The big game is set. The New England Patriots will face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.
The two teams have taken different journeys to get to this point, but their dreams of glory are still alive. The game will be played in Santa Clara, California, and kickoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. CST.
This Super Bowl is the most unlikely matchup in more than 50 years. According to BetMGM, the Seahawks entered the season with 60-1 odds, tied for 10th out of 15 teams in the NFC. The Patriots had worse odds, entering the season with 80-1 odds, tied for ninth in the AFC.
Nobody believed either team had the resources necessary to even win a playoff game, much less make the Super Bowl.
The Patriots have been able to return to their former glory this season. Since star QB Tom Brady left, the Patriots have one playoff appearance and are coming off back-to-back four-win seasons. They’ve struggled to find a franchise quarterback and a coach to lead them into the future.
Luckily, they found both in the past two seasons.
Second-year quarterback Drake Maye broke out this season. The 2024 third-overall pick led the NFL in quarterback rating. Maye totaled 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns, good for fourth and third in the NFL. Maye totaled an extra 450 yards on the ground and four rushing touchdowns. He also has the second-best odds to win the Most Valuable Player award.
Maye’s play throughout the season has been a major reason why the Patriots were able to propel themselves to the Super Bowl.
Head coach Mike Vrabel was the Patriots homerun hire this past offseason. Vrabel is the previous head coach of the Tennessee Titans, who have gone into disarray since firing him.
Vrabel also has past ties to the Patriots organization, as he won three Super Bowls with them as a player in the early 2000s.
He is known as a player’s coach. After every game you can always catch him waiting outside the locker room and giving every player a high-five before going in. His voice and scheme have helped the team perform the best they can.
The Seattle Seahawks were led by their star quarterback and receiver duo. The one catching all the passes is Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the NFL in receiving yards with a staggering 1,793 yards across 17 games.
The receiver also totaled 10 touchdowns and 119 receptions on the year, both good for top six at the position. He is currently the favorite to win the Offensive Player of the Year award.
Njigba’s insurgence came after the Seahawks traded away their previous top receiver, DK Metcalf. Some questioned the move at the time, but Njigba ran away with the opportunity and the Seahawks offense got better than in past years.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold had an unorthodox journey to get to this point. Darnold was drafted by the New York Jets in 2018 with the third-overall pick. He was shaky at best, finishing his stint there with 39 interceptions in just 38 games.
He was traded to the Carolina Panthers after three seasons. It would be much of the same for Darnold there, as he served as the backup for most of his stint. After two seasons, he left Carolina for the San Francisco 49ers in free agency, signing to be Brock Purdy’s backup.
A year of no expectations allowed Darnold to properly develop and learn. After one year of sitting on the bench with the 49ers, Darnold signed with the Minnesota Vikings, and this was where his breakout season came.
Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 season along with totaling 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns. Unfortunately, Darnold performed poorly in their only playoff game which was enough for the team to move on to a different quarterback.
However, this allowed Darnold to find a home in Seattle.
In his first season with the Seahawks, Darnold totaled 4,048 passing yards and 25 touchdowns, both good for top 10 in the league. He also led the Seahawks to the best record in the NFL at 14-3.
His perseverance and command of the offense make his story somewhat fairytale-esque heading into the big game.
Both the Patriots and Seahawks have top-10 defenses and offenses, according to yards allowed and yards gained across the regular season.
Both teams defenses have shown off in the playoffs, as the Patriots are allowing the fewest yards per game and the Seahawks have the best turnover differential.
When looking at the stats, it is also important to consider strength of schedule. The Seahawks had a much tougher schedule and path to the Super Bowl than the Patriots. The Patriots faced three playoff teams across their 17-game season and played one twice. They finished 2-2 in those games.
The Seahawks faced six playoff teams and played two twice, going 6-2 in these games.
Additionally, out of the 17 opponents the Patriots faced, 11 did not bring back their head coach for next season. This lackluster schedule has caused many to question whether the Patriots are good or fraudulent.
People should give more credit to the Patriots, but this playoff run is extremely ahead of schedule. By no means is the team bad, but they took advantage of a weak and injured AFC schedule and playoff schedule.
The Seahawks have many seasoned veterans and have shown they can compete with the best of the best all season.
Ultimately, the depth and experience of the Seahawks will boost them to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. They have playmakers all over the field on both sides of the ball that the Patriots won’t be able to keep up with.
Look for the Seahawks to win 31-21.