Super Bowl XLVIII Betting Preview: Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos

Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos
Sunday, 2/2/14, 6:25 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: Seattle -1.5
Current Betting Line: Denver -2.5
Opening Total: 47.5
Current Total: 48
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The Seattle Seahawks will try to get running back Marshawn Lynch established offensively

Seattle was the NFC’s top seed and advanced to this stage by eliminating the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints in the postseason, as it prepares to play in the world’s biggest game at MetLife Stadium. “It will be a great matchup,” commented Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll about his team’s top-rated defense going against the league’s most explosive offense. The Seahawks led the NFL in allowing just 14.4 points and 273.6 total yards per game, which can’t be ignored when making your pro football picks. Seattle is 4-1 ATS when the betting line is between +3 and -3 since the start of the regular season.

The Seahawks will try to feature running back Marshawn Lynch offensively, as he ran for a playoff-leading 249 yards and three touchdowns in this year’s playoffs. Seattle also has a X-factor in wide receiver Percy Harvin, who might play a big role in this game due to Denver allowing a league-high average of 29.3 yards on kickoff returns during the regular season. Quarterback Russell Wilson will need to take care of the football and rely on his playmaking ability which has led to a 27-9 combined record in this first two years as a professional.

Denver reaches Super Bowl XLVIII by becoming the AFC champions after moving past the New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers. The Broncos are led by five-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning, who set single-season records in passing yards and touchdowns during the regular season. He has been protected by an offense line that didn’t surrender a sack during the playoffs, while the unit punted just once in those two affairs. Denver is 22-12-3 ATS as a favorite the last two-plus seasons.

The Broncos became the first team in history with five players scoring at least 10 touchdowns from scrimmage. Denver topped 40 points a team-record six times and tied a record by eclipsing the 50-point mark in three contests. In its 202 offensive possessions, the team scored a touchdown 35.1 percent of the time. Manning also led the squad to six points rather than three or none in 51 of 67 trips inside the red zone.