What: Super Bowl XLIX, featuring the Seattle Seahawks v New England Patriots
Where: Glendale, Arizona
What time: 3.30am in the UAE; 3.30pm locally in US Pacific Standard Time
What TV Channel: OSN Sports, Fox Sports, BeIn Sports
Tale of the tape:
The quarterbacks
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
At age 37, he will be the first quarterback to start in six Super Bowls, and he needs to be at his best against Seattle’s big and fast defence if he wants to win for the fourth time but first in 10 years. Look for him to target the weaker links of the Legion of Boom secondary, Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane. If given time to throw and a bit of a running game, he could pick apart the Seahawks. A controversial figure the past week, after “Deflategate”, presumably he will not expect more-grippable underinflated footballs when he is on the field.
2014 season by the numbers: 33 touchdowns; 9 interceptions; 4,109 passing yards; 97.4 QB rating; 64.1 completion percentage; 7.1 yards per attempt; 57 rushing yards; 0 rushing touchdowns; 21 times sacked
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
He could win his second championship in his third season. He is nearly the polar opposite to Brady, lacking the same experience-driven ability to read defences and passing accuracy but bringing a running threat to the game that Brady does not have. He is a fairly ordinary pocket passer but dangerous when he moves. If the Patriots allow him to get loose in the secondary, the Seahawks will be nearly impossible to stop. Statistically, he had his least impressive season as a passer, though it was still plenty good, and also threw four interceptions in his latest game.
2014 season by the numbers: 20 touchdowns; 7 interceptions; 3,475 passing yards; 95.0 QB rating; 63.1 completion percentage; 7.7 yards per attempt; 849 rushing yards; 6 rushing TDs; 42 times sacked
THE OFFENCES
New England Patriots
The Patriots are thought of as a passing team and usually they are, even if they battered the Indianapolis Colts on the ground, behind LaGarrette Blount, in the conference championship game. The key figure in their passing attack is Rob Gronkowski, who has the size and strength associated with the tight-end position but adds an element of speed. He also is healthy for the first time in four seasons. Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell also feature prominently. This is a team with no real deep threat, but Brady seems to get by with a corps of short-pass receivers. A key figure to look for: centre Bryan Stork. His return from a knee injury could mean much better protection for Brady.
Starters: Julian Edelman (wide receiver); Danny Amendola (slot receiver); Nate Solder (left tackle); Dan Connolly (left guard); Bryan Stork (centre); Ryan Wendell (right guard); Sebastian Vollmer (right tackle); Rob Gronkowski (tight end); Brandon LaFell (wide receiver); Shane Vereen (running back)
2014 season by the numbers: 29.2 points per game (4th); 365.5 total yards per game (11th); 107.9 rushing yards per game (18th); 257.6 pass yards per game (9th)
Seattle Seahawks
Wilson is the man who matters most, but Marshawn Lynch is to many the face of the Seahawks attack. The eccentric tailback had his fourth successive Seattle season with more than 1,200 rushing yards and scored a career-best 17 touchdowns If he gets into what he calls “Beast Mode”, the Patriots will have a long day. Seattle’s wide receivers are not particularly impressive. The best are Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse. Luke Willson, the tight end, could be targeted more often because the Patriots have trouble defending tight ends. But mostly it is about Wilson, the quarterback, who ran for 849 yards (two-thirds Lynch’s total) and threw for 3,475.
Starters: Doug Baldwin (wide receiver); Russell Okung (left tackle); James Carpenter (left guard); Max Unger (centre); JR Sweezy (right guard); Justin Britt (right tackle); Luke Wilson (tight end); Jermaine Kearse (wide receiver); Will Tukuafu (fullback); Marshawn Lynch (running back)
2014 season by the numbers: 24.6 points per game (10th); 375.8 total yards per game (8th); 172.6 rushing yards per game (1st); 203.1 pass yards per game (27th)
THE DEFENCES
New England Patriots
Darrelle Revis, the cornerback, is the most-respected player among the Patriots defenders, and he will take away whatever receiver he lines up against. Vince Wilfork is a solid player in the middle of the line and, besides Brady, is the only player still on the squad who won the 2005 Super Bowl. This is a group that is always under control and tackles very well; do not look for them to overrun plays or miss tackles, even against Lynch. Their top priority will be turning Wilson into a pocket passer, keeping him from getting loose as a runner. Secondarily, they will want to prevent Lynch for battering for a bunch of four-yard gains because they are not good on third-hand-short-yardage situations.
Starters: Rob Ninkovich (left defensive end); Vince Wilfork (defensive tackle); Chris Jones (defensive tackle); Chandler Jones (right defensive end / linebacker); Jamie Collins (linebacker); Akeem Ayers (linebacker); Dont’a Hightower (linebacker); Darrelle Revis (left cornerback); Brandon Browner (right cornerback); Patrick Chung (safety); Devin McCourty (safety)
2014 season by the numbers: 19.6 points allowed per game (8th); 344.1 total yards allowed per game (13th); 104.3 rushing yards allowed per game (9th); 239.8 pass yards allowed per game (17th)
Seattle Seahawks
This is the most impressive unit in the game, both physically, with their speed and enormous defensive backs, and statistically: they were the league’s best defence for the second year running. Richard Sherman, who will play with an injured elbow, usually is the league’s best cornerback not named Darrelle Revis, and strong safety Kam Chancellor is a knockout hitter who could have some epic collisions with Gronkowski. The key to their effectiveness against the Patriots could be how much pressure their front four can generate against Brady, who had subpar performances in his two most recent Super Bowls, both losses, because he did not have time to dissect the defence.
