Seattle was down 24-28, with around ten seconds to go, on the New England 1 yard line about 11 years ago. Now, everyone knows how that story ends, instead of running the ball with their All-Pro Running back Marshawn Lynch, they decide to try a quick pass, ending in a Malcom Butler interception and another Patriots superbowl win.
But this year, we find ourselves here once again. Seattle is looking for redemption with a late blooming QB in Sam Darnold, a star studded defense which has dominated offenses all throughout the season. Weapons like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kenneth Walker, and AJ Barner racking up big yards, and of course the 12 fans causing a ruckus in their sound-built stadium. They have one of the most complete teams in all of football.
“I don’t think we could have executed, like, basically an entire team switch better” said Cooper Case (‘26), an avid Seattle fan with deep knowledge of the game, “Sam Darnold looked amazing. All of our receivers [also] looked really good” Case said.
Here’s the catch, are the Seahawks so blinded by getting their revenge on the day that embarrassed them, that they come into this game in over their heads? Hot and toxic causing problems before and after whistles? In a game like this it wouldn’t be a surprise.
In the NFC Championship game, Tariq Woolen taunted the entire LA Rams sideline after a stop, Devon Witherspoon was flagged for Unnecessary Roughness on a receiver who was already on the ground. These little parts to a game, can come back to bite them later on. Could this be a factor in their built up rage in getting back at the Patriots?
The Patriots on the other hand, have had one of the most surprising years of all time. Being posted in the preseason as a team that would be .500 in record, squeak by a couple tough opponents and maybe just land in the middle of the pack in the standings. After the first three games that seemed to be the case.
But after going on a 10 game win streak beating the likes of the former AFC East champions Buffalo Bills, former NFC South champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers, current NFC South champions Carolina Panthers, and former AFC North champions Baltimore Ravens, it was clear to see they had something different. Beating the good teams, and destroying the bad teams, the Patriots were no joke.
“I feel like we had it pretty good, we went 14-3 [and] they are in the Superbowl obviously” said Clayton Jenkins (‘27), a New England Patriots fan, “People say it’s because of an easy schedule, but not every team has an easy schedule wins as many games as they do” Jenkins said.
Led by MVP Candidate Drake Maye, who has clearly become the new franchise guy, Rookie O-Lineman Will Campbell, offseason pickups like All-Pro Receiver Stefon Diggs, team leader in tackles Robert Spillane, lock down man to man corner Carlton Davis, and clutch system receiver Mack Hollins, it was clear Head Coach Mike Vrabel wasn’t gonna settle for a mediocre season.
Not only that, they showed their shut down defense and explosive offense during the playoffs. Beating the number 5 ranked defensive team LA Chargers, number 1 ranked defensive team Houston Texans, and number 2 ranked defensive team Denver Broncos.
According to recent polls, Seattle is the clear favorite to win and it definitely shows on paper, but that’s not how games are won. People assumed the Seahawks “Legion Of Boom” defense was going to stop Tom Brady and their offense. But he threw for four touchdowns and they won the game. Now, Drake Maye has got quite a ways to go before being in the category of Brady, but it goes to show that the game is not won before it’s played.
When you look overall, the Seahawks have hit the pinnacle of their rebuild. A QB who showed promise with Minnesota, then improved even more this year. Taking a risk by getting rid of their two star Wide receivers for two other star receivers. Boosting more people to their defense and evidently making a full solid team, they have little to no weaknesses.
“We won a lot of games and like our team chemistry is going up” said Brody Dalgaard (‘26), a life long Seahawks fan, “I think Kenneth Walker, at the end of the season, has been showing up, especially in the playoffs, after Zach Charbonnet got hurt, and Rasheed Shaheed and the special teams. He’s been amazing” Dalgaard said.
On the other side the Cinderella story known as the New England Patriots, who seem to have just begun their rebuild, became one of the best teams once more and are pushing for another Lombardi Trophy. But what both teams have in common is their will to win.
Seattle came into this season, knowing they had the loudest stadium in the NFL this year, knowing they had a late up and coming star QB, knowing they were rated as one of the top teams in football, and they fed off that. The confidence and energy from analytics, reports, free agencies, and point of views. They knew they had something special this year, maybe not a superbowl appearance at first, but as the season progressed they figured they might as well go all the way.
Patriots however were a little different, coming into the season as the “Dark Horse” or “Underdogs” feeding off of that moto, which in any sport ever, is great fuel for something special. Not only that, they have the skill and will power to back it up.
In comparison to each other, Maye has had a better overall season throwing with 4,394 yards passing, 31 touchdowns, and a 77.1 QBR. However, in the receiving and rushing game, Smith-Njigba leads with 1,793 yards receiving as well as Kenneth Walker with 1,027 yards on the ground. Defensively it’s somewhat close, with Harold Landry III leading in sacks with 8.5 but Ernest Jones IV leads in tackles with 126. It’s a very split matchup, and honestly could be the make or break to who wins and who doesn’t.
The Patriots have had their moments this year where they played like the best team in the league. Threaded needle passes, one handed catches, wide open running lanes, boom stick hits, and late game heroics, it was almost like the past. But they also still showed signs of their youth.
“If he does win the Superbowl, he will be the youngest quarterback to win,” said Jenkins. “I can tell he wasn’t at his best in the playoffs. He fumbled a lot, threw four interceptions, I think. But still, his team did enough to get him to that point, I still think he’s a really good quarterback” Jenkins said.
Numerous times, Maye would throw a pass into double coverage when it wasn’t needed or into open space with no receiver around. The running game would get stuffed on drives and three and outs seemed to happen quite a bit early in games. Luckily the defense was able to make stops when needed, but even then a long time out on defense eventually wears you down. Could this be a factor in the game with Seattle’s explosive offense?
That being said, the Seahawks two punch combo of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonet (Who is now hurt, which takes away the duo for the superbowl) has been great for them on the ground, as well as the duo of Darnold and Smith-Njigba, racking up scores and yards all over the field. But like the Rams, Colts, 49ers, and the Buccaneers. Rushing Sam Darnold made him panic, and make poor decisions.
Throwing four in the loss against LA, one to Tampa, and only 150 yards throwing against San Francisco in week one. As a matter of fact, it seems as if this could be the biggest factor to a Seattle loss, which is their own team problems. Could a problem like this give New England an opportunity to run away with the victory?
“I think he’ll stay pretty calm” Case said, “His best game came two weeks ago against the Rams, and he was missing both our 1st and 2nd string tackles, and he still didn’t have any turnovers on the rock the entire night” said Case.
Evidently, both teams have had different, yet somewhat similar stories during their seasons, and it’s been fun to watch both teams compete. For a superbowl to be this much of a difference from the past couple of years, is exciting. This is almost like what we needed as football fans, this kind of wide variety of teams who could potentially find themselves in the superbowl or perhaps even win it.
It’ll all boil down to the mental side of it for both teams though. Will the youth and inexperience of some players on New England cause mistakes, and can the Seahawks extinguish their ego and play ball without all the extra flash that almost caused them a superbowl run multiple times this year? All we know is that it will be interesting to watch, and the wait for the Superbowl LX is almost over. Just please remember to run the ball at the one yard line this time.
