The New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl.
For the first time since February 3, 2019 at the conclusion of the 2018 season, the New England Patriots will be back in the Super Bowl as they face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60.
It has been a bizarre journey since Super Bowl 53 when Sony Michel ran in from the two yard line to score the only touchdown of the game and break a 3-3 tie in the fourth quarter and give New England a 10-3 lead. Stephen Gostkowski added an insurance 41-yard field goal to make it a 13-3 final.
The Patriots went through the 2019 season starting 8-0 and finishing 12-4 as they endured the full Antonio Brown experience and trotted out Phillip Dorsett, Mohamed Sanu, Josh Gordon and undrafted rookie free agent Jakobi Meyers outplaying first round draft pick N’Keal Harry behind Juilan Edelman and Rob Gronkowski walking away from the team that season. They were eliminated from the playoffs by Mike Vrabel’s Tennessee TItans.
The 2020 season saw the unthinkable happen as Tom Brady walked away from the Patriots. This is what should be keeping Robert Kraft out of the Hall of Fame. Kraft waffled and worried instead of realizing the need to reset. He should have kept Brady at any cost, convinced Belichick to step aside and take a Bill Parcells type of “President of Football Operations” job, promoted Josh McDaniels to head coach, and talked Gronkowski into returning for one more run in 2020.
Instead, Jarrett Stidham couldn’t beat out a washed up Cam Newton, Edelman blew out his knee, the Patriots stepped aside for Sean McDermott, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East finishing 7-9 while playing in empty stadiums due to Covid-19 restrictions and Brady and Gronkowski won the Super Bowl for Tampa Bay.
The 2021 season brought a glimmer of hope as rookie Mac Jones pushed Newton into retirement, McDaniels steered the rookie with a deft hand as Jakobi Meyers and free agents Kendrick Bourne and Hunter Henry revitalized the passing game (the less said about Nelson Agholor and Jonnu Smith, the better) and the season peaked in early December with a Monday win over the Bills in Buffalo in the “Wind Game” as New England improved to 9-4 as Jones threw just three passes in the 14-10 win.
New England collapsed down the stretch, though, and finished 10-7 and a wild card. Sean McDermott, Allen and Stefon Diggs enacted their revenge in the Wild Card round with Allen throwing five touchdown passes and Buffalo never punting as they crushed the Patriots 47-17.
The 2022 season began the descent into mediocrity. McDaniels has hired as head coach of the Raiders, and Robert Kraft failed to rein in Belichick, as instead of hiring a young and innovative offensive coordinator, he entrusted the job to his cronies Matt Patricia and Joe Judge (who had been fired as head coach of the Lions and Giants respectively and were brought in at bargain basement prices since they still had guaranteed money from those head coaching contracts).
As expected, it was a disaster. Fans caught “Zappe Fever” as Jones was injured at the end of a gutty performance losing to Baltimore in week three. The frustrating season saw the Patriots finish 8-9 and were a mess on offense.
The 2023 season saw the Patriots bring in Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator (although never confirmed, it was likely against Belichick’s wishes) but by then Jones was a shell of himself and Zappe was exposed as a noodle-armed career backup. The offensive line was a mess, there were no impact players on offense and although the defense was seventh in yards allowed, it was held together by aging veterans as the Patriots dropped to 4-13.
By the 2024 season, Belichick was let go (regardless of what the press release and sham press conference indicated) and an overmatched Jerod Mayo was thrust into the head coach role. Jacoby Brissett handed the torch to rookie Drake Maye but second-round draft pick Ja’Lynn Polk joined the “wide receiver bust” club and the washed up defense and clown-showing coaching staff saw Maye’s rookie year wasted as they again finished 4-13.
Amazingly, with Mike Vrabel and competent adults running the coaching staff and front office, the Patriots finished 14-3 and beat three top-five defenses in the playoffs to reach the Super Bowl to face the Seattle Seahawks.
In that miasma of mediocrity, the AFC sent the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes to the Super Bowl in 2019 and 2020 before Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals knocked them off in the AFC Championship game in 2021.
It was more of the same as Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid went to the next three Super Bowls. They defeated the Eagles and 49ers before losing to the Eagles last season. Most pundits assumed before the season that the AFC would again send the Chiefs to the Super Bowl.
If not Mahomes and Reid, most figured that one of the superstar quarterbacks in the conference such as Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, Josh Allen and the Bills, Joe Burrow and the Bengals or C.J. Stroud and the Texans would be the ones to pull a “Cincinnati 2021” and sneak into the Super Bowl.
However, the Chiefs faltered long before Mahomes tore his ACL and MCL and was lost for the season. Cincinnati was a mess on both sides of the ball as Joe Burrow tore a tendon in his toe in week two and the Bengals’ season was torpedoed despite bringing in Joe Flacco and Burrow’s return in week 12.
