Forbes – It’s Super Bowl week and after 298 games, including preseason and playoffs, it comes down to one final contest to crown a champion. Before the season began, the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, along with the San Francisco 49ers, were the betting favorites to reach the Super Bowl. And in a rare occurrence, we had two preseason favorites make the Big Game. Here is what you need to know for Sunday’s game on the teams, players, owners, coaches, betting and other storylines.
1. First the basics on when and where. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:25 ET on Feb. 2 from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Troy Aikman and Joe Buck are calling the game for Fox. For the diehards, Fox is kicking off the pre-game show at 2 on Sunday. For those that can’t get to a TV, Fox is streaming the game online and to mobile devices.
2. If you don’t have a ticket yet, it is going to be pricey. The average list price on TipIQ is $3,449, although that is down from $4,064 the day after the AFC and NFC Championship games. Some reports have ticket prices dropping further this week.
3. The Broncos’ seventh Super Bowl appearance ties the New England Patriots for third most all-time (the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers have the most at 8). A loss would be record fifth for the Broncos.
4. The Seahawks are making their second Super Bowl appearance. They lost Super Bowl XL after the 2005 season to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Many Seahawks fans still think the refs gifted the game to the Steelers.
5. The Super Bowl features the NFL’s top-ranked defense in both scoring and yards (Seahawks) versus the top-ranked offense in both scoring and yards (Broncos). The last time the top defense faced the top offense, defense prevailed when the New York Giants defeated the Buffalo Bills after the 1990 season.