Starters: Michael Bennett (left defensive end); Tony McDaniel (defensive tackle); Kevin Williams (defensive tackle); Cliff Avril (right defensive end); Bruce Irvin (left outside linebacker); Bobby Wagner (middle linebacker); KJ Wright (right outside linebacker); Richard Sherman (left cornerback); Byron Maxwell (right corner back); Kam Chancellor (strong safety); Earl Thomas (free safety)
2014 season by the numbers: 15.9 points allowed per game (1st); 267.1 total yards allowed per game (1st); 81.5 rushing yards allowed per game (3rd); 185.6 pass yards allowd per game (1st)
New England facts
AFC champions
14 wins, 4 losses (including play-offs)
How they got here:
Home team on the right
Loss: Week 1 NE 20, Miami 33
Win: Week 2 NE 30, Minnesota 7
Win: Week 3 Oakland 9, NE 16
Loss: Week 4 NE 14, Kansas City 41
Win: Week 5 Cincinnati 17, NE 43
Win: Week 6 NE 37, Buffalo 22
Win: Week 7 NY Jets 25, NE 27
Win: Week 8 Chicago 23, NE 51
Win: Week 9 Denver 21, NE 43
Bye: Week 10
Win: Week 11 NE 42, Indianapolis 20
Win: Week 12 Detroit 9, NE 34
Loss: Week 13 NE 21, Green Bay 26
Win: Week 14 NE 23, San Diego 14
Win: Week 15 Miami 13, NE 41
Win: Week 16 NE 17, NY Jets 16
Win: Week 17 Buffalo 17, NE 9
Play-offs
Wild Card
Bye
Divisional
Baltimore 31, NE 35
AFC Championship
Indianapolis 7, NE 45
– Bill Belichick and Tom Brady could become the second coach/QB duo to win four Super Bowls, joining Pittsburgh’s Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw.
– The Patriots return to the site of their most infamous defeat, the Helmet Catch loss to the New York Giants in 2008 that kept them from a perfect, 19-0 season.
– Stephen Gostkowski has been near-perfect as a kicker, 51-for-51 on PATs and 35-of-37 on fieldgoal attempts.
– The Patriots have one touchdown in the kicking game, an 84-yard punt return by Julian Edelman.
– The Patriots have allowed only two runs of more than 20 yards this season.
– A victory would make Brady, 37, the oldest championship-winning QB since Denver’s John Elway, who was 38 in the 1998 Super Bowl.
Seattle facts
NFC champions
14 wins, 4 losses* (including play-offs)
Home team on the right
Win: Week 1 Green Bay 16, SEA 36
Loss: Week 2 SEA 21, San Diego 30
Win: Week 3 Denver 20, SEA 26
Bye: Week 4
Win: Week 5 SEA 27, Washington 17
Loss: Week 6 Dallas 30, SEA 23
Loss: Week 7 SEA 26, St. Louis 28
Win: Week 8 SEA 13, Carolina 9
Win: Week 9 Oakland 24, SEA 30
Win: Week 10 NY Giants 17, SEA 38
Loss: Week 11 SEA 20, Kansas City 24
Win: Week 12 Arizona 3, SEA 19
Win: Week 13 SEA 19, SF 3
Win: Week 14 SEA 24, Philly 14
Win: Week 15 SF 7, SEA 17
Win: Week 16 SEA 35, Arizona 6
Win: Week 17 St Louis 6, SEA 20
Play-offs
Wild Card
Bye
Divisional
Carolina 17, SEA 31
NFC Championship
Green Bay 22, SEA 28
– Could become the first team to win consecutive Super Bowls since the Patriots did it in 2004 and 2005.
– They have won only three times in nine games at University of Phoenix Stadium, home of division rival Arizona, but have taken the past two.
– Russell Wilson, 26, could become the youngest QB to win a second Super Bowl, eclipsing Tom Brady, who was a few months older when he won No 2.
– The Seahawks have one touchdown in the kicking game, a 25-yard blocked-punt return by linebacker Mike Morgan.
– Steven Hauschka has been a bit erratic by modern kicking standards, having missed six of 37 fieldgoal attempts, though none inside the 40.
– The Seahawks scored 78 points fewer than did the Patriots (394-468) but allowed 59 points fewer (254-313) than did the Patriots.
Super Bowl facts
AT STAKE National Football League Championship for the Vince Lombardi Trophy // PARTICIPANTS New England Patriots (AFC) and Seattle Seahawks (NFC) // This is the eight appearance for the Patriots (3-4) and third appearance for Seattle (1-1) // SITE University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona // SEATING CAPACITY 71,228 // KICKOFF 3.30 am in Abu Dhabi // PLAYERS SHARE Winners: $97,000 per man (Dh356,295); Losers: $49,000 per man (Dh179,984) // PLAYER UNIFORMS Seattle will be the home team and have their choice of wearing their coloured or white jersey // OVERTIME At the end of regulation playing time, the referee will immediately toss a coin at the centre of the field, according to rules pertaining to the usual pre-game toss. The captain of the NFC team (the visiting team) will call the toss. Following a three-minute intermission after the end of the regular game, play will continue by 15-minute periods with a two-minute intermission between each such overtime period with no half-time intermission. The teams will change goals between each period, there will be a two-minute warning at the end of each period // Both teams must have the opportunity to possess the ball once during the extra period, unless the team that receives the opening kickoff scores a touchdown on their initial possession, in which case they are the winners // If the team that possess the ball first score a field goal on their initial possession, the other team shall have the opportunity to possess the ball // If that team score a touchdown on their possession, they are the winners // If the score is tied after both teams have a possession, the team next scoring by any method shall be the winners // OFFICIALS There will be seven officials and five alternates appointed by the Commissioner’s office // ATTENDANCE To date, 3,734,938 have attended Super Bowl games // The largest crowd was 103,985 at the 14th Super Bowl at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California