SAN FRANCISCO — No, you’re not in the Upside Down, but you might be experiencing a little bit of déjà vu.
Eleven years after facing off in Super Bowl XLIX, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots are meeting again with the Lombardi Trophy on the line in Super Bowl LX. And while there are some similarities to those teams — like a nickname-worthy Seattle defense (aka “The Dark Side”) — these two teams don’t carry the same reputations they had back then.
Led by MVP runner-up Drake Maye and AP Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel, the Patriots no longer have the notoriety of an empire spearheaded by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Instead, they’re a young, spunky team that got here after a three-win season a year ago. After shutting down the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round, the Patriots overcame two ugly playoff games against the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos to reach their first Super Bowl since 2019, when they beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII.
While Maye led the NFL in completion percentage during the regular season, the Patriots’ defense is a major reason for their postseason success, as they’ve held opponents to a league-best 209 yards and 8.7 points per playoff game. The Patriots’ defense also leads all playoff teams with 12 sacks in three games.
In Seattle, the defense has continued to pave the way, but it’s led by second-year head coach Mike Macdonald, who could become the first Super Bowl-winning head coach to also call defensive plays in NFL history. On offense, the Seahawks are led by quarterback Sam Darnold, who took a circuitous route to the Super Bowl. A first-round pick by the New York Jets in 2018, Darnold turned into a journeyman until signing a three-year deal with the Seahawks in free agency prior to the 2025 season. To help propel the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, Darnold played one of the best games of his career in the NFC Championship Game, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns to slip past the Rams 31-27.
Different paths, familiar destination as both journeys have led to Levi’s Stadium, where the Seahawks and Patriots will meet once again with everything on the line.
Check back for live updates, highlights and all the action from Super Bowl LX as it unfolds.
