A resurgent retread coach and former All-Pro linebacker in Mike Vrabel who’s engineered a dramatic turnaround for the New England Patriots, propelling a longtime proud franchise back to the Super Bowl spotlight once occupied by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
An up-and-coming coach in Mike MacDonald seeking the second championship in team history and hoping to move the Seattle Seahawks past a painful championship game past when Malcolm Butler swooped in for the Patriots to pick off Russell Wilson back in Super Bowl XLIX.
View the latest NFL odds at Bovada
Quarterbacks under the spotlight: MVP stakes and ball security
A swift and strong-armed MVP candidate quarterback in Patriots second-year star Drake Maye hoping to upgrade his ball security and keep making impactful plays in professional football’s most important game.
On his third team, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold keeps proving doubters wrong. That includes his previous NFL employers: the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets.
A pair of hard-hitting, fast defenses.
Electric return games, for both teams.
This Super Bowl matchup at Levi’s Stadium holds a lot of promise and potential.
The Patriots are looking for their seventh Super Bowl title and their first in the Post Belichick-Brady Era.
Super Bowl LX provides a lot to think about, and a lot to watch.
The favorite for MVP is Darnold, per Bovada odds. The second most probable pick is Maye, followed by Seahawks star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Mjigba.
Pressure points: Seahawks front seven vs Patriots protection
Who will win the matchups?
The Seahawks have a stout front seven headlined by Byron Murphy II, DeMarcus Lawrence, Leonard Williams, Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe.
Maye has already been sacked 15 times in three playoff games as rookie left tackle Will Campbell has struggled mightily. The Patriots have allowed a pressure rate of 38.3 percent.
The Seahawks have a 38.9 percent pressure rate. They rarely need to blitz.
What about Smith-Njigba?
The most prolific receiver in the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards, the Seahawks standout caught 10 passes
for 153 yards and a a touchdown on a dozen targets in the NFC championship game win over the Los Angeles Rams.
The Patriots have an outstanding secondary.
Led by Pro Bowl selection Christian Gonzalez opposite Carlton Davis III along with nickel Marcus Jones, New England has the cornerbacks to challenge Smith-Njigba. Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III combines power and speed with vision and tackle-breaking ability.
The Patriots’ run defense is sound. Especially disruptive defensive tackles Milton Williams and Christian Barmore.
The Seahawks love to run the football.
Under the direction of Vrabel, the Patriots are incredibly difficult to push around. The Patriots allow just 101.7 rushing yards per contest, and just 42 explosive runs, ranking sixth and 10th in those categories.
Walker is averaging 4.4 yards per pop. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, a head coaching candidate with the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders, likes to establish the run.
Pressure game, indeed. Patriots edges K’Lavon Chaisson and Harold Landry III are two former first-round draft picks who have teamed up for 16 sacks.
Pressure comes inside, too, from Williams and Barmore. They have combined for 19 quarterback hits. They have three sacks collectively in the playoffs.
The Patriots’ defense has yielded just 26 points altogether in the postseason.
They embarrassed Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, intercepting him four times in one half in the divisional round.
Defense, discipline and the path to a championship
Defense wins championships, right?
Well, the Seahawks defense gave up the fewest points per game in the league with 16.4 points per game during the regular season.
The Seahawks shut down running games and could render the Patriots one-dimensional if they stonewall Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
Maye will need to be sharp. He leaders the NFL with a 72.0 completion percentage and a 113.5 passer rating. He can also take off and run.
Maye fumbled six times combined in the first two playoff games. He can’t do that in this game and hope to win.
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