Lamar Jackson had a litany of injuries that derailed his season and the Ravens suffered a devastating loss to Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh in week 18 that saw them miss the playoffs alongside the sputtering Bengals and Chiefs. In their best chance without the trio of terrors that derailed them so many times in the previous season, Buffalo ended up a wild card team playing on the road as they finished second in the AFC East and then fell in the playoffs to the Denver Broncos in overtime.
Instead it is Drake Maye and the Patriots representing the AFC again in the Super Bowl and facing off against the Seattle Seahawks, who are without question the strongest team in the NFC. With a smothering defense and big-strike offense, the Seahawks and Patriots are mirror-images as they combine hard-hitting defenses with dynamic offensive play calling.
Last Game:
Last week the Patriots won in the AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos in a defensive struggle that turned into a game of attrition in the fourth quarter as blizzard conditions changed the entire tenor of the game by the end. As fans in New England watched a blizzard dumping over a foot of snow outside their window, the Patriots held on for a 10-7 win.
After the fans had to listen to bozos yapping about strength of schedule all season long because the fans and media in 31 other NFL markets struggled with their own insecurities as well as the resurgence of the New England Patriots, the Patriots’ defense again dominated another offense as the offense did just enough to pull out a hard-fought victory against a top-five defense.
This wasn’t a flashy, high-scoring game like the NFC Championship game was on Sunday night. It wasn’t about a high-flying offense passing for 300 plus yards and multiple touchdowns. This game was a bare-knuckle battle and the Patriots, like they have throughout the playoffs, fought and played a complete game to earn the victory.
Look, to be blunt, everything else that has happened this season doesn’t matter. Strength of schedule, Wild Card round, Divisional round, Conference championship round: all that matters is the one game left in the NFL season.
Both Seattle and New England won last week in close games in completely different fashions: the perpetually underrated Patriots’ defense had their third consecutive dominating performance in the postseason; the Seahawks’ vaunted defense held at the six-yard line after a 14 play fourth quarter drive with a four-point lead.
Forget the past--what Seattle did playing the Rams for the third time this season is meaningless against the Patriots and what New England did in the mile high atmosphere with wind and cold and snow means nothing with a game played two weeks later in sunny San Francisco.
How to Watch/Listen to the Game:
This year the Super Bowl will be broadcast by NBC and can be seen in the Boston area on NBC 10 Boston and in the greater Providence area on WJAR-10. Fans can stream the Super Bowl on Peacock (which I will be doing on multiple devices since it will have Multiview). Mike Tirico will handle play-by-play duties with Cris Collinsworth as the color analyst. Melissa Stark and Kaylee Hartung will work from the sidelines.
The Super Bowl will be broadcast to a national audience on Westwood One. The best announcer on the planet, Kevin Harlan, will call the game while Patriots-hater and former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner will whine about getting his ass-kicked by Willie McGinest and Ty Law in Super Bowl 36 and how it must have been due to cheating and not great players and great coaching.
98.5 The Sports Hub serves the greater New England area as the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. The network partners with 32 stations across New England to broadcast the game (and WHTK-1280AM in Rochester, NY).
Play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback and Sports Hub “personality” and mid-day show host Scott Zolak, who will provide his usual unique brand of color analysis, and God only knows if he will sober up in time for the game after running wild on Radio Row all week.
Key Stats:
New England Patriots
The Patriots offense finished second in points scored (490) and third in yards (6,449) in 2025 (all statistics from Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted). They averaged 6.2 yards per play on offense led by the fourth most passing yards (4,258) and 31 passing touchdowns. The running game added the sixth-most rushing yards (2,191) and 4.4 yards per rush.
The Patriots have been hurt by turnovers at times, and finished the regular season ninth in turnovers with 16. They were 18th with eight lost fumbles and fourth with just eight interceptions.
The New England defense finished fourth in points allowed (320) and eighth in yards allowed (5,019). They allowed just 5.2 yards per play and were ninth in the NFL allowing just 3,290 passing yards. They were 14th allowing 25 passing touchdowns. The run defense allowed the sixth-fewest yards (1,729) and the fourth fewest rushing touchdowns (11) while allowing 4.2 yards per rush.
New England’s defense was 19th in forcing turnovers with just 19. They were 10th in fumbles forced, with nine. They were 18th in the league with ten interceptions.
In the playoffs so far, they have outscored their opponents 44-19 over two games. Although New England turned the ball over twice against Los Angeles and three times (if you count the Hail Mary interception before halftime) against the Texans. However, the defense forced just one turnover against the Chargers, the Texans coughed it up five times as C.J. Stroud threw five interceptions.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks’offense finished third in points scored (483) and eighth in yards (5,973) in 2025. They averaged 5.9 yards per play on offense and had the eighth most passing yards (3,877) and had 25 passing touchdowns (16th). The running game was also a strength with the tenth-most rushing yards (2,096) but only averaged 4.1 yards per rush (25th).
The Seattle offense was only limited by turnovers in 2025 with the team ranking 31st in the NFL with 28 turnovers. They were last overall with a league-leading 13 lost fumbles during the regular season and 26th with 15 interceptions (14 by Sam Darnold and one by wide receiver Cooper Kupp).
