SB LX: Super Bowl Sunday has become more than a sporting event in America, it’s a cultural touchstone, an opportunity to gather with friends, family, strangers, acquaintances, and anybody else who might show up for food, fellowship, and football, with the “football” part often taking last place in the order of importance. And it’s now become a worldwide phenomenon, with some 200 million people around the globe expected to tune in to see the Seattle Seahawks face the New England Patriots in the 60th edition of the big game.
The Super Bowl also happens to be a singular sports betting event, with an estimated 60 million Americans expected to place a legal wager on this year’s game, according to the American Gaming Association, and untold millions more around the world doing the same. BETDAQ has an array of markets on offer, many with great liquidity, and the action promises to pick up steam over the next 24 hours. If one is so inclined, every single part of the Super Bowl spectacle, from the national anthem, to the halftime show, to the television commercials, to the color of Gatorade dumped on the winning coach, can be enriched by a wager. Not saying we’re so inclined, but we may just dip our toes into some of those waters, for sure.
The game itself is devoid of some of the star power that we usually see in Super Bowls, as both New England and Seattle are teams that have been rebuilt over the last couple of years and have mostly been carried by young, ascending players. Sam Darnold vs. Drake Maye might not have quite the same ring as Patrick Mahomes vs. Matt Stafford, but Stafford was dispatched by these Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, while Mahomes finished the season on the injury list. It’s a new era, and these teams have both been built around young, athletic defenses, with head coaches who see the game from a defensive lens. While there’s no guarantee this game comes in under the posted total of 45.5, I’d be shocked if it’s a high-flying shootout. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look:
SUPER BOWL LX
New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks
BETDAQ Line: Seattle -4.5 (45.5)
Though these are two of the most successful franchises in the NFL since the turn of the century, it can’t be overstated just how much these teams have been built from the ground up over the last couple of years. New England hired Mike Vrabel, ex-Titans coach and a former Patriots linebacker during the Belichick glory years, as the new head coach this offseason and then went on a dizzying spending spree, doling out more money in free agent contracts than any team in the league. The result is a totally reconstructed roster, especially on defense, and the finished product has been quite impressive, as the Pats won 13 of their final 14 regular season games and now stand on the brink of football immortality.
It’s a similar story in Seattle, where Mike Macdonald was made the NFL’s youngest head coach prior to the 2024 season and has seen his vision come to fruition in just his second year. But what may be more impressive than the job than Macdonald has done on the field is what longtime Seahawks GM John Schneider has done in the front office. Hired in 2010, a year in which he oversaw a then-record 284 roster transactions, Schneider built the Legion of Boom-era Seahawks into a perennial contender that made two Super Bowls in a five-year span, winning one. Seattle’s last Super Bowl appearance came in 2015, and no players from that team remain on the current roster. That makes Schneider the only general manager in NFL history to be part of two Super Bowls with the same franchise, with zero overlap between the two rosters. It’s an entirely new group of players. That should unquestionably be the first line on Schneider’s Hall of Fame plaque someday.
The game itself could turn into a defensive struggle, as both teams are led by excellent units on that side of the ball. The Seahawks ranked first in the NFL in points allowed this season (17.2 ppg) and were dominant in the Divisional Round win over San Francisco, though Matt Stafford and the Rams showed in the NFC Championship Game that there are opportunities downfield against the Seattle secondary. Whether the New England offensive line can keep Drake Maye upright long enough to take advantage of these opportunities is another question, as Maye was sacked 47 times this season, fourth-most in the league, and the Pats will be starting two rookies on the left side of the o-line in this game, marking the first time in NFL history that a Super Bowl team has had two rookie starters on the offensive line (h/t ESPN stats & info). Given the quality of the Seattle defensive front, that could spell real trouble for New England in this game, and it’s the main reason why the Seahawks have been the betting favorite from the moment the matchup was solidified: we’ve seen this Patriots offense have real trouble moving the ball against defenses that are strong in the front seven, most recently in the AFC Championship Game, when the Pats could muster just 206 total yards and a single touchdown (setup by a Denver turnover) against a stout Broncos defense. Seattle’s defense just might be the NFL’s best. You can work it out from there.
All that being said, the Patriots have a fine defense themselves, and they’ll be facing a quarterback in Sam Darnold who has certainly had his share of high-profile meltdowns in a checkered career. Maybe “checkered” is a bit strong, as Darnold played well in Minnesota last season and is now finishing off the best season of his career, but he’s on his fifth team in his 8-year career and will be viewed as the potential weak link on this Seattle team right up until he hoists the Lombardi trophy, if that moment indeed comes to pass. The New England D isn’t quite as adept at pressuring the passer as Seattle’s, but players like DT Christian Barmore and edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson will be relied upon heavily in this game, and if they can get some early hits on Darnold and shake him up a little bit, it could change the entire complexion of things. The Patriots biggest concern will be Seahawks star wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the best player on the field. Despite being the focal point of opposing defenses’ gameplans all season, Smith-Njigba proved nearly unstoppable, posting stellar statlines week after week and ending the season with 119 receptions for an NFL-best 1,793 yards. New England does have some big-time players in the secondary, most notably CB Christian Gonzalez, who will be matched up on Smith-Njigba plenty in this game, but unless there’s some malfunction with Darnold, I don’t like their chances of slowing him down. And that, to me, is the bottom line here: the Seahawks should simply have an easier time moving the ball than the Patriots. They have slightly better weapons and a slightly better defense. Can Darnold keep it together for one more game? Prediction: Seattle 24, New England 17
