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Chris Berman
Multiple Authors
After three consecutive Super Bowl predictions where we accurately guessed both the victor and the precise score margin, we regrettably missed the mark last year. Mea culpa. Remember, even legends like Tony Gwynn and George Brett struck out occasionally.
The 2025 season was unlike any we’ve witnessed in recent years. Only one out of eight divisions had a repeat champion, which was the NFC East with the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. yet, they faced an early postseason exit in the wild-card round.
The AFC saw an unprecedented shake-up. The perennial powerhouse Kansas City Chiefs struggled to find their rhythm, and after Patrick Mahomes suffered an ACL injury, Andy Reid’s squad faced rare adversity. The Baltimore Ravens, led by Lamar Jackson, started off dismally at 1-5 and missed the playoffs, while Joe Burrow’s early injury kept the Cincinnati Bengals from contention. The only consistent team was the Buffalo Bills, under Josh Allen, but they suffered another heart-wrenching loss in the divisional round. Who would have imagined that, by late January, Sean McDermott, John Harbaugh, and Mike Tomlin would no longer lead the Bills, Ravens, and Steelers, respectively, and that the Jacksonville Jaguars, initially dismissed in the preseason, would emerge as division champions?
but, the NFC was relatively stable unless you counted the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers, two teams that were also off the radar during the preseason, emerging as division winners. Both performed admirably in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions—the second NFC pick behind Philly—were surprisingly absent from January’s action.
This raises the question: Why not a Super Bowl matchup featuring two teams that were absent from last year’s playoffs?
The Patriots, who posted only four wins the previous season and the same the year before, have undergone a transformation in Year 1 under Mike Vrabel. They kicked off the season 1-2, including a home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, who ended up with the No. 1 draft pick in April. yet, they quickly bounced back with a victory in Buffalo, prompting speculation about their potential. The answer? Since late September, the Patriots have lost just one game, and after three playoff victories, they are sitting at 17-3.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks, who won ten games last year in their initial season under Mike Macdonald, found themselves on the outside looking in during the playoffs. This year, the NFC West emerged as the most competitive division. The Seahawks lost narrow matches early in the season to both the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, making the wild card their apparent only pathway to the playoffs. After their mid-November loss to the Rams, they embarked on a remarkable streak, wrapping up the regular season with seven consecutive wins to clinch the top seed in the NFC. With two playoff victories under their belt, they stood at 16-3.
What an exciting Super Bowl awaits us in the Bay Area!
Curious if the Patriots and Seahawks have ever clashed in the Super Bowl? You might recall one of the most iconic matchups from 11 years ago, Super Bowl XLIX. That game ended with New England triumphing 28-24, thanks to Malcolm Butler’s unforgettable interception at the 1-yard line in the final moments. Some might argue that this play even surpassed David Tyree’s legendary catch for the New York Giants (also in Arizona!) as the defining moment in Super Bowl history.
Imagine the storyline had Seattle emerged victorious that night. The Seahawks would have been back-to-back champions, their locker room buzzing with momentum as they aimed for history in the following season, just shy of achieving the rare three-peat (as we saw, the Chiefs fell short last year). Whether they emerged victorious or not, they would have been the defining team of the decade.
Conversely, New England would have faced a different narrative, albeit an unfair one. The Belichick and Brady era secured Super Bowl victories in the 2001, 2003, and 2004 seasons, but a loss to Seattle could have marked their third consecutive defeat on the biggest stage. Questions would have arisen: were they unable to clinch “the big one”? Instead, they bounced back to a 4-2 record, adding two more Super Bowl victories in the 2016 and 2018 seasons, which solidified their status as the team of the decade … again. NFL history certainly took an intriguing twist.
Looking ahead to this Sunday, none of this influences the latest iterations of the Patriots and Seahawks, apart from the fact that Josh McDaniels continues to call plays for New England. This is significant as it’s his sixth Super Bowl appearance in that capacity. Expect well-timed trick plays and a variety of screens to exploit Seattle’s defense, which is known for rapidly closing gaps.
Drake Maye, the Patriots’ quarterback, had a stellar AFC title game in Denver when his team needed him most. Now, in favorable weather, Maye can focus on executing intermediate and deep passes to Stefon Diggs and Hunter Henry, which contributed to his contention for the MVP title. It’s a remarkable feat to lead the NFL in both completion percentage and yards per attempt, but he achieved it.
The Patriots’ running game is gaining strength alongside their defense, which impressed during the playoffs against the Chargers, Texans, and Broncos. It’s no secret, considering head coach Mike Vrabel, with his deep postseason insights as a former New England linebacker and current Titans’ head coach, understands the importance of a strong showing in December and the playoffs.
Seattle, naturally, is adopting a similar approach. Their defense surrendered the fewest points in the NFL, paving the way for the best point differential (+191). Unlike the legendary “Legion of Boom” defense from the previous decade, Coach Macdonald’s “Dark Side” defense is constructed from the front back, featuring Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence anchoring the line, while Ernest Jones IV occupies the middle as a formidable force. To excel on defense for the Seahawks, players must exhibit tenacity at all three levels. In four of their last eight games, they limited opponents to single-digit scores, allowing just 10 and 16 points in two other instances. The Rams were the only team able to score significantly against them. Can the Patriots muster enough firepower to reach the twenties?
Entering the playoffs, the key question for QB Sam Darnold was, “Are you ready?” His emphatic “Yes!” came through in two exciting performances. Seattle played a disciplined game to overcome both the 49ers and Rams on their path to Super Bowl LX. A significant boost came from the synergy between Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as the third-year wide receiver led the league with nearly 1,800 receiving yards, consistently finding openings when the Seahawks aimed for big gains.
Another factor worth noting: Seattle boasts one of the strongest veteran punters/kickers in the league, whereas the Patriots lean on a rookie kicker and a third-year punter. Both teams excel in the return game as well.
Few Super Bowls feature both teams as preseason dark horses. New England was 75-1 and Seattle was 60-1 to win it all. This is what makes Sunday’s match-up so enticing. If the Seahawks are to secure a victory, they must score a rushing touchdown of one yard. It need not be a last-minute play. If they achieve this, expect the Dark Side to extinguish the lights late in the game.
Seattle 26, New England 17
P.S.: If my predictions hold true, at least one record will be broken. Seattle assistant coach Leslie Frazier will achieve the longest gap between Super Bowl rings—40 years! He was part of the “Super Bowl Shuffle” Chicago Bears in the 1985 season and served as an assistant in Indianapolis during the 2006 season.
