Super Bowl preview: Patriots vs. Seahawks, halftime show, bookies

Quarterback Tom Brady tries for his fourth Super Bowl ring on Sunday, when the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks for the NFL championship.

Super Bowl 49 will be held at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Game time is 6:30 p.m. ET.

“I’m feeling a lot better, and I expect to be 100 per cent on Sunday, so I’ll be ready to do,” Brady said after battling a cold.

The last team to win back-to-back Super Bowls was the Patriots in 2003 and 2004.

If you’re still deciding who to cheer for, a couple Canadians playing with the Seahawks are looking to make history by becoming the first Canucks to win back-to-back titles in four decades.

Tight-end Luke Wilson hails from Lasalle, Ont., in Essex County, and punter Jon Ryan is from Regina, Sask.

The last Canadian to win it all, back to back, was Alberta’s Roy Gerela. He did it with the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 1974 and 1975.

Bets heading into the game

The oddsmakers have the Seahawks and the Patriots tied when it comes to a win. It turns out both teams are Canadian favourites. Brady’s #12 is also the best selling NFL jersey in this country.

According to other bookies, Seattle is the underdog going into Sunday with New England sitting as the one-to-two point favourites.

In Las Vegas, one man is betting that the Seahawks will score exactly four points on Sunday. The payoff would be $50,000, but the odds are 9,999 to one.

Tickets for the game in Phoenix are already hitting record highs, with the cheapest selling for US$7,500 on some sites — that’s about triple what it was last year.

How much Super Bowl can you expect to watch?

The Super Bowl broadcast is set to run up to four hours, but according to a new study, viewers can expect to watch about 17 minutes of live action between these two teams.

Researchers with the Media Education Foundation poured over the last Super Bowl, discovering ball-in-play action accounted for just 8.5 per cent of the broadcast.

The replays taking up more than 23 minutes, the commercials over 48 minutes and the halftime show just 12 minutes.

Halftime show with Katy Perry

Meanwhile, Super Bowl half-time performer Katy Perry is giving fans a hint at what they can expect. Not only will Lenny Kravitz be joining her, but a surprise guest will also hit the stage. There are reports the mystery performer will be Missy Elliott.

“The best, other than the game, will be the Katy Perry halftime show. Other than that, you know, that’s about it,” Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said.

Idina Menzel, the voice behind “Let it Go” from Frozen, will be singing the U.S. National Anthem.

With files from Brendan O’Mahony, Melissa Duggan and Jaime Pulfer

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