Super Bowl LX Prediction

 

New England Patriots (17-3) vs. Seattle Seahawks (16-3): 6:30 p.m. ET (NBC), at Levi's Stadium, in Santa Clara, CA.

Here we go! The thrilling, topsy-turvy 2025-26 NFL season will officially come to an end on Sunday with a very unlikely Super Bowl matchup, as the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.

The Patriots are in the Super Bowl for an NFL-leading 12th time, and for the first time since 2019, when they defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII, the last championship won with their legendary quarterback-head coach duo of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Now, led by second-year superstar quarterback Drake Maye and head coach Mike Vrabel (who won three Super Bowls with the Brady-Belichick-led Patriots during his playing career), the Pats will try to set an NFL record by winning their seventh Super Bowl.

On the flip side, Super Bowl LX will mark the Seahawks' fourth Super Bowl appearance, and their first appearance in over a decade. Led by arguably the best defence in the NFL, an amazing head coach in Mike Macdonald, and a very talented, formerly written off quarterback in Sam Darnold, Seattle has played like the best team in the NFL all season long, and will look to punctuate their dominant campaign by winning their second Super Bowl in team history.

Of course, these two teams met in Super Bowl XLIX 11 years ago. The Seahawks--smack dab in the middle of their dominant "Legion of Boom" era--were a single yard away from winning back-to-back Super Bowls before they made the infamous decision to throw the football at the one-yard line, resulting in Patriots' backup cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepting a pass from Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to clinch the championship for the Pats. Will Seattle be able to exact revenge? Or will this game mark the start of another dynastic run for New England?

Before I reveal who I have winning the 60th edition of the "Big Game", I'm going to break down three key matchups that I think will be instrumental in deciding who comes away with the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy.

#1. Patriots' offensive line vs the Seahawks' pass rush

Leonard Williams #99 and Demarcus Lawrence #0 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrate after making a play during an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, at EverBank Stadium, in Jacksonville, FL. The Seahawks beat the Jaguars, 20-12. (Travis Register/Imagn Images)

This is, without a doubt, the most important matchup of Super Bowl LX, and will likely determine whether or not the game remains competitive or turns into a blowout in favour of the Seahawks.

During the regular season, Seattle's defence was dominant, finishing sixth in total defence, first in fewest rushing yards allowed per attempt, first in fewest points allowed per game, fifth in interceptions, and tied for seventh in sacks. They have an elite defensive line, led by All-Pro defensive lineman Leonard Williams (seven sacks), young star Byron Murphy II (seven sacks), and former Dallas Cowboys star Demarcus Lawrence (six sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries), an elite linebacker in Ernest Jones IV (126 total tackles, seven pass deflections, five interceptions), and two stars in the secondary in cornerback Devon Witherspoon (72 total tackles, seven pass deflections, one interception) and do-it-all rookie Nick Emmanwori (81 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 11 pass deflections, one interception). The best defences in the modern NFL era are great at pressuring the quarterback without blitzing, stopping the run, and generating takeaways, and Seattle's "Dark Side" defence is the total embodiment of that.

The Patriots' biggest weakness on their roster is their offensive line, as Drake Maye was sacked 47 times (fourth-most in the NFL) during the regular season, and he's already been sacked a whopping 15 times over New England's three playoff games up to this point. The Patriots' rookie tandem of left tackle Will Campbell and left guard Jared Wilson has especially struggled so far in these playoffs, and you have to think that Macdonald, being the great defensive mind that he is, has definitely been scheming up ways to exploit that left side of the Patriots' offensive line over the last two weeks. If Maye doesn't get time to throw the ball on Sunday, the Patriots won't stand much of a chance at winning.

#2. The Patriots' Christian Gonzalez vs the Seahawks' Jaxson Smith-Njigba

Jaxon Smith-Nijgba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks catches a touchdown pass during the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, at Lumen Field, in Seattle, WA. The Seahawks defeated the Rams in a nail-biter, 31-27, to advance to Super Bowl LX. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

This should be a fun matchup between two All-Pro players!

