Super Bowl XLIX will have many repeats. It will be a repeat of last year, where both No. 1 seeds advanced through their respective conferences to the Super Bowl. It will be a repeat appearance for the defending champion Seattle Seahawks. And it will be a repeat for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, who will be returning to Glendale, Arizona, where in 2007 they lost their bid for the first undefeated season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

This year’s Super Bowl looks to make up for where last year’s failed. A young and hungry Seahawks team will be squaring off against the perennial powerhouse Patriots. One team will be trying to establish the foundation for a dynasty, and the other looks to bookend a 13-season domination over the National Football League

For a football fan, this game could be one of the best ever. Seattle’s vaunted defense will be put to the test against a New England offense that has averaged 40 points per game in the playoffs. New England features a balanced attack behind a committee of running backs and the arm of Tom Brady. Adding to Brady’s weapons will be the mammoth Rob Gronkowski, who will be healthy for the first Super Bowl since he entered the league in 2011. Brady will also be throwing to wide receivers Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell, both of whom have had career-high years.

Defensively, the Patriots are better than they have been for years. Cornerback Darrelle Revis, acquired from the Buccaneers last offseason, is the keystone piece in New England’s defense, which is nearly statistically tied with Seattle for points allowed. Opposite Revis, cornerback Brandon Browner, acquired from the Seahawks prior to the 2014 season, will look to bring attitude to New England’s secondary. Safety Devin McCourty will cap off New England’s secondary, which lacks an intimidating nickname like Seattle’s Legion of Boom, but has still proved to be a top defense in the league.

However, New England’s defense will be tested by Seattle’s human tank, Marshawn Lynch. The media-hating and Skittle-guzzling running back has rushed for more than 1,300 yards this season en route to 12 touchdowns and a reaffirming of the Beast Mode moniker that fans have given him. Lynch’s presence in the game should worry the Patriots, as Lynch will also open up the passing game for Seattle’s Russell Wilson, a dual-threat quarterback, who will have the ability to scramble should he be unable to find an open receiver.

Seattle’s defense will have their hands full, however, dealing with a Patriot’s offense that will not let off the gas pedal like Green Bay’s Mike McCarthy did. Injuries will also cause setbacks for the Seahawks. Cornerback Richard Sherman, who has made a name for himself by shutting down opposing receivers, much like the Patriot’s Revis, will be dealing with a sprained elbow that left him working with one arm for much of the second half of the NFC Championship. Additionally, safety Earl Thomas III will be playing with a dislocated shoulder, which may limit his performance in the Super Bowl.

However, the biggest news story to come after determining the Super Bowl teams is an accusation of cheating. On the Sunday night of the conference championships on Jan.18, the Patriots faced allegations that they deflated footballs in the AFC Championship game. The reasoning behind the deflation of footballs is that a flatter ball allows for better grip in wet conditions like the weather experienced by both conference championship games. Following an NFL investigation into the matter, an unknown league source intimated that of the 12 balls the Patriots were given to use on offense, 11 of them were under the league specifications by an average of 2 PSI. However, a Pro Football Talk article posted on Jan. 25 stated that a league source (unknown if this is the same source that initially stated that 11 balls were 2 PSI under) reported that only one ball was close to 2 PSI under the league minimum.

NFL rules state that a football must be inflated to between 12.5 and 13.5 PSI and these numbers must be verified by a game official two hours before the game and 15 minutes before kickoff; in this time span, the footballs are to be kept under the attention of officials. Following the inspection 15 minutes before kick-off, the balls are then given to ball attendants who will supply the game with footballs as necessary. Further news also revealed that the referees for the game followed ball inspection protocol and that the footballs the Patriots submitted for inspection passed inspection.

This raises the suspicion that someone knowingly deflated the game balls in the time between when the balls were given to the ball attendants and halftime, when the Patriots’ footballs were taken by officials for remeasurement. After halftime, the original supply of balls that the Patriots were using were found to be faulty, and in the second half, the Patriots used back-up balls given to them by officials.

NFL players are doubtful that the difference in ball pressure would have made much, if any, impact on the game’s outcome. The Patriots’ 45-7 stomping of the Colts left little doubt in players that the Colts likely would have lost the game either way. Colts’ tight end Dwayne Allen commented that the ball did not matter at all in the game’s outcome and that had the Patriots played with soap instead of footballs, the final result of the game would not have changed.

The NFL has not come out with a conclusive report on the investigation and a ruling may not be made until after the Super Bowl, leaving this issue a hot topic of debate for many sports news outlets. Despite the lack of concrete details, what the public does know is that the balls used by the Patriots in the first half were indeed under-inflated and so did not follow league specifications. However, the league’s investigation now hinges on intent. If the Patriots are proven to have knowingly deflated the game balls after official inspection, the punishment could be a fine of a minimum of $25,000.

Thus, the stage for Super Bowl XLIX is set. The New England Patriots will go into the game hoping to clear their name of cheating, and the Seattle Seahawks will enter the game hoping to be repeat champions for the first time since New England did it during the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Photos courtesy of Sam Riche, Dean Rutz, and John Lok.