The Seattle Seahawks will beat the New England Patriots on Super Bowl Sunday. This according to Kansas City Chiefs LB Justin Houston, who gave his Super Bowl 49 prediction on ESPN's First Take this week. Houston complimented the Seahawks defense while saying they're the key to getting to Tom Brady.
"They got a great defense," Houston said. "They fly around and make plays. I feel like that defense can rattle Brady. If you can get ahold of Brady, you can do some damage."
That's exactly what the Chiefs did to the Patriots when they beat them on Monday night, 41-14. They got after Brady and made him uncomfortable (while running the hell out of the ball on offense).
"They're going to bring pressure," Houston said of the Seahawks. "They're not going to let Brady sit back and throw the ball. They're going to make him get outside the pocket. They're going to make Brady beat them and bring the pressure."
I picked the Patriots to win the game but because both teams are so good it feels like a coin flip. I'm not confident in my pick at all. What worries me is that the Seahawks have the size to match up with Rob Gronkowski. And once you can take Gronk out of the game, the Patriots are in trouble. New England will need to stick to the run and make it work to get the Seahawks biting on play action. The potential for another 43-8 game is possible but I don't see the Patriots getting blown out. This will be a close game.