There are just four teams left in the chase for Super Bowl XLIX. All of them have a chance to raise the Lombardi Trophy at the conclusion of the season, but even with four left they are far from equal contenders. Below, we take a closer look at the strengths and weaknesses (and of course the odds) of each of the four remaining teams in the hunt.
Get ready for the upcoming conference championship games this coming Sunday. Check out our complete picks and predictions for Week 20 of the 2014-2015 NFL season, and read on for more on each of the four contenders.
[sc:Football ]Super Bowl XLIX Futures Odds as of Week 20
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks lead the remaining four teams in the chase for the Lombardi Trophy as +125 favorites. They do so with a mix of excellent defense and a stellar running game.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Seattle’s top-ranked defense led the league in both scoring and total defense during the regular season. They allowed an average of 15.9 points and just 267.1 yards per game.
While the Seahawks have limited their opponents’ time on the field with their defense, they also know how to milk the clock with an excellent running game. They ranked first in the regular season with 172.6 yards rushing per game.
Still, the Seahawks aren’t as adept through the air. Quarterback Russell Wilson has averaged 217 yards passing per game. Seattle’s receiving corps has also taken a hit as they’re left with four active wide receivers in Jermain Kearse, Doug Baldwin, Ricardo Lockette and Kevin Norwood after Paul Richardson suffered a torn ACL in the divisional playoff.
New England Patriots
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are back in the AFC Championship Game and are +185 favorites to win Super Bowl XLIX. The Patriots’ offense is led by the strong arm of Brady, who ranks fifth in the league with 33 passing touchdowns in the regular season and threw for three against Baltimore in their divisional playoff.
The Patriots should fancy their chances of making the Super Bowl with a strong receiving corps led by Rob Gronkowski. Gronk had a monster regular season racking up 1,124 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, the most in the league among tight ends. He had 108 yards and a score in the divisional playoff win over the Ravens.
On the other side of the ball, the Patriots have struggled against the pass. They rank 17th in passing defense as they’ve allowed 239.8 yards per game during the regular season. The Pats allowed Baltimore’s Joe Flacco to pass for 292 yards and four touchdowns in the divisional playoff.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers and their well-rounded offense have an uphill battle when they take on the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. It also does them no favors that Aaron Rodgers is operating on just one good leg. Speaking of which, you can find our up-to-the-minute tracker of Rodgers’ leg injury here.
Rodgers was excellent in the divisional playoff as he passed for 316 yards and three touchdowns despite his injured leg. Meanwhile, running back Eddie Lacy powers the backfield. Lacy averaged 99.2 yards per game in the final six games of the regular season and had 101 yards on 19 carries in the divisional playoff on Sunday.
While Green Bay has quite a potent offense, the same can’t be said of their rushing defense. They allowed 145 yards rushing to Dallas and their rushing defense ranked 23rd in the league (119.9 yards allowed per game) in the regular season.
The Packers are +500 to raise the Lombardi Trophy.
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are the biggest underdogs to win Super Bowl XLIX at +600. However, they can certainly pack a punch as they owned the league’s top-ranked passing offense during the regular season. The Colts averaged 306 yards per game in the regular season, and Andrew Luck’s 40 regular season passing touchdowns were the most in the league.
What has hurt the Colts in their losses is their rushing defense. They allowed an average of 143.8 rushing yards in their five regular season losses. However, the Colts may be over that particular hump after they limited Cincinnati and Denver to an average of 99 yards rushing in their two postseason games.
Got your dog in this fight? Cash in at this high-value point of the playings by creating a betting account now and making your pick.
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