The defense finished first in the entire league with the fewest points allowed (292) and were sixth in the league in yards allowed (4,860). They allowed just 4.6 yards per play and were tenth in the NFL allowing just 3,297 passing yards. They were also seventh with just 20 passing touchdowns allowed. The run defense allowed the third-fewest yards (1,563) and the second-fewest rushing touchdowns (9) while allowing a league best 3.7 yards per rush.
Seattle’s defense was sixth in forcing turnovers with 25. They were 18th in fumbles recovered with seven. They were ball-hawks finishing fifth in the NFL with 18 interceptions.
In the playoffs so far, they only had to play two games being the top seed of the NFC. They blew the doors off an overmatched 49ers team, winning 41-6 in the Divisional round. In what was a much higher scoring game than anyone anticipated, the Seahawks held off the Rams in the NFC Championship game winning 31-27.
In the NFC Championship game, the Rams rushed for over 100 yards and passed for 374 yards piling up almost 500 total yards against the strong Seattle defense. The Seahawks’ offense had to step up and gain almost 400 total yards as wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had to carry the offense once again.
NE Offense vs SEA Defense
For the fourth straight week the New England Patriots will face a dominant defense. The Seahawks are built more like the Chargers than the Texans or Broncos on the defensive side of the ball. In fact, call Seattle the defense that the Chargers were hoping to have this season.
The New England offense has been very quiet in the postseason and lulled the analysts and talking heads to sleep, and much like with Deflategate a decade ago, they don’t seem to understand how various cold weather systems affect the game on the field. New England will play in temperatures above 40 degrees for the first time since week 12 in November in Cincinnati.
As happens just about every NFL season (do these so-called analysts do any research and analysis?), unless there is a dome team with home-field advantage, teams are going to have to adapt their explosive offense in the postseason with the cold, wind, snow and other weather conditions. Those who can, move on. Those who can’t (Los Angeles, Houston, Denver) go home.
Seattle’s defensive numbers are pretty daunting, but for all the chatter about the New England schedule, Seattle got to feast on their own version of the Jets (Arizona) multiple times this season and also faced quarterbacks Spencer Rattler, Bryce Young, Max Brosmer, Phillip “first game in five years” Rivers and the corpse of Kirk Cousins.
Yes, the Rams and 49ers were good teams, but what exactly were Buffalo and Baltimore (had Lamar Jackson and had won six of their last eight playing New England at home)?
Seattle hasn’t played a team out of the NFC West since December, so there’s also something where the offensive style of the Patriots’ offense comes into play being outside of the Shanahan/Kubiak offensive tree. For the Seahawks, the Patriots’ offense is going to be a huge adjustment as the Erhardt-Perkins system is really only run in New England, Buffalo and Detroit
Pass Offense:
Credit head coach Mike McDaniel for the work he has done turning around the Seattle defense--especially the pass defense that withered under Pete Carroll and bottomed out in 2023. Like Mike Vrabel did in New England, McDaniel’s drafting, free agent and trades have rebuilt the front six and plugged in key pieces in the secondary.
With a disciplined scheme in place that has players fully bought in, McDaniel’s unit hit its stride and rocketed to the top upper echelon of defense in 2025.
Rather than investing in a single, dominant pass rusher, the Seahawks generate pressure from multiple spots. No player has more than seven sacks, and pressure up front with the zone shells behind give the Seattle secondary and linebackers the ability to make plays on the ball or force underneath passes to clean up.
DeMarcus Lawrence (six sacks) and Uchenna Nwosu (seven sacks) rush from the edge with former disappointing high draft picks Boye Mafe (two sacks) and Derick Hall (two sacks) the depth rushers. Inside, old friend and former Jets star Leonard Williams (seven sacks) remains a dominant force on the other side of 30. He teams with second-year stud Byron Murphy (seven sacks) to form a pocket-pushing presence inside. The last of the Legion of Boom, Jarran Reed (2.5 sacks) at age 33, is the depth interior lineman.
Seattle will not often blitz, but when they have it has been devastating. They will move their front and stunt and loop, and love to try and confuse showing pressure and dropping players out. With their shell coverage schemes, anyone could drop into coverage at any time often leaving just four or five rushers, but offenses confused as to who is rushing and who drops.
The Seahawks love to send speedy and undersized linebacker Drake Thomas (3.5 sacks) blitzing into the backfield to utilize his speed. While fellow linebacker Ernest Jones isn’t much of a blitzer, he is a key cog in the pass defense as his range in zone coverage is so important to the defense. In fact, he led the team with five interceptions.
In the secondary, the group are sure tacklers and zone coverage masters. Only the Chargers and Panthers played more zone than Seattle (80.4%) in 2025 per Sharp Football Analysis. Devon Witherspoon is the unquestioned number one cornerback and is unique in that he is capable inside and outside and splits his time almost equally inside, on the left and on the right.
