Super Bowl XLIX is less than a week away. 

On Feb. 1, two of the best teams in the National Football League (NFL), the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will face off in the biggest game of the year.

The Seahawks are the defending Super Bowl champions and look to defend their crown. The Patriots, on the other hand, are making their sixth Super Bowl appearance with quarterback Tom Brady.

This game features a showdown of the high scoring offense in the Patriots and strong-nosed defense in the Seahawks. The Patriots have the most yards per game during the playoffs, while the Seahawks had the No. 1 defense in the regular season. With controversy and numerous injuries, this Super Bowl should be much more competitive than last year’s 43-8 blowout.

There is controversy, however, surrounding the Patriots for allegedly cheating in the AFC Championship. The Patriots have been accused of deflating the game balls, however, the NFL has not released any evidence supporting that claim.

Seattle has also dealt with numerous injuries, but the entire roster is  expected to play Sunday. The most notable injury is that of Seattle’s cornerback Richard Sherman. Sherman has a sprained elbow, which might limit him, but will not stop him from playing. However, without a healthy Richard Sherman, the Seahawks will be missing its best cornerback.

“I expect the New England Patriots to go at Seattle’s secondary. If Richard Sherman is not healthy, then who is going to stop Gronkowski?” sophomore Kylie Garret said.

Seattle’s regularly stout defense struggled against defending tight ends. Opponents passed for 11 touchdowns to tight ends against the Seahawks during the regular season.

“Seattle’s defense is too strong. Seattle won the Super Bowl last year and they will win it again this year. Richard Sherman’s injury will not effect their defense,” sophomore Matt Dechant said.

The top-scoring defense in the league is the Seattle Seahawks and historically the top-scoring defense has made it to the Super Bowl 16 times, and have gone 13-3. 

With a defense that is so strong the Patriots will have a difficult time scoring. However, the Patriots have been to the Super Bowl before and have a lot of experience.

“The Patriots are not my favorite team, but I think they are going to win this year’s Super Bowl. Tom Brady will win his 4th ring, which will further establish Brady’s legacy as one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL,” sophomore Joey Gathe said.