receivers.
Limit Russell Wilson’s influence running the football
There’s been suggestion during the last two weeks of media build-up to the game that if star running back Marshawn Lynch can’t get going right away– remember, he started slowly against Green Bay – that the Seattle offense might call more running plays for quarterback Russell Wilson.
If you’ve watched any of Seattle this year, you’ll realise that this isn’t some sort of gimmick from deep in their play book, but something that Wilson does with some regularity, and with some success, too.
He’s deceptively quick, and has some nice moves, too. If he gets a nice block, he can make yards in the blink of an eye.
We might even see some version of the read option offense employed with Lynch in the backfield to further confuse a New England defence that’s going to have it’s work cut out for it.
Certainly, Wilson is more prolific as a passer, but, on occasion, he’d made life difficult for opposition tacklers by tucking the ball and taking off.
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