That versatility is part of why the defense can spend so much time with extra secondary players on the field. Nickelback Nick Emmanwori is an excellent slot cornerback, a hard-hitting strong safety, and the weakside linebacker in the Seattle defense. Like Witherspoon, he can be anywhere at any time on defense.
Safety Coby Bryant (four interceptions) cleans up playing deep next to former Giant Julian Love, who has fit the defense like a glove since coming back from injury in December. Love and Bryant are usually the two-high safeties consistently throughout the game to eliminate deep, downfield throws.
The one weakness in the secondary are the boundary cornerbacks, Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe. Both are solid, but unspectacular. Last week the Rams hunted match-ups on the two and got big plays down the field multiple times. Jobe panics and grabs at receivers, which can result in big plays through a defensive pass interference call.
Seattle does well on third down, allowing just a 32.1% conversion rate which is tops in the NFL. In the Red Zone, they were fifth-best allowing touchdowns on just 50% of trips inside the 20 yard line (26 of 52).
For New England’s passing attack, a healthy Drake Maye playing in warm weather without snow, wind or freezing cold is a big advantage. Maybe it was the shoulder, maybe it was the level of the defenses being faced, maybe it was getting the two rookies on the left side of the offensive line back up to speed after injuries, but more than likely it was a combination of all of those--and the snow and the cold and especially the wind that caused problems.
With New England getting Mack Hollins back before the AFC Championship game, they have their full wide receiver room back. Efton Chism acquitted himself well with his opportunities, but as a blocker and a trusted target of Drake Maye, Hollins is an x-factor for New England on Sunday as his 25.5 yards per reception average in the postseason leads all receivers.
Fewer players will be more grateful for this opportunity than the veterans on a long road to the Super Bowl. One of them is wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Falling short in the championship round in Minnesota and Buffalo, his appreciation of the opportunity is already evident.
Despite the lack of gaudy numbers, Diggs is a first read often for Maye. Even against Denver where the opportunities in the passing game were limited, Maye looked to Diggs a team high six times and he converted them into five receptions.
Kayshon Boutte is another key target in the passing game. His amazing touchdown reception versus Houston in the divisional round is an immediate inclusion into a pantheon of pivotal postseason plays in New England. He leads New England with 147 receiving yards in the playoffs and will be counted on to contribute as he has all season making contested catches in the gaps of the zone coverage using his length and strong hands.
New England will continue to play Kyle Williams and he’s always an option for a deep shot. He only has one reception in the playoffs, but his vertical speed will be vital to put pressure on the Seattle safeties and open routes underneath for the other receivers.
The tight ends Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper along with running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson could be x-factors in the passing game. Seattle allows short passes and depends on strong tackling by their linebackers and safeties to limit yards after catch. This group can help get Maye easy completions and into rhythm early in the game.
On the offensive line, the attention is on the two rookies on the left side, as it has been all season. However, Garrett Bradbury, Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses have been fantastic holding up in pass protection--especially in the playoffs.
While the sack numbers look bad on paper, in the past two games many of those have zero or one or two yard losses as Maye scrambles and gets down or gets out of bounds to protect the ball, aka coverage sacks not the fault of the offensive line.
Key Match-up: Stefon Diggs vs Devon Witherspoon & Nick Emmanwori
When Seattle drafted Nick Emmanwori with their second-round draft pick this year, I was amazed that the South Carolina Gamecock was still available as I had him rated as a top-twenty pick and possibly even higher. Instead, a trio of secondary players went ahead of him as Buffalo took Maxwell Hairston at 30th overall, Baltimore took Malaki Starks at 27th overall, and Denver took Jahdae Barron at 20th overall.
Emmanwori has transformed the Seattle defense and while Starks held his own, Barron and Hairston were huge disappointments. He wasn’t just one of the best rookies, he was one of the best defensive players overall. Fast, strong and a sure tackler, he is already a shut-down run defender, one of the best blitzers and a shutdown slot corner whose quickness lets him get his hands on the ball and make plays.
This week, both Emmanwori and Witherspoon are likely to spend a lot of time opposite Diggs in the slot. Expect New England to use motion to hunt for match-ups on cornerbacks other than Emmanwori and Witherspoon, especially for Diggs. The offense needs to get Diggs involved early and often to sustain drives and put pressure on the Seattle defense.
New England will have the opportunity to get easy yards on short routes as Seattle’s shell coverage tries to take away the deep ball. Diggs getting the ball on some short crosses and picking up yards after the catch is vital for the offense to move the ball consistently.
Run Offense:
While the national media writes off the New England running game and salivates wildly over the Seattle run game, let’s not forget that Rhamondre Stevenson has been playing some of his best football in the playoffs and earning the lion's share of the playing time after seemingly losing the number one back role to TreVeyon Herderson earlier in the season.
Stevenson got little credit for grinding out 71 yards on 25 carries against Denver, but as the weather forced a change in game plan, he continued to churn out yards against the strong Denver front. He only had 1.1 yards per attempt before contact meaning he ground out a lot of yards on his own through sheer will.