Smith-Njigba--who recently just won the Offensive Player of the Year award--enjoyed an incredible regular season, catching 119 passes for a league-high 1,793 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns, and he is coming off a spectacular performance in the NFC Championship against the Rams, where he caught 10 passes for 153 receiving yards and a touchdown. While he's not the biggest or fastest guy, Smith Njigba's ability to line up anywhere on the field and consistently get open is absolutely special, and it's the biggest reason why he's nearly unstoppable to contain.

However, the Patriots may have a slight chance of slowing down JSN, and that's because they have one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL in Christian Gonzalez. Gonzalez--who snagged the game-clinching interception in the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos--is a top-tier athlete who excels at playing man-to-man coverage, so although the two 2023 first-round draft picks won't line up against each other every play, it will be very fascinating to watch what transpires on the field when they do.

#3. Sam Darnold vs.... Sam Darnold

Sam Darnold #14 of the Seattle Seahawks lifts the George Halas Trophy next to Fox Sports analyst Michael Strahan after winning the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, at Lumen Field, in Seattle, WA. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez)

What a ride it's been for Sam Darnold. Darnold--who was drafted by the New York Jets with the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft--struggled mightily to begin his NFL career, leading many people to believe that he was going to forever be known professionally as a draft bust. However, over the last two years, Darnold has played at a very high level, first in 2024 as a member of the Minnesota Vikings (4,319 passing yards, 35 touchdown passes) and in 2025 with the Seahawks (4,048 passing yards, 25 touchdown passes). The 28-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback is coming off a fantastic performance in the NFC Championship Game and has proven to be one of the NFL's top quarterback reclamation projects, showing that some QBs just need stability and patience to flourish at the pro level.

However, Darnold isn't without his warts, as he led the NFL in turnovers this season (14 interceptions, six fumbles). Although Darnold has done a great job of avoiding turnovers so far in the postseason (zero combined interceptions and fumbles in two playoff games), it won't be easy for him to keep that streak going on Super Bowl Sunday, as the Patriots' defence, which was pretty good during the regular season (eighth in total defence), has playing at an elite level so far during the playoffs, giving up a paltry average of 8.6 points per game while forcing eight turnovers (five interceptions, three fumble recoveries). If Darnold can continue to take care of the football, avoid mistakes, and rely on his defence, the Seahawks will be in a great position to win on Sunday. However, if the Patriots can force Darnold into turning the ball over and "see ghosts", this game will likely come down to the wire and could go either way.

Prediction:

Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel celebrate after winning the AFC Championship Game, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, at Emperor Field at Mile High Stadium, in Denver, CO. The Patriots defeated the Denver Broncos, 10-7. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

All in all, Super Bowl LX should be a great game. Both the Patriots and Seahawks are led by two amazing head coaches in Mike Vrabel and Mike Macdonald, respectively. Both teams have elite defences playing at extremely high levels, and both teams have two very talented quarterbacks who can make any throw on the field.

This will be the second time that the Super Bowl is being held at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the home of the San Francisco 49ers. The only previous Super Bowl to be held at the stadium was Super Bowl 50 back in 2016, where the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers in what ended up being future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning's final NFL game.

Drake Maye, who was 13 years old at the time and a fan of his hometown Panthers, attended the game with his dad. Now, a full decade later, in the same stadium, I'm predicting that Maye will do exactly what Tom Brady did in Super Bowl 49: get the better of a great Seahawks defence, and bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to Foxborough. By Sunday evening, we'll all be hearing a familiar phrase that we've been hearing for much of the last two decades: "The Patriots are Super Bowl champions".

The pick: Patriots 23, Seahawks 20

Super Bowl LX MVP pick: Drake Maye, quarterback, New England Patriots