The Biggest Game on Earth by Joshua Liao

The Biggest Game on Earth

                On Sunday night, February 1^st, 2015, the biggest sporting event of the year will take place in the form of the Super Bowl. One-hundred million people, about a third of America’s population, will gather in front of their television sets to watch the New England Patriots play the defending champions, the Seattle Seahawks. One glance at each team shows how anticipated this game is. Both the Patriots and the Seahawks were tied for the best record in the NFL during the regular season. The Seahawks are the first defending champion to make it back to the Super Bowl in a decade. The last team to do so? The New England Patriots. Both teams are excellent on both sides of the ball. The Seahawks’ strength lies in their defense which happens to be the NFL’s best. Richard Sherman and Byron Maxwell lockdown opposing wide-receivers on the perimeter while lightning fast free-safety Earl Thomas patrols the middle of the field and has enough speed to cover up any rare mistakes by the corners. On offense, the Seahawks have a literal beast of a running back in Marshawn Lynch and the NFL’s best running quarterback in Russell Wilson.

For the Patriots, everything goes back to Tom Brady, returning for his record tying 6^th Super Bowl appearance. No quarterback in history has more Super Bowl experience. Brady has Rob Gronkowski, the league’s best tight end to throw to, as well as a fleet of receivers nearly impossible to tackle. The Patriots’ defense is led by Darrelle Revis widely regarded along with the formerly mentioned Sherman as the best corners in the league. They have a group insanely athletic linebackers, taking away any matchup problems the Seahawks could hope to create. Both teams had few weaknesses on both sides of the ball, as well as some of the best kickers in Steven Hauschika and Stephen Gostkowski. The game will come down to whether the Patriots will be able to stop the Seahawks’ running game and if Tom Brady and his offense keep their turnover count low. As both opposing teams clash this Sunday night, it should be a nail-biter of a game, ready to entertain all 100 million Americans who turned on their televisions to watch.       

Joshua Liao