Stevenson had 70 yards on just 16 carries against the strong Texans defensive front in the divisional round after gaining 53 yards on just ten carries against the Chargers. Stevenson’s ability to force the Seattle linebackers and safeties to respect the running game is a key component of the offense to open up plays in the passing game down the field.
Seattle hasn’t faced a lot of mobile quarterbacks this year, so how they game plan for Drake Maye’s running ability will be fascinating. They have speed across the defense and play almost exclusively zone, so they may make no adjustments and count on eyes on the quarterback and individual tackling ability to mitigate his advantage running.
TreVeyon Henderson has disappeared after a rough game with just 25 yards rushing on 12 carries against the aggressive Texans. Last game in Denver, he was an afterthought with just four snaps on offense all game (defensive players Khyiris Tonga and Milton Williams combined for three offensive snaps).
Whatever game plan was used in the AFC Championship game is irrelevant coming into the Super Bowl now with weather no longer a factor. New England needs speed and explosives on offense and Henderson should be part of that game plan in the Super Bowl.
Seattle’s run defense is impressive, make no doubt, but after an all-world start to the season, it has tailed off in the second half as teams have been able to pick up yards on the ground. After holding six of their first seven opponents under 100 yards, since November just two of 12 teams were held under 100 yards rushing.
Seattle linebackers Drake Thomas and Ernest Jones are sure tacklers and have explosive speed. They count on Byron Murphy and Leonard Williams (and Jarran Reed and Brandon Pili) to occupy linemen inside and keep Thomas and Jones clean to shoot gaps and make plays. Murphy and Williams are strong and capable of penetration and blowing up plays in the backfield even when double-teamed.
Uchenna Nwosu is good, not great, against the run on the edge, but former Cowboy Demarcus Lawrence on the opposite side is the strength of the run defense. He sets a violent edge and his patience and experience allow him to redirect running backs into the waiting arms of Thomas and Jones.
Key Match-up: Mike Onwenu vs Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy
Taking a break from the entire media harping on the left side of the New England offensive line, for a minute let’s consider the right side. Mike Onwenu has quietly played at a Pro Bowl/All Pro level at right guard all season and through the playoffs and been a huge part of why the team has been able to get tough yards on the ground.
The lone holdover on the offensive line from 2024, Onwenu and right tackle Morgan Moses and center Garrett Bradbury have seamlessly transformed the offensive line without hardly any attention. Going up against the Chargers’ massive front with Teair Tart, Jamaree Caldwell and Da’shawn Hand, Houston’s run stuffers Sheldon Rankins, Tim Settle and Tommy Togiai, and Denver’s devastating pass rush duo of Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers, Onwenu and company have been solid.
Onwenu, per ProFootballFocus.com, has allowed just two pressures and zero sacks in the postseason. Seattle primarily lines up their best interior pass rusher Leonard Williams opposite the right guard. While he will see plenty of the impressive Byron Murphy as well, Onwenu being able to win up front and spring the running backs for positive yards to keep out of second and third and longs would be a huge advantage for the offense functioning better in the Super Bowl.
NE Defense vs SEA Offense:
The national media have once again disrespected the New England defense in the aftermath of the Conference round. All postseason, a defense that was among the top units in the regular season is relegated to another week of “There’s no way the New England defense can stop (insert playoff opponent here)” garbage stories. While this has been great for the Las Vegas oddsmakers taking in an avalanche of bets on New England’s opponents each week, it gets a bit nauseating as each week the narrative changes to “Oh, (insert playoff opponent here) was never any good, but look out this week!”.
The New England defense has been outstanding in the playoffs. Despite missing Harold Landry last week, they remained disruptive, made a huge Red Zone stop early in the game to swing momentum, and came up with a huge turnover on Denver’s final drive of the game to allow the offense to run out the clock and advance to the Super Bowl.
Inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr had been excellent stepping in with Terrell Williams away from the team dealing with prostate cancer treatment, and has continued to maximize the talent with timely blitzes and aggressive play calling with disguised coverages helping confuse opposing quarterbacks.
Seattle won 14 games and has one of the brightest young offensive minds in the NFL in Klint Kubiak. Kubiak has the bloodlines and is in line to accept the Las Vegas head coach job once the clock hits 00:00 on Sunday.
The Seahawks are similar to the Patriots in philosophy as they run the ball with heavy volume to set up big plays down the field in the passing game. While stylistically the two offenses are completely different (Erhardt-Perkins and Shanahan-Kubiak) they both have the same goal and go about it in very different ways.
Pass Defense:
The Patriots are hoping to add edge rusher and sack leader Harold Landry back to the defense on Sunday. If they can also get a healthy Robert Spillane, his presence in the middle of the defense as a zone defender and blitzer gives the defense a big boost.
