NFL Blitz Super Bowl XLIX edition: Lynch vs. Gronkowski in Mortal Kombat, celebrities defend Tom Brady, Sherman’s baby dilemma

BEAST Mode and The Gronk play Mortal Kombat, crazy prop bets, celebrities defend Tom Brady. It’s all in the Super Bowl edition of NFL Blitz.

NFL Blitz: Lynch vs. Gronk in Mortal Kombat

BEAST Mode and The Gronk play Mortal Kombat, crazy prop bets, celebrities defend Tom Brady. It’s all in the Super Bowl XLIX edition of NFL Blitz.

GRONK VS BEASTMODE

They’re the two biggest personalities at Super Bowl XLIX — Marshawn Lynch and Rob Gronkowski — and thanks to Conan, they came together in Arizona, days out from their NFL showdown, put aside their team rivalry, and played Mortal Kombat X. This video game session is one for the ages. Beast Mode doesn’t hold his tongue this time like he normally does in front of media too. In fact, he’s the star of this.

“I’m a button masher fo’ sho, it's a technique,” Lynch said. Check it out.

PROP BET MANIA

It wouldn’t be the Super Bowl without a ridiculous list of exotic prop bets, covering everything from revealing outfits to crotch-grabs. Here’s our pick of the most outrageous:

Katy Perry shows off her dress at a news conference regarding the half time show.

— What style hoodie will Bill Belichick wear — with sleeves or sleeves cut-off?

— Will Katy Perry be showing cleavage during the half-time show?

— Will Idina Menzel forget or omit at least 1 word of the US National Anthem?

— Will Marshawn Lynch grab his crotch after scoring a touchdown?

— Number of times will “Deflated Balls” be referred to during the game — Over/Under 2½

BREES TAKES SHOT AT PATS

In the wake of deflategate New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees appeared on late night television and was put to task testing which ball was inflated at the correct pressure, and which balls were not. The process involved some strategic handling and throwing of said balls. See the whole thing below.

PATRIOTS PRANKED

Some cheeky so-and-so keeps pranking the poor ol’ Patriots. Twice in the last week, New England’s team hotel has been awoken by the fire alarm in the early hours of the morning. Both times there was no fire. The first instance happened at 1.30am, the second was at 5am. When all you want to do is rest your head after a big day at practice and fronting media, this is a sure-fire way to ruffle some feathers before the NFL’s greatest occasion.

Another false fire alarm at Patriots hotel. That"s two in past three nights.

— Kimberly Jones (@KimJonesSports) January 29, 2015

AUSSIE SEAHAWK WORKING HARD

Just because Seattle player Jesse Williams is injured, doesn’t mean he has to sit at home being miserable. This season the Aussie was put on the injured reserve list for the second time, but despite not playing a minute of NFL football, he still ‘won’ a Super Bowl ring last year. He’ll hope to do that again this year with the Seahawks. Before joining his teammates in Arizona to watch the game from the sidelines, Williams was working hard to get himself in good shape for next season, when hopefully, he’ll finally get his NFL debut.

CELEBRITIES DEFEND BRADY

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady isn’t the most popular guy at the moment. Everyone is convinced he lied about his involvement in the deflated footballs controversy during the now infamous AFC Championship game. But it’s nice to know he still has a few friends in celebrities Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steve Tyler and John Krasinski, who went in to bat for him in their best Boston accents on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. Funny stuff.

SHERMAN’S BABY DILEMMA

Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman has one thing that might hurt him and his tilt at winning back-to-back Super Bowls, but it’s not his injured elbow. He and his girlfriend Ashley Moss are expecting a baby Sherminator in the next few days, so if she goes into labour before or on the day of the big show, what will he do?

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Sherman said.

“We’re not thinking about the possibility.”

Quite the dilemma if she does though. It’d be some partner to let you miss the birth of your child for the opportunity to win the Super Bowl. Put a ring on it, Richo!

Cornerback Richard Sherman #25 of the Seattle Seahawks.

THE BEST AD OF SUPER BOWL XLIX

In the countdown to the Super Bowl, we have a complete list of the best ads to air during the NFL game of the year. But to give you a taste we’ve crowned the best of the lot. The Brady Bunch. Danny Trejo. Steve Buscemi. It’s a winner. Just try to disagree.

MARSHAWN LYNCH RAP

What’s better than Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch’s refusal to answer media questioning before the Super Bowl? The remix of his own hilarious, repetitive, yet quotable sound grabs of course. IT’S A BANGER.

FOOD BOWL

It’s the day when America consumes a lot of food. We mean A LOT. It’s the second highest day of food consumption, second only to Thanksgiving. So what will NFL fans in the States be shoving down their mouths?

— 2,300 kilograms of hot dogs will be sold during the game

— 49.2 million cases of beer will be bought on the day

— 1.23 billion chicken wings will be eaten

— Almost 4 million kilograms of guacamole

— 4 million pizzas

— 1.1 million kilograms of nuts

And if that doesn’t take your fancy, why not try a delicious deflate gate chocolate snack?

A "deflated" chocolate football called a "Bradie" Ball is on display at Sarris Candy store in the US.

VINCE LOMBARDI QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”

This year we’ve got one team chasing historic back-to-back Super Bowl titles, and a seasoned group of elite NFL operators wanting to cement their place in the Hall of Fame. But there can only be one winner. So who will it be?

The Vince Lombardi Trophy sits alongside the helmets of the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.

Originally published as NFL Blitz Super Bowl XLIX edition: Lynch vs. Gronkowski in Mortal Kombat, celebrities defend Tom Brady, Sherman’s baby dilemma