BetMGM Big Game Preview: New England vs Seattle
The eyes of the sporting world will be on California on Sunday 8th February as New England takes on Seattle in Santa Clara (kick-off 23:30 GMT).
The American football season is set to come to a thrilling conclusion as two teams who went 14-3 in the regular season go head-to-head.
It's not the pairing that many fans would have been expecting but, with Philadelphia and Kansas City falling short this time round and fancied contenders like Baltimore, Buffalo, Detroit and Green Bay doing the same, we now have a repeat of the championship match-up 11 years ago.
That contest ended in one of the most dramatic finishes ever seen as New England's Malcolm Butler made a late goal-line interception of a Russell Wilson pass to seal a 28-24 win.
Both teams have changed head coaches since then, with Mike Macdonald taking Seattle to the Big Game in just his second season with the team, while Mike Vrabel is in his first year as head coach of New England, a team he also represented in his playing career as a linebacker.
We’ve picked out our favourite four bets for the season-ending showdown and you can read the reasoning behind them below.
New England vs Seattle (Sunday, 23:30 GMT)
TIP 1 – Seattle -4.5 @ 10/11
Seattle have looked like one of the strongest teams in the league all season and, while New England have been just as successful, they are underdogs in the Big Game for good reason.
While teams can only beat the teams they are asked to play, there was very little substance to the 14-3 record the team from Boston put together – they played only three games against teams that made the playoffs, losing to Pittsburgh while winning and losing in two games against Buffalo.
Vrabel's team have beaten three playoff teams in the post-season, of course, but they have again been assisted by good fortune.
Their first opponents from Los Angeles were beset by offensive line injuries, Houston were missing their leading wide receiver Nico Collins due to injury and hurt themselves with a plethora of offensive blunders, while Denver, the number one seeds in the conference, had to start the championship game with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
New England dispatched them all efficiently enough but they face a much tougher task against Seattle, who have not lost a game by more than four points all season, and that was in their very first game against San Francisco.
Seattle have a strong and varied offence with Kenneth Walker III at running back while wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the league in receiving yards this season and has added 172 more with two touchdowns in his two playoff appearances.
The defence of the favourites allowed the fewest points of any team in the league this season and helped to crush San Francisco 41-6 in their first playoff game.
New England came out on top when the teams met in the Big Game 11 years ago, but Seattle can get their revenge on Sunday and this contest should not be as close as that one was.
TIP 2 – Under 45.5 points @ 10/11
Both these teams have impressed with their defences this season, with Seattle averaging just 17.2 points conceded per game while New England were not far behind in fourth place with 18.8.
The success of their offenses means the line for the Big Game in Santa Clara is some way above the sum of those figures, but there are decent grounds for expecting one of the lower-scoring season finales in recent memory.
Seattle have held six of their last eight opponents to 16 or fewer points, while New England have conceded only 26 total points in three playoff appearances and held their final two regular-season opponents to just 10.
All three of New England's playoff games have finished with under 45.5 points and that trend should continue.
TIP 3 – Kenneth Walker III first touchdown scorer @ 4/1
Seattle enjoyed a powerful one-two punch at running back for most of the season but they have not been thrown off their path by the season-ending injury sustained by Zach Charbonnet.
Charbonnet was the team's main goal-line back, scoring 12 rushing touchdowns, but Walker has had no trouble handling the role as the main man. He has scored four touchdowns in his team's two playoff games including the first score in their most recent match.
The 25-year-old RB looks a decent bet to score the first touchdown on Sunday.
TIP 4 – Mack Hollins 30+ receiving yards @ 23/20
Mack Hollins is the most colourful character in the New England team and the wide receiver, who has a fondness for walking around barefoot before games, could play a key role for his team in the Big Game.
Hollins recently missed four games with an abdominal injury but he made two big catches against Denver for 51 receiving yards two weeks ago.
Before his absence, Hollins had been a bigger part of the offence and was targeted eight and nine times for 41 and 69 receiving yards in his previous two appearances. He can pass the 30 receiving yards mark for a fourth successive game.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change
