SAN JOSE, Calif.—Super Bowl LX is almost here, with the Seahawks and Patriots set to face off at Levi's Stadium in a matchup of teams that both went 14-3 during the regular season.
After a first-round bye, the Seahawks knocked off two NFC West opponents on their way to the Super Bowl, beating the 49ers in the divisional round and the Rams in the NFC championship game, while the Patriots beat the Chargers and Texans at home before winning a low-scoring AFC championship game in Denver.
Here are five things to watch when the Seahawks play in their first Super Bowl in 11 years:
1. Can Sam Darnold and the offense play another turnover-free game while facing a tough Patriots defense?
There are so many reasons why the Seahawks have won nine straight games on their way to a Super Bowl berth, from the standout play of their defense to the big plays on special teams to an improved running game, but one of the biggest has been the play of quarterback Sam Darnold down the stretch, and in particular, the way he and the rest of the offense have taken care of the ball.
When the Seahawks lost to the Rams in Week 11, a game that saw Darnold throw four interceptions, they had played only one turnover-free game through the first 10 games of the season, and Darnold had 10 interceptions. Since then, however, the Seahawks and their quarterback have done a much better job taking care of the ball, playing five turnover-free games during their nine-game winning streak, including their Week 18 win over the 49ers and both of their playoff wins. And Darnold has been interception free in six of those nine games, including each of the past three games.
Keeping that up against a talented Patriots defense won't be easy—New England has eight takeaways in three postseason wins, including seven in the past two games—but if Darnold and company can continue to take care of the football, the Seahawks will be really hard to beat.
For Darnold, the key to the recent improved ball security has been taking what defenses are giving him while knowing that, with elite defense and special teams play supporting the offense, he doesn't need to force things.
"The biggest thing for me as a quarterback is just understanding the situations," Darnold said. "The first and second-down stuff, being able to understand, OK, why are we calling this play, where are my checkdowns, is it a certain protection where they might eat up the back and the back might not be able to get out, and I've got to maybe throw it a receiver or just throw it away over his head, or is the back going to be able to get back and I can look for him a little bit quicker on a checkdown. Then when it comes to third down, being able to get through my progression, understand why we're calling the play. And if I do get out and scramble and find someone open, great. If not, that's the benefit of having a great defense is I've always felt like—especially the latter half of the season—I always felt like I never had to force anything. That's a big key for me as a quarterback, and kind of a security blanket, almost. I can feel confident moving onto the next play and letting our special teams and our defense go to work, knowing we need to protect the football at all costs and be able to move on as a quarterback from there."
2. Does Seattle's pass rush make life difficult on Patriots quarterback Drake Maye?
The Seahawks' defensive front has been one of the team's strengths all season long, both because of how that unit stops the run, but also how their defensive linemen and outside linebackers can get after the quarterback.
The Seahawks don't have one dominant pass-rusher with double digit sacks, but what they do have is a deep group that rushes the passer unselfishly, led by a quartet of players who had at least six sacks, Byron Murphy II, Leonard Williams and Uchenna Nwosu, who had 7.0 each, and DeMarcus Lawrence, who had 6.0.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Seahawks had the fourth-highest pressure rate in the league this season (38.9 percent) despite blitzing at the eighth lowest in the league, and they had six different player record at least 35 pressures in Lawrence, Murphy, Williams, Nwosu, Boye Mafe and Derick Hall.
The Patriots, meanwhile, have done a lot of things well on offense this season, led by Pro-Bowl quarterback Drake Maye, but they have been susceptible to a good pass rush. Maye was sacked 47 times during the regular season, and 15 more times in three playoff wins, a factor in him fumbling six times in those games. Maye is capable of making great things happen, but he'll have a tough day if he's not getting the ball out faster than Seattle's pass rush can get home.
3. Can the Seahawks keep Maye from making big plays with his arm and his legs?
As we just detailed, the Seahawks should have some opportunities to get to Maye with their pass rush, but the tradeoff for Maye holding the ball as long as he sometimes does is that he can make big things happen both with his arm and his legs.
Maye, who finished second in MVP voting, just behind Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, led the NFL in yards per attempt (8.9), completion percentage (72.0) and passer rating (113.5), and this postseason alone, he has three touchdown passes of 28 or more yards. And Maye is also dangerous with his legs, having rushed for 450 yards and four touchdowns in the regular season, and another 141 yards and a touchdown in the postseason.
4. Who comes out on top in a great receiver vs. cornerback matchup between Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Christian Gonzalez?
The last time the Seahawks played the Patriots, a Seattle win early in the 2024 season, cornerback Christian Gonzalez spent most of his day covering DK Metcalf. This time around, however, Seattle's No. 1 receiver is Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who just took home AP Offensive Player of the Year honors after leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards in the regular season, so he will almost certainly spend a lot of his Sunday afternoon lined up across from Gonzalez.
Gonzalez, a second-team All-Pro last year and a Pro-Bowl selection this year, is one of the league's top young corners, and he and Smith-Njigba happen to have known each other, or at least know of each other, dating back to their years as high school standouts in the Dallas area.
Gonzalez postseason includes one interception, four passes defensed, 15 tackles and a forced fumble, while Smith-Njigba is coming off a 10-catch, 153-yard performance in the NFC championship game, and has a touchdown in both of Seattle's playoff wins. In other words, Smith-Njigba and Gonzalez are two of the best in the league at what they do, which should make for some exciting battles when they face off on Sunday.
5. Can either team run the ball effectively?
A big key to the Seahawks' late-season success has been a resurgent run game, which saw them produce more than 160 rushing yards in four straight games leading up to the NFC championship. The Seahawks were held to 75 rushing yards in that win over the Rams, but Kenneth Walker III was still a big factor, helping set the tone early with some big runs, and then helping close out the game with some critical runs in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots, meanwhile, ranked sixth in the league in both rushing yards and attempts during the regular season, and have rushed for 392 yards in three playoff games.
So it's clear both of these teams will want to run the ball on Sunday, and both have shown the ability to do so successfully this season, but given the strong run defenses of both teams, establishing a rushing attack will not be easy for either offense.
The Seahawks allowed a league-low 3.7 yards per carry this season, and have not allowed a 100-yard rusher since early last season, while the Patriots allowed the sixth-fewest rushing yards this season, and have held all three playoff opponents under 90 rushing yards.
Both quarterbacks are more than capable of putting up big numbers through the air, but if either team can get a running game going to complement the passing attack, that could be a difference maker.
