2014 NFL Predictions, Super Bowl XLIX

Sean couldn’t bring himself to pick the Seahawks or the Patriots and so while everyone else went 2-0 with 8 points last week, he went 0-2 with no points.

Depending on the outcome of Sunday’s game, either Eric or Saswat will be the 2014-15 Football Freaks champion. Andrew can finish as high as second or as low as fifth.

Let’s get to this week’s pick. The Super Bowl will be worth 10 points.

Day/Time	Game	CORY PUFFETT	ERIC MEYER	SASWAT MISRA
Feb. 1 – 6:30pm	NE vs SEA	Seahawks	Patriots	Seahawks

Along with the three of us, we’ll have Sean Kennedy, Evan Ash and Andrew Perez making picks every week as well, and this year we’ll track each of their picks right here, as well.

Day/Time	Game	SEAN KENNEDY	EVAN ASH	ANDREW PEREZ
Feb. 1 – 6:30pm	NE at SEA	Seahawks	Seahawks	Patriots

Finally, this last table will keep everyone in the loop on everyone’s standing throughout the season.

	CORY	ERIC	SASWAT	SEAN	EVAN	DREW
SB XLIX Record	0-1	1-0	0-1	0-1	0-1	1-0
SB XLIX Points	0	10	0	0	0	10
Total Record	168-98-1	182-84-1	177-89-1	166-98-1	177-89-1	171-95-1
Total Points	220.5	251	236.5	210	233	237

Keep an eye out for our predictions podcasts. Hopefully we’ll be able to put one out every Saturday throughout the season. If we aren’t able to get one out, you can at least see all of our predictions right here, every week on Puff on the NFL.

Puff’s Picks, Super Bowl XLIX

Cory Puffett

I wasn’t sure if I would be writing this blog post. I didn’t have that much interest in doing so. An NFL season that began in controversy is now ending with one.

“Deflategate” has taken all attention away from the game and placed it on a possible rules infraction that made no difference in the outcome of the AFC Championship game. Whether the Patriots broke the rules or the officials were negligent in their pre-game equipment check, the Colts were going to be blown out.

Considering New England actually performed better in the second half when the footballs were properly inflated, it could have been even worse for Indianapolis.

Needless to say, I have not watched ESPN’s Super Bowl coverage at all in the past two weeks. In fact, I haven’t even turned on NFL Network’s coverage.

To make matters worse, my PlayStation console is out of order, so this will be the first time since Super Bowl XXXV that I will not be using Madden to make my final prediction of the season.

Coming into this game, a big part of me thought the Patriots could win this game. Their offense has been outstanding since their sluggish start to the season culminated in getting beat down by Kansas City in week 4. In addition, their defense is pretty darn good and should match up well against Seattle.

But that was before this controversy took over the media. Players and coaches can say until they’re blue in the face that it’s not a distraction, but it truly is when it’s all the media wants to talk about. It takes your focus away from your opponent, even if only momentarily.

For the most part, the Seahawks have had the luxury of focusing solely on the Patriots. Not only that, they’ve been able to get healthy. Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas, my biggest concerns after the NFC Championship game, have both been listed as full participants in practice for the Seahawks.

If any defense can slow down New England’s offense, it’s the Seattle Seahawks’ defense. And if there is any quarterback who has shown that he can beat the best teams in the NFL every single time, it’s Seattle’s.

Russell Wilson won’t have another pick-fest this Sunday, he’s already been on this stage, and he is 10-0 against quarterbacks with a Super Bowl title under their belt. It’s been a while since he’s gotten one, but Tom Brady still fits in that category the last time I checked and so I’m going with my gut this week and taking the Seattle Seahawks to beat the Pats.

Puff’s Pick: Seahawks over Patriots, 27-20