Super Bowl XLIX; Defending Champs Seattle Seahawks Take On the New England Patriots

Football fans rejoice! The biggest game of the season is upon us. Super Bowl Sunday is coming up on February 1. Over 110 million households in the United States are expected to watch "the game of the year," in which the NFC Champions, the Seattle Seahawks, will take on the AFC Champions, the New England Patriots.

Here's a rundown of both teams' impressive 2014 seasons, what to expect from them in the Super Bowl, and of course a preview of the commercials we'll be seeing on game day.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

The Seattle Seahawks clinched their third NFC Championship win after they defeated the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, January 18. This is a special Super Bowl for the Seahawks, as they go in not only as the defending Super Bowl champions, having won over Denver last year, but as the odds-on favorites (Vegas bookies have called for a Seahawks win by three points).

The Seahawks entered the NFC playoffs after finishing the 2014 season with a 12-4 win-loss record, earning themselves the top seed out of all the NFC teams. They knocked out the Carolina Panthers from playoff contention on Saturday, January 10, with a 31-17 win at home. Then, in the NFC Championship Game, the Seahawks won 28-22 over the Green Bay Packers in a stunning matchup that saw the game go into overtime. The Seahawks struggled in their NFC Championship matchup, failing to put any points up on the board in the first half, and trailing 19-7 with only three minutes left in the game. Quarterback Russell Wilson, enlisting the help of running back Marshawn Lynch, tight end Luke Willson, and kicker Mason Crosby, tied up the game and forced it into overtime. Then, Wilson's pass to wide receiver Jermaine Kearse won the game for the Seahawks, sending them to their second straight Super Bowl.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

The New England Patriots will be going to the Super Bowl for the eighth time, tying the record for the most appearances by one team. This is the sixth Super Bowl appearance for coach Bill Belichick, who is in his fifteenth season with the Patriots, and it's also the sixth appearance for quarterback Tom Brady, who is also in his fifteenth season with the team.

The New England Patriots have had a good record over the last 15 years, and 2014 was no exception, with the team making the playoffs for the twelfth time since 2000. The Patriots finished 2014 at 12-4, winning the number one seed and a first-round bye in the AFC Playoffs. In divisional round play, the Patriots defeated the Baltimore Ravens 35-31, in a game where Tom Brady threw for three touchdowns and ran in a fourth on his own. Then on Sunday, January 18, the Patriots took on the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship title game, and won with the final score of 45-7, in the second-largest rout in AFC Championship history. The game was not a runaway from the beginning; the Patriots only led the Colts by ten points at halftime. Then Brady's passes to left tackle Nate Solder and tight end Rob Gronkowski widened the gap. Finally, two scores by running back LeGarrette Blount finished up the game and made it too difficult for the Colts to catch up.

THE COMMERCIALS

Since so many people watch the Super Bowl each year, the price for airtime during their highly-coveted commercial breaks is sky high. In fact, this year, corporations and businesses can expect to shell out between $4.4-4.5 million to air a 30-second commercial. It might seem like a steep price to pay, but there is no easier way to get your name out to hundreds of millions of viewers at the same time.

GoDaddy and Coca-Cola, already well-known for their Super Bowl advertisements, will only air one ad apiece this year, as opposed to the two they ran last year. GoDaddy, who will be featured in the Super Bowl for the 11th straight year, will feature fan favorite spokesmodel, NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, with a golden retriever puppy.

Doritos is in the midst of picking their two Super Bowl ads, which, just like last year, were submitted by fans and viewers. No matter which two air on Super Bowl Sunday, definitely expect both ads to be hilarious and for people to be talking about them the next day. Bud Light will be debuting a new ad called "Coin," which involves people playing a life-sized game of Pac-Man, all for the taste of America's #1 beer. Budweiser will be bringing back their Clydesdale horses for a special appearance during the Super Bowl, and those ads are always memorable. Finally, while the film Jurassic World isn't set to be in theaters until June, Universal Pictures is using the Super Bowl to air the movie's first trailer, so filmgoers will have a lot to talk about and a lot to look forward to once summertime rolls around.

Super Bowl XLIX will kick off from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday, February 1 at 6:30 p.m. on NBC (WTVJ, WPTV, WESH, WFLA). For more information, visit superbowl.com