New England will continue their trend of bringing pressure and disguising looks just as they have done throughout the playoffs against Justin Herbert, C.J. Stroud and Jarrett Stidham to great effect. Stroud threw four interceptions last week completing just 20 of 47 attempts and finishing with a 20.0 passer rating.
The week prior, Herbert failed to reach the end zone while finishing with 120 net yards passing as he completed 19 of 31 attempts for 159 yards while being sacked six times for 39 yards lost and finishing with a 74.5 passer rating.
Last week, Jarrett Stidham was 17-31 for 133 yards, with a touchdown, an interception and a huge fumble lost. He had a 63.0 passer rating as the Broncos’ offense was held to six punts, missed two field goals, turned the ball over on downs in the Red Zone and turned the ball over twice while scoring just once all game.
Don’t worry, none of that had anything to do with the New England defense, per the national media. Herbert’s offensive line was the worst unit ever in NFL history, Stroud was overrated all along and is simply terrible quarterback, and Stidham--despite the confidence his head coach had in him--was barely a beer league level quarterback.
No disrespect to the Seattle offense, but this New England defense has been special in the postseason, stopping the run and smothering pass defenses. In three games, the Patriots have allowed just 629 total yards and 26 points over three playoff games. The vaunted Seattle defense has allowed 715 yards and 33 points over two playoff games.
As usual, the Patriots’ defense will be knocked by the talking heads and so-called analysts because they didn’t have to play the gauntlet of great quarterbacks like Seattle did facing Brock Purdy and the broken-down 49ers and Matthew Stafford and his over 800 yards passing allowed over the last two games he faced them.
New England is solid across the board. Harold Landry may be healthy enough to play and K’Lavon Chaisson has been excellent all postseason. Rookie Elijah Ponder and run-stuffer Anfernee Jennings have picked up the slack with Landry limited.
Jack Gibbons isn’t the pass defender that Robert Spillane is, but if Spillane can go it will be a boost to the New England interior pass defense. Seattle likes to work the middle of the field with tight ends AJ Barner and rookie Elijah Arroyo. Having Spillane out there alongside Christian Ellis is a big boost for the pass defense.
With Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones blanketing opposing wide receivers throughout the playoffs, the Seahawks will have a tough test against the New England secondary. While Jaxon Smith-Njigba has had an amazing season, the Patriots are confident that all three starting cornerbacks will be capable of slowing him down in the Super Bowl.
Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold threw for 4,048 yards in the regular season and 1,793 went to Smith-Njigba. Seattle will line up the former Ohio State wide receiver anywhere in the formation to try and dictate match-ups. This year, he has upped his vertical game as he was featured more as a slot receiver and safety blanket before exploding on the scene in his third season.
Seattle brought in veteran Cooper Kupp to fill that third down/safety blanket slot receiver role. The crafty veteran can still make some plays, but he should see a lot of Marcus Jones in this game.
The Seahawks traded for explosive speedster Rashid Shaheed at midseason. His impact has been on special teams, as he had just 15 receptions in nine regular season games in Seattle. He is a vertical threat, and his 51-yard reception versus Los Angeles set the tone for the big-strike offense in the NFC Championship game.
Kenneth Walker has soft hands coming out of the backfield and is a good receiver. He is third in receptions and yards in the postseason for Seattle behind Smith-Njigba and Kupp.
The Seahawks’ passing offense has been boom or bust too often in 2025. They have seven games with less than 200 total yards passing. In the playoffs, the defense and special teams took the load off the passing offense letting Seattle get a lead early and grind away the depleted 49ers.
While the Seahawks were able to throw on the overrated Rams secondary, familiarity played a big role as well, with Darnold facing the Rams defense for the fourth time since January 2025 (and fifth time since October 2024). New defense, new wrinkles, and one of the best cornerback trios in the NFL should surprise Seattle’s faithful and the dismissive media.
Of course, if New England shuts down Seattle’s pass offense, I’m sure the story will switch to, “Darnold was fool’s gold all along and just another bum in the Patriots’ path.”
Key Match-up: DTs Christian Barmore and Milton Williams vs Gs Grey Zabel and Anthony Bradford
New England is going to have to generate pressure at some point without blitzing. Without Landry, the Patriots were at a disadvantage on the edge in Denver but got big plays with blitzes and with their “Big Dogs”, Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, abusing All-Pro guard Quinn Meinerz and Ben Powers.
If Seattle has a weakness on the offensive line, it is up the middle. Rookie first-round draft pick left guard Grey Zabel has improved as the season has gone on, and been solid down the stretch while matching up for the second and third time this season against the Rams and 49ers defensive linemen. But this is an unfamiliar duo he will see, and the former North Dakota State Bison ranked 51st out of 81 guards overall and 59th in pass block grade per ProFootballFocus.com overall and could struggle seeing Barmore and Williams for the first time.
Right guard Anthony Bradford has been a liability all season long. A fourth round draft pick in 2023, he started ten games as a rookie and 11 games last year. However, he has struggled during his NFL tenure. This season Bradford ranks 70th of 81 guards overall in the NFL per ProFootballFocus.com and 76th of 81 in pass blocking.
