Tom Brady and the New England Patriots opened as underdogs but now sit as favourites at many sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com as they prepare to travel to Glendale to take on the defending-champion Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
The Patriots earned their fifth trip to the big game in the last 12 years with a stunning 45-7 rout of the Indianapolis Colts in last weekend’s AFC Championship Game, easily covering a seven-point spread in the process.
Super Bowl XLIX marks Brady’s record-setting sixth Super Bowl appearance. The 37-year-old has tallied nine TD passes in his previous five Super Bowls, claiming three championships and twice earning Super Bowl MVP honours. Brady also averaged 271 passing yards in each of his last two Super Sunday matchups, in 2008 and 2012, but failed to complete a pass longer than 21 yards in either game, both of which the Patriots lost SU and ATS.
The win represents somewhat of a turnaround for the Patriots, who struggled in their previous three outings, eking out close wins over the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens while dropping a 17-9 decision in a late-season meeting at home against the Buffalo Bills, failing to cover in each of the three contests.
New England’s ATS win over Indy also ended an 0-2 ATS skid in the post-season. However, the Pats remain an NFL playoff betting disappointment, going just 4-5 ATS in their last nine playoff games over the past four seasons.
The Patriots’ betting shortcomings also extend to their appearances in the Super Bowl. New England takes a 1-5-1 ATS record in their last seven Super Bowl appearances into the Patriots vs. Seahawks Super Bowl matchup at University of Phoenix Stadium.
New England is an impressive 14-4 SU in their last 18 meetings with NFC West opponents, but just 2-5 ATS in their last seven, with the point total playing OVER in five of those contests.
Seattle booked their return trip to the Super Bowl in thrilling fashion, overcoming a 16-point deficit at halftime to defeat the Green Bay Packers 28-22 in the NFC Championship Game but failing to cover as 8.5-point favourites at the sportsbooks.
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, who had thrown a total of just seven interceptions all season long, tossed four picks against the Packers, including three in the first half. However, the third-year pivot out of Wisconsin made amends with a TD run in the fourth quarter and a TD pass in overtime to send Seattle to the Super Bowl.
The win over Green Bay was Seattle’s eighth straight SU, during which they have held opponents to under 10 points per game while restricting opposing passers to just 179.2 passing yards per game.
Super Bowl XLIX marks the Seahawks’ third trip to the big game. The club made their first appearance in Super Bowl XL, dropping a 21-10 decision to the Pittsburgh Steelers as four-point underdogs, but dominated the Denver Broncos on Super Sunday last season, posting a 43-8 win as two-point underdogs.
Overall, the Seahawks are 6-1 SU in their last seven post-season contests, going 4-2-1 ATS. Seattle has also enjoyed success against AFC opponents, posting SU wins in 10 of their last 14 following a 1-8 SU swoon in their previous nine.
Seattle has also had the Patriots’ number in recent meetings, claiming six wins in their last eight head-to-head meetings, SU and ATS, holding the Pats to just 16.1 points per game during that stretch.
