Bad News For New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks Expected to Have Home Field Advantage in 2015 Super Bowl
The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will play each other in the 2015 Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 1, in Glendale, Arizona.
Seattle is approximately 1,107 miles away from Glendale, Arizona, whereas Foxborough, Massachusetts, is an estimated 2,290 miles away from the site of this year's Super Bowl. Obviously neither city is extremely close, but Seattle has a huge advantage when compared to Foxborough, and it may play a factor in the 2015 Super Bowl.
According to multiple reports, Washington ticket-buyers have outnumbered Massachusetts ticket-buyers by a 5-1 ratio from the NFL Ticket Exchange. Of the Super Bowl tickets bought on the Ticket Exchange, 25.6 percent were from Washington residents, 11.6 percent from Arizona residents, 8.8 percent from Californians and just 5.1 percent from Massachusetts residents.
Try and imagine a 2-1 ratio with twice the amount of Seahawks fans at the game than Patriots fans, 66 percent to just 33 percent. Now, imagine a 5-1 ratio favoring Seahawks giving them a potential 83 to 17 percent fan edge in the Super Bowl.
Last season Seahawks fans showed their travel capabilities by showing up at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Despite being nearly 3,000 miles away, Seahawks fans turned MetLife Stadium in Century Link Field. The Denver Broncos were so stunned by the fan outcome and noise, Peyton Manning fumbled the ball on their first offensive play of the game.
The Seahawks have some of the loudest fans in the NFL today. Their No. 1 ranked defense is virtually unbeatable when they have the crowd behind them. Super Bowl XLII was also held in Glendale, Arizona. The Patriots faced the New York Giants, and despite the fact both teams are located in the Northeast, there were a lot more Giants supporters at the game.
It appears the Patriots best friends will be Arizona Cardinals fans and possibly Californians. Obviously, many fans from those two areas will be at the game, but who will they support? Cardinals fans may choose to support the Patriots given the fact the Seahawks play in their division, the NFC West. The San Francisco 49ers also have a huge rivalry with the Seahawks. The 49ers fan base cringe at the thought of the Seahawks winning back to back NFL Championships.
By the way, next year's Super Bowl is at the 49ers stadium.
Another detrimental factor for Patriots fans may be weather. With the New England area currently facing a lot of snowy conditions, many flights are delayed and even canceled.
The Patriots will be up against the best defense in the league led by cornerback Richard Sherman. It won't be easy, and it appears as if this will be a true road game for the AFC Champions. Establishing the run with LeGarrette Blount will be critical. If the Patriots rely too much on their passing game, they will not have a balanced attack. Tom Brady has led the Patriots offense to just two touchdowns in each of their last two Super Bowls, both losses. Earlier in the season the Patriots played in the loudest arena in the NFL, Arrowhead Stadium. The Patriots were unable to control the crowd noise losing 41-14 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Patriots and Seahawks will play on a neutral field, but it appears as if the Seahawks will have a big advantage when it comes to crowd noise and fan attendance.
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