Super Bowl LX is finally here and in the most unlikely Super Bowl we have ever seen given the preseason odds, the Seattle Seahawks will seek revenge against the New England Patriots after their Super Bowl XLIX heartbreak. Of course, both franchises have changed dramatically since that Malcom Butler interception 11 years ago, but fans in the Pacific Northwest are desperate for that loss to be avenged. So, let’s take a look at how these two teams shape up against each other as they prepare to face off with the Lombardi Trophy at stake.
How will Drake Maye fare against Mike Macdonald’s defense?
Drake Maye has made a huge step up in his second year in the league, finishing second in the MVP voting with 31 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions in the regular season, as well as a 72% completion rate. However, despite beating the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos in the playoffs, this will be his toughest task yet.
Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks defense gave up fewer points than any other team in the regular season. Along with that, their passing defense was ranked fifth in Expected Points Added (EPA) per play as they possess a strong secondary with an elite pair of cornerbacks in Devon Witherspoon and Tariq Woolen. It will be a tough matchup for a team that doesn’t have a true wide receiver one, although both Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte are certainly capable of making plays. Boutte showed his talent when he caught a game-sealing touchdown against the Texans while covered by First Team All-Pro Derek Stingley Jr., and while Diggs isn’t the elite receiver he once was, he can still provide a threat against Seattle’s secondary. Maye will need those two to step up if this passing offense has any chance of getting going. Expect a few big shots downfield from Maye, he has been the best deep ball thrower in the NFL all year long.
Along with the pair of cornerbacks, Seattle has a rookie sensation on their defense, Nick Emmanwori, who suffered an ankle injury earlier this week in practice, but is good to go for the game. The safety has allowed the Seahawks to play in a pass defense all year long, with at least five defensive backs on the field, and still be strong against the run, proving himself as one of the most versatile players in the league. Of course, Emmanwori isn’t the only reason the Seahawks are strong against the run. Seattle possesses the best run stopping defensive line in the NFL with Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II and DeMarcus Lawrence. New England will struggle running the ball against a defensive unit that gave up -0.206 EPA per rushing attempt in the regular season, the best in the NFL. The Patriots did have the sixth best rushing offense in the regular season but they did only face two top ten rushing defenses. In the playoffs, they have faced top ten rushing defenses in all three of their matchups and, while they had some success against the Los Angeles Chargers, New England has averaged less than four yards per carry in these playoffs. Their biggest threat in the ground game could well be Maye himself, as the quarterback’s legs were a big reason they were able to defeat the Broncos in the AFC Championship.
Sam Darnold Faces New England’s Elite Playoff Defense
Sam Darnold enters this game coming off the best performance of his career in what was the biggest game of his career. But in the playoffs, when you win the biggest game of your career, the next game always supersedes that previous matchup as the new biggest game of your career. Darnold is now preparing to start the Super Bowl after putting up 346 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC Championship, an unfathomable concept at one point in his career. However, this matchup against New England’s defense will be the toughest the 28-year-old has faced all year.
For all the talk of Seattle’s elite defense, of which there is rightfully plenty, the Patriots’ defensive unit has been elite all postseason. In the regular season this group was the fourth best scoring defense, and in the postseason they have taken it to another level, giving up only 8.7 points per game in the playoffs. Christian Gonzalez and Milton Williams highlight this defense, with Gonzalez having established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and Williams, a Super Bowl champion last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, being one of the league’s best interior pass rushers.
The Seahawks possess a strong passing attack, but they will be matched up against a strong passing defense. Seattle has the slight edge in the numbers, ranking eighth in both EPA per dropback and total passing offense in the regular season, with New England ranking 10th and ninth respectively in those stats in terms of passing defense. While the Patriots like to play zone coverage, when they are in man, Gonzalez’s matchup with the 2025 Offensive Player of the Year, Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN), could decide which side of the ball has the edge in Seattle’s passing game. Cooper Kupp, the MVP of Super Bowl LVI, would be Darnold’s next best target if JSN struggles against Gonzalez, so don’t be shocked to see a big game out of him. Along with that, if the Seahawks are going to take a shot downfield, speedster Rashid Shaheed could be their man if JSN is getting all the attention.
The Seahawks will look to Kenneth Walker III to carry their run game given Zach Charbonnet’s injury last month. While his numbers from the NFC Championship don’t explode off the stats sheet, Walker was excellent against the Los Angeles Rams. New England possesses a solid run defense, though, ranking sixth in the regular season in run defense, with Williams being a huge part of that. Given Walker is likely to have a heavy workload, it is hard to see the Seahawks coming in with a run-heavy gameplan on offense, although they have other options in the run game, such as their not so secret weapon versatile weapon, Shaheed, who can make things happen whenever he has the ball in his hands.
Conclusion
Seattle may be the favourite in this matchup, and they certainly have the better team on paper, but this game will be close. As good as Darnold was in the NFC Championship, and as much as Maye has struggled in the playoffs at times, New England has the better quarterback. Along with that they have the more experienced coaching staff with Mike Vrabel at head coach, who may be in his first year with the Patriots but has plenty of playoff experience. Then there is Josh McDaniels at offensive coordinator, who has won six Super Bowls with the Patriots, with three coming while he was in the same coaching role he is now. On the Seahawks side, their offensive coordinator is in his first year with the team, their defensive coordinator his second, and Mike Macdonald is only in his second season as an NFL head coach.
Having said all of that, however, it is hard to ignore Seattle’s dominance. They have been the best team in the NFL all season, winning the toughest division in the league and beating both of their divisional rivals again to make the Super Bowl. They have the better roster and, despite the lack of experience, the better coach, at least scheme wise. Darnold has struggled with turnovers this year but he has shown he can be trusted in these playoffs, and on the other side, Maye hasn’t performed well against elite defenses in the postseason. Maye has had his moments to come up clutch but he will need a four quarter performance in this game given Seattle’s superior roster, and that is no easy task against this dominant defensive unit.
Seahawks 27 – 24 Patriots