Pressure is going to have to come up the middle and that means Barmore and Williams will have to earn those hefty paychecks. The opportunity is there for the Patriots to get pressure on Darnold and generate turnovers or get the Seattle offense off the field on third downs. This is a huge match-up that the New England defense must win.
Run Defense:
The New England run defense turned in its third consecutive standout performance of the playoffs in as many games in the AFC Championship game. The Chargers rushed for just 87 yards in the Wild Card game and the Texans managed just 48 in the divisional round. In a game starting their back-up quarterback, the Broncos desperately needed the running game to step-up (especially in the snowy second-half) but managed just 79 yards on 24 carries.
Those numbers are worse considering Justin Herbert had 57 of those 87 yards running for his life, C.J. Stroud had 11 of those 48 yards on scrambles and Jarrett Stidham had 23 of those 79 yards on just four carries. None of the three opponents were able to muster any kind of consistent running game against New England.
Denver’s lead backs RJ Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin rushed 17 times combined for just 48 yards--and that was with Robert Spillane leaving the game due to injury in the first half.
The Seahawks have lead back Kenneth Walker, their 2022 second-round draft pick at running back. He was a 1,000 yard rushing topping four figures with 1,027 yards and a 4.6 yards per rush average.
Walker piled up 119 yards on the ground and three touchdowns against San Francisco in the Divisional round on 19 carries. Against the Rams, he managed just 62 yards on 19 carries but did add another rushing touchdown.
Behind Walker, the Seahawks lost co-lead back Zach Charbonnet, their 2023 second-round draft pick, in the divisional round against San Francisco. He had rushed for 730 yards and a dozen touchdowns this season, averaging 4.0 yards per attempt.
The concern for New England’s defense in the running game this postseason has been quarterbacks scrambling with Justin Herbert being the leading rusher for the Chargers in the Wild Card game, C.J. Stroud had the longest rush for the Texans and even Jarrett Stidham had success scrambling as averaged over 5.0 yards per attempt.
Darnold is very athletic and it is easy to forget about his running ability with the success he’s had staying in the pocket and making plays downfield in the past two seasons. He’s reined in the scrambling ability in Seattle, with less than a 100 yards on the ground for the season. He had just two games with 20 yards or more rushing, but in the past has legged over 50 yards per game running for his life.
For New England’s defense, the resurgence of the run defense occurred with the return to health of Milton Williams at the end of the season. Getting interior run-stuffer Khyiris Tonga back from injury in the playoffs brought another key cog to the run defense.
The final missing piece was middle linebacker Robert Spillane. While he was injured against Denver and has been limited in practice, the Christian Ellis and Jack Gibbens have both stepped up in his absence.
Spillane is more than a run-stopper and quarterbacks the defense. Gibbens is a pure run-stuffer, and Ellis has been very effective getting to the running back when the defensive line is able to tie up blockers. Cory Durden and Tonga have done yeoman’s work at the line of scrimmage and are two of the most unappreciated members of the defense.
Key Match-up: NT Khyiris Tonga vs C Jalen Sundel
Another week, another team with an offensive line that the pundits automatically give the edge to without any research, film study or analysis. Seattle is middle of the pack in run and pass blocking and center Jalen Sundell (a former North Dakota State Bison) fits right in ranking 19th of 40 qualifying centers per ProFootballFocus.com.
Khyiris Tonga’s return to health has been a huge story for the New England defense in the playoffs and against Denver in the AFC Championship game both he and defensive tackle Cory Durden wrecked Denver’s top-ranked by ProFootballFocus.com offensive line.
Tonga is huge, penetrates well, and the pending free agent has earned himself a huge paycheck this offseason, hopefully resigning in New England although he will likely get attention from other teams after such a strong playoff run. Christian Ellis and Robert Spillane have reaped the rewards of Tonga occupying space and letting them penetrate into the backfield and blow up the run game.
If Tonga overpowers Sundel and puts a clamp on the Seattle run game early and gets the offense one-dimensional, it puts even more pressure on Darnold and the passing game.
Other Factors:
The game is at a neutral site and the Road Warrior Patriots (9-0 on the road) are treating the game as if they are the visitors, even though they technically are the home team. In a weird stadium quirk, they will be in the visitor’s locker room as the home team at Levi Stadium in the Super Bowl but be on the home team side of the field.
None of that makes any sense, so of course the Patriots chose their road all-white uniforms for the Super Bowl.
The most important aspect is that the game is on grass, in warm weather and the Patriots get out of the cold, wind and snow for the first time in a month. Expect the New England passing game and Drake Maye’s downfield accuracy to improve dramatically with dry footballs, dry air and no elements affecting his throws.
Seattle has had a steady veteran kicker in the Pacific Northwest for seven years after the Adam Gase-led Jets disaster show let Jason Myers walk in free agency before the 2019 season. Myers has a strong leg and led the NFL in points hitting 41 of 48 field goals and all 48 extra points in the regular season.
