Some years, predicting the Super Bowl is as easy as deciding what snack you’ll have at halftime (wings, obviously). Nobody had Brett Favre’s Packers losing in 1997, for example, and Tom Brady leading the Buccaneers to glory five years ago simply seemed written in the stars.
And then you have a Super Bowl like this Sunday’s, where picking a winner feels a trickier task. The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots both enjoyed 14-3 records in the regular season, had scares in their respective conference finals, and have weaknesses that the opposing coach will be looking to expose in order to get their hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Super Bowl LX predictions
The betting companies
The verdict is pretty unanimous among the online sports betting companies around the globe – the Seattle Seahawks are clear favorites to win Super Bowl LX.
DraftKings and FanDuel in the US, for example, are almost exactly aligned, setting the odds at -240 and -235 respectively in Seattle’s favor.
Both have the spread at 4.5, which is the biggest it’s been since the Rams beat the Bengals in 2022. You have to go back a full 10 years for a bigger spread, when the Broncos defied the +5 spread to thrash the Panthers by 14.
Over in the UK, the bookies are just as bullish about a Seahawks victory. All of the major online bookmakers have them as odds-on favorites. For example, they’re set at 5/12 at Bet365.
(All odds correct at the time of writing – February 3)
The pundits
Perhaps because they don’t want to be made to look silly later, most top NFL pundits keep their cards close to their chest when it comes to predicting Super Bowl outcomes (Tom Brady, we’re looking at you!). But a few still put their head above the parapet to make a call.
Just like the bookies, most pundits are also favoring the Seattle Seahawks. All of SB Nation’s lead NFL writers (Mark Schofield, James Dator and Ricky O’Donnell) give it to Seattle, and every analyst on ESPN’s staff – including former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky – were unanimous in their backing.
Former Seahawk turned TV personality Nate Burleson predicted this matchup at the outset of the playoffs, so his prediction of a win for his old franchise certainly carries some weight.
Those going against the grain to back the New England Patriots are fewer and farther between, but include Fox Sport’s Kevin Wildes (“I think Drake Maye is going to light up the Seattle defense,” he said.) and broadcaster Colin Cowherd.
And, unlike Brady, Rob ‘Gronk’ Gronkowski hasn’t hesitated to put his support behind the Pats.
The video game (Madden NFL 26)
The annual Super Bowl simulation carried out on the Madden NFL 26 video game made the game a very close affair.
Ultimately, however, the Seattle Seahawks lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy, with Sam Darnold throwing two touchdown passes on the way to a 23-20 win.
It’s worth knowing, however, that Madden NFL only has around a 50% success rate of predicting the result. And went 0-3 between 2021-23.
The AI chatbot
We threw it over to ChatGPT to tell us where AI has Super Bowl LX heading:
I predict that the Seattle Seahawks will win Super Bowl LX.
This is the projection most supported by: betting markets, analysis from multiple independent pick reports, model simulations and expert score predictions.
That said, football games aren’t predetermined, and predictions — even well-informed ones — can be wrong (especially close games). The Patriots are still a credible underdog, as reflected in odds and alternative analysis that sees a tighter contest or Patriots cover.
Way to sit on the fence, ChatGPT!
The writer
To be completely honest, I’m more of a casual NFL fan than an aficionado. My predictions for the T20 World Cup would be far more qualified (India by a landslide, in case you’re interested).
However, I’m going to put my metaphorical money on the New England Patriots for this one.
That’s partly because I’m a contrarian, and partly because of the way they seemed to dominate the NFL in my formative years of following the sport in the early 2000s.
Just in the same way that I’d never quite count out Man United in the Premier League or the Chicago Bulls in the NBA – muscle memory and emotional scarring have left their indelible mark!
Key and FREE Super Bowl LX streams around the world
Use a VPN to watch any Super Bowl LX stream
This is handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it’s back in your home country, thereby letting you unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with a 70% discount.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple:
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we’ve said, NordVPN is our favourite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you’re visiting the US and want to view your usual UK service, you’d select a ‘United KIngdom’ server from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to your usual local streaming service and watch the Super Bowl.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9HHRXrizERuxu5GdA6w4AH-1920-80.jpg
Source link
