New England Patriots
The Seahawks boast the third-ranked offense in points per game and limited opponents to a league-best 17.2 points per game.
The New England Patriots will take on a familiar foe in Super Bowl LX.
After punching their ticket to Santa Clara with a 10-7 win over the Broncos in the AFC title game, New England had to wait a bit longer to see who they will face at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 8.
The Patriots got their answer Sunday night, as the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 31-27, in the NFC championship game to earn their shot at the Lombardi Trophy.
Seattle has won nine games in a row and 13 of its last 14 games entering Super Bowl LX.
The Seahawks will stand as New England’s toughest test of the season, with Seattle going into the Super Bowl as the top seed in the NFC with both an imposing defense and explosive offense.
Here’s five things to know about New England’s opponent in Super Bowl LX.
This is not the first time the Patriots have battled Seattle in the Super Bowl
The collective cardiac wellbeing of both Patriots and Seahawks fans might be in jeopardy in a few weeks if Super Bowl LX follows a similar script as the last time New England and Seattle met in the big game.
New England outlasted the “Legion of Boom” Seahawks in an instant classic in Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1, 2015 — giving Tom Brady and the Patriots their fourth Super Bowl title and first since the 2004 season.
It was a clash of the titans at University of Phoenix Stadium, with Brady overcoming a 10-point deficit against the Seahawks’ vaunted defense in the second half to take a 28-24 lead with just 2:02 left in regulation.
A miraculous 33-yard circus catch from Jermaine Kearse — who bobbled the ball before snagging it while on his back — put Seattle on New England’s 5-yard line with 1:05 to go.
But, after Dont’a Hightower stopped Marshawn Lynch on the 1-yard line, Russell Wilson’s ill-advised decision to throw into the end zone resulted in one of the greatest plays in NFL history — with Malcolm Butler picking off Wilson to clinch the dramatic win for New England.
Seattle boasts an elite defense
This Seahawks defense may not be anchored by former franchise stalwarts like Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Bobby Wagner, and Kam Chancellor.
But New England — who has already overcome three elite defenses in the Chargers, Texans, and Broncos en route to Super Bowl LX — will have another tough test against Mike Macdonald’s defense in Santa Clara.
Seattle’s defense led all teams in points allowed per game (17.2) during the regular season, and were sixth in the league in yards allowed per game (295.2). A lot of that success has been rooted in a stingy run defense, which allowed an average of 91.9 yards on the ground (3rd in NFL) to opponents this season.
Granted, the three teams that the Patriots beat in the AFC playoffs in the Texans (1st), Broncos (2nd), and Chargers (fifth) all fared better than the Seahawks in yards allowed per game. But, Seattle’s defense can throw a lot at even the stoutest offensive units.
While few teams have generated chunk yardage on the ground against Seattle, the Seahawks have also doled out plenty of damage by getting after the quarterback.
Only six teams posted more sacks than Seattle’s 47.0 in 17 regular season games, with the Seahawks — much like the Texans — generating plenty of pressure without dialing up blitzes.
As noted by NFL Network’s Nick Shook, Seattle boasts the fourth-highest pressure rate (38.9 percent of dropbacks) in the NFL despite blitzing at the eighth-lowest frequency (23.1 percent of snaps).
Drake Maye and the Patriots will need to avoid drive-ending sacks and protect the football, which could be a challenge given that Seattle’s low blitz rate means Devon Witherspoon and Seattle’s secondary can take away multiple receiving options.
Limiting turnovers has to be paramount for New England, as Seattle ranked sixth in takeaways this season.
Sam Darnold commands an explosive offense
The Seahawks’ defense is not the only reason why they soared to the top of the NFC standings this season.
Seattle also ranked third in the NFL in points per game (28.4), with journeyman QB Sam Darnold commanding an offensive unit that has plenty of home-run hitters across their roster.
Darnold — the former No. 3 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Jets — has revitalized his career in recent years, leading the Vikings to a 14-win season in 2024 before putting together another strong year in Seattle.
He completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns during regular season play — and has been even better in the postseason.
Against the Rams on Sunday night, Darnold completed 25-of-36 throws for 346 yards, three touchdowns, and a 127.8 passer rating.
Darnold’s 122.4 postseason passer rating entering the Super Bowl ranks as the fourth-highest in NFL history — with Matt Ryan (2016) leading the way at 132.6.
Even without running back Zach Charbonnet (torn ACL), Seattle also has a dangerous run game with Kenneth Walker leading the charge. Walker only averaged 3.3 yards per carry against the Rams, but went off for 116 yards and three touchdowns in a divisional-round win over the 49ers.
Seattle has the top wide receiver in the NFL
Seattle’s offense has orchestrated explosive plays at an impressive rate this season. According to PFF, Seattle generated the sixth-most explosive plays in the NFL this season, with Darnold sporting the highest completion percentage in the NFL on deep pass attempts (56.6%).
A lot of Darnold’s success has been rooted in a breakout season from 2025 PFWA Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who reeled in 119 catches for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns during the regular season. Entering Sunday, Smith-Njigba led all players with 16 catches of 20-plus yards.
In a Super Bowl showdown featuring several key matchups, no head-to-head showdown might be as compelling as Christian Gonzalez receiving the lion’s share of reps against Smith-Njigba.
If an All-Pro corner like Gonzalez can slow dow or limit Smith-Njigba, it bodes well for New England’s chances of grounding Seattle’s high-flying offense.
New England has several areas it could exploit against Seattle
As daunting as New England’s upcoming matchup might be, the Patriots still have a few ways that can land punches against the Seahawks, especially when it comes to a New England defense that has surrendered just 26 points through three playoff games.
Darnold has been impressive this postseason, but he has been prone to turnovers during regular-season action. He threw the third-most interceptions in the league (14) to go along with the second-most fumbles (six).
As Shook noted, 11 of Darnold’s 20 giveaways have under pressure (six interceptions, five fumbles lost) in 2025, while 7.2 percent of his dropbacks under pressure resulted in a giveaway.
If New England’s pass rushers and defensive linemen like K’Lavon Chaisson and Milton Williams can wreak havoc, Darnold could cough up the football.
Seattle’s success on offense is also rooted in its running game, which averaged 144 rushing yards per game over its last 10 matchups entering Sunday’s NFC title game.
But, New England’s defense has been stingy against the run all year, ranking sixth in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (101.7). In three postseason games, opponents generated just 71.3 net rushing yards per contest against New England.
So long as New England can limit damage in the run game and Gonzalez can slow down Smith-Njigba, the Patriots “big dogs” up front could make life miserable for Darnold in hopes of flipping the field via a few costly turnovers.
Of course, that same approach must hold true for Maye and the Patriots offense — who have been knocked for six fumbles (three lost) through three playoff games.
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