SAN FRANCISCO — No, you are not within the Upside Down, however you may be experiencing just a little little bit of déjà vu.
Eleven years after going through off in Tremendous Bowl XLIX, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots are assembly once more with the Lombardi Trophy on the road in Tremendous Bowl LX. And whereas there are some similarities to these groups — like a nickname-worthy Seattle protection (aka “The Darkish Aspect”) — these two groups do not carry the identical reputations they’d again then.
Led by MVP runner-up Drake Maye and AP Coach of the Yr Mike Vrabel, the Patriots now not have the notoriety of an empire spearheaded by Tom Brady and Invoice Belichick. As a substitute, they are a younger, spunky crew that obtained right here after a three-win season a yr in the past. After shutting down the Los Angeles Chargers within the wild-card spherical, the Patriots overcame two ugly playoff video games in opposition to the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos to succeed in their first Tremendous Bowl since 2019, after they beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Tremendous Bowl LIII.
Whereas Maye led the NFL in completion share throughout the common season, the Patriots’ protection is a significant motive for his or her postseason success, as they’ve held opponents to a league-best 209 yards and eight.7 factors per playoff recreation. The Patriots’ protection additionally leads all playoff groups with 12 sacks in three video games.
In Seattle, the protection has continued to pave the way in which, however it’s led by second-year head coach Mike Macdonald, who may develop into the primary Tremendous Bowl-winning head coach to additionally name defensive performs in NFL historical past. On offense, the Seahawks are led by quarterback Sam Darnold, who took a circuitous path to the Tremendous Bowl. A primary-round choose by the New York Jets in 2018, Darnold became a journeyman till signing a three-year take care of the Seahawks in free company previous to the 2025 season. To assist propel the Seahawks to the Tremendous Bowl, Darnold performed among the finest video games of his profession within the NFC Championship Sport, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns to slide previous the Rams 31-27.
Completely different paths, acquainted vacation spot as each journeys have led to Levi’s Stadium, the place the Seahawks and Patriots will meet as soon as once more with every part on the road.
Verify again for stay updates, highlights and all of the motion from Tremendous Bowl LX because it unfolds.
