Superbowl XLVIII Predictions

At the NFL website, lots of analysts have weighed in on who will win. Can Peyton Manning hold his own against the Seahawks’ top-ranked defense? Which team will fare better in New Jersey’s outdoor stadium?

Here at PolicyMap we thought we would use some of our data to make a prediction. We looked at each team’s home turf to help predict the winner this weekend.

Round 1: Physical Inactivity
The Seahawks and the Broncos both hail from exercise-happy locations. As you can see in the map below, Denver and Seattle are both in the light pink range, with fewer than 20% of their populations shirking regular exercise. However, the Broncos just beat out the Seahawks, with an estimated 15.7% inactive adults in Denver compared to 16.5% in King County.

Round 2: Cold Weather (Heating Degree Days)
You may not think of Seattle as cold, but if you look at the map below showing the number of heating degree days throughout the country, you’ll see it doesn’t fall too far behind Denver. Seattle is in the Green, surrounded by a sea of colder blue area. Denver is in the Blue, so in this category too, the Broncos just beat out the Seahawks.

So the outcome is clear. PolicyMap predicts the Broncos will just edge out the Seahawks for a victory. Here’s hoping that famous ape from Utah is finally wrong!