Super Bowl 2015: What Is The Over/Under For The Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots?

The 2015 Super Bowl will bring about a clash of two different styles. The Seattle Seahawks are looking to win back-to-back titles on the strength of the best defense in football, while the New England Patriots are led by a top scoring offense.

Will Sunday’s game be a high-scoring affair? The over/under at most Las Vegas casinos and online sportsbooks is 47.5 points. After the two conference championship games concluded, the over/under opened at 48.5.

The 2014 Super Bowl also featured an over/under of 47.5. The over/under hasn’t been the same in consecutive Super Bowls since 2006 and 2007, when both contests finished under 47 total points. In 1997 and 1998, both Super Bowls went over the projected total of 49 points. The Seahawks and Denver Broncos totaled 51 points in last year’s game.

For the third straight regular season, Seattle allowed the fewest points in the NFL, surrendering 15.9 points per game. They finished the 2014 season especially strong, allowing 14 points or less in each of their last six games. In five of those contests, the opposition was held in single digits. On offense, the Seahawks have averaged 24.6 points per game.

Both of Seattle’s playoff games narrowly totaled more than 47.5 points. The Seahawks beat the Carolina Panthers 31-17, and they topped the Green Bay Packers, 28-22. Seattle’s NFC Championship Game with Green Bay totaled 44 points, before heading into overtime, something that has never happened in Super Bowl history.

The Seahawks’ last nine games have all totaled 48 points or less in regulation, but the Patriots are used to playing in high-scoring affairs. The scores of their two playoff games added up to 66 points and 52 points, respectively, and nine of their first 15 regular-season games went over Sunday’s over/under. Many of New England’s starters sat out the second half of their 17-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 17.

The Patriots ranked fourth in 2014, averaging 29.3 points per game. They also boasted a top-10 defense, and were one of eight teams that allowed fewer than 20 points per contest.

Five of the last seven Super Bowls have totaled more than 47.5 points, with New England’s two losses to the New York Giants being the only two exceptions. Their 32-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers in 2004 is the only Super Bowl in the Brady-Belichick Era that totaled more than 45 points.

The lowest over/under in the past decade came in the 2011 Super Bowl, as the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers went over the projected 45 total points. The 1994 Super Bowl between the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills was the first to have an over/under of at least 50 points.