The biggest day in American football is coming up this Sunday, Super Bowl LX, in Miami. The Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots in a rematch from 11 years ago. Both teams failed to make the playoffs last year and have quarterbacks that have performed unexpectedly well this season.

According to a poll by the Courier, the Seahawks are favored in this game, but the Patriots are picked to win by many well-recognized reporters and former NFL players like Pat Surtain II. Some consider New England’s competition this season to have been untested. This factor makes analysts doubt the Patriots and is why most of them have picked the Seahawks.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are coming into the playoffs led by their breakout quarterback Drake Maye. Maye has had a well-performing season with 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. He has been in the MVP race all year with his biggest competition being the veteran quarterback from the Los Angeles Rams, Matthew Stafford. On offense, New England has both a strong pass and running attack. Maye’s top receiving options this year have been veteran receiver Stefon Diggs, rookie Kayshon Boutte and touchdown-leading tight end Hunter Henry. New England has also had a dual running attack with Reamondre Stevenson and rookie Treyveon Henderson.

Along with the offense, the Patriots have had one of the strongest defenses in the entire NFL this year. The defense is led by star cornerback Christan Gonzalez. Cornerback Marcus Jones and safety Jaylinn Hawkins work well with Gonzalez to create one of the top secondaries in the NFL. The Patriots’s defensive line consists of star edge rushers, Herold Landry and K’levon Chasson. The Patriots’s defense has been a huge factor in winning games throughout the playoffs. During the regular season, defense was shown as New England’s weakness, but now their defense has shown to be a strength. The three playoff teams they have played to only 29 combined total points. Defense particularly shined in the AFC Wild Card Round against the Los Angeles Chargers, where they held one of the most talented offenses in the NFL to only 3 points.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks, with a 13-4 regular season record, have made one of the most unexpected seasons in the history of the NFL. They were led by breakout quarterback Sam Darnold who has had one of the most surprising careers of all time. Darnold started as the third overall pick in the 2018 draft, where he was drafted by the New York Jets. Once Darnold was a member of the Jets, he was considered a bust. He was then traded to Carolina and then San Francisco, where he had many disappointing seasons. Because of the injured Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings had a position to fill., The Vikings traded for Darnold, who had a breakout season and took the Vikings to the playoffs. He was then traded to the Seahawks and led them all the way to the Super Bowl. Darnold, despite having a huge story for himself, helped to make the Seahawks offense one of the greatest offenses in the NFL. All-pro wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba has shown to be the top receiver in the NFL this year and is a top choice for “Offensive Player of the Year.” The Seahawks also have a great run game with star running back Kenneth Walker.

Even though the Seahawks defense isn’t the “Legion of Boom,” which they were nicknamed in Super Bowl XLVIV 11 years ago, they still have great defense. They are led by Demarcus Lawrence and Leonard Williams on the line. Their secondary consists of star cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

Final Takeaways 

Super Bowl LX is going to be a close one. There is no obvious pick to win, but we do know the game is going to be one for the ages. With two teams who didn’t even make the playoffs last year and with quarterbacks that have so much left to prove, this is going to an electric Super Bowl. You can tune in to Super Bowl LX on NBC or Peacock at 6:30 p.m.on Sunday, Feb 8.