New England counters with rookie Andres Borregales who shook off a rough start and has made 84.4% of his field goals and 53 of 55 field goals. Borregales missed a pair of longer field goal attempts in some terrible weather in Denver, but weather is not expected to be an issue this week in San Francisco.
Both kickers have strong legs and are accurate and are capable of making kicks out to 60 yards on Sunday.
The punters for both units have enjoyed relatively low workloads in the regular season. Bryce Baringer has had the return of the wounded duck in some of the cold and windy conditions in the playoffs, but has been solid overall and should be fine in San Francisco this Sunday.
Seattle has an Aussie booming high and long punts for them. Michael Dickson was named second team All-Pro this season with 20 of 52 inside the 20 yard line. He averaged 49 yards per punt and an excellent net yards per punt average of 42.2 yards. He had just three touchbacks all season.
With Marcus Jones back to return punts, Dickson needs to replicate his strong work in the playoffs so far where he’s allowed just seven total return yards on eight punts in the playoffs. He was a fifth round draft pick and a fixture in Seattle since 2018 and has been remarkably consistent since earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors as a rookie..
The coverage units for both teams are excellent as Brendan Schooler from New England earned All Pro on special teams last year in addition to making the Pro Bowl. Seattle has a number of impact special teamers including Jake Bobo and last week it was Dareke Young and Brady Russell who came up big on special teams.
Seattle was fourth in kick return coverage allowing 23.96 yards per return and New England was tenth at 25.34 yards per return (per The Football Database). Both teams had some struggles in punt coverage, however, as New England finished 23rd allowing 12.05 yards per return and Seattle was 31st allowing 15.53 yards per return. Both teams have allowed punt return touchdowns this season.
The returners are the stars for both of these special teams units.
Marcus Jones is clearly a top punt return threat and his fearlessness in returning almost any kick makes him a weapon, Seattle can counter with the explosive Rasheed Shahid Marvin Mims returning both punts and kicks.
New England is first in the NFL in punt return yards per return (17.29) while Seattle is third (15.45). Seattle has the edge in kick returns as they are third with a 27.98 average while New England’s motley crew of kickoff returners are middle of the pack with 25.46 and 19th in the league.
As far as coaches, Jeremy Springer has shown why he was the only holdover from the previous administration while Seattle’s special teams unit rolls with yet another Harbaugh, Jay Harbaugh. The son of Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is in his second year as coordinator after working with Dad at Michigan.
This game is great because both teams have great coaches not only on special teams but on both sides of the ball. Mike Vrabel has been fantastic and so has Mike MacDonald. The only potential distraction could be Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak set to take over the Raiders after the game and has done interviewing and obviously could have his mind elsewhere during the week.
Game Pick:
The Patriots and Seahawks are both very similar teams. Both have an all-world young cornerback highlighting their defense with Christian Gonzalez and the perennially underrated Devon Witherspoon. While the Seahawks may have the better edge pass rushers, the Patriots’ defense has shown it can bring pressure, create turnovers, make stops on third down and was a top-ten unit during the season for a reason.
On offense, two innovative offensive minds in Sean Payton and Josh McDaniels makes for a pair of fun offenses to watch. New England has a clear advantage in the running game with Henderson and Stevenson, and neither team has a stable of big-name wide receivers. Both teams are strong on special teams as well.
The biggest question mark for Seattle is at the most important position. Sam Darnold balled out against Los Angeles in the AFC Championship game as he stepped up for the first time ever in a big game. Now the lights are even brighter and he will face a defense that he hasn’t seen four times in the past 14 months.
Drake Maye’s shoulder injury is a concern, but he didn’t look hurt at all on the perfect pass on the flea-flicker to Mack Hollins near the end of the third quarter versus Denver and then using his right arm to stiff-arm Jonah Ellis on the game clinching first down run.
Maye has been better under pressure than anyone else this season. He has played in rough conditions in the playoffs. Forget passing for just 86 yards against Denver. In each game in the playoffs he has faced top defenses and done whatever was necessary to get the win.
At this point, it comes down to whether Maye or Darnold has earned the trust. Darnold hasn’t played outside his own division in the playoffs yet. That alone is going to lead to an adjustment as he won’t have all the answers and familiarity against the Patriots’ defense on Sunday.
In the playoffs against loaded defenses, Maye has made adjustments and done enough to make big plays to win the game. Darnold finally stepped up in a big game, but can he do it again?
The National media has jumped on the “Seahawks are the best overall team” in their fervent desire to not see New England win another Super Bowl. While I understand that sentiment (especially in Buffalo), the Patriots have been meeting every test thrown at them and winning ugly.
I see the teams as pretty evenly matched. I just trust Drake Maye more than Sam Darnold with the game on the line.
PATRIOTS 27 vs SEAHAWKS 24
Spread: Seahawks -4.5: Patriots
Moneyline: Seahawks -230, Patriots +190: Patriots
O/U: 45.5: Over
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