NFL
Super Bowl LX is between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. This is a rematch from Super Bowl XLIX, where the infamous Malcolm Butler interception occurred. But these are two totally different teams, with different quarterbacks and coaches this go around. In a game like the Super Bowl, matchups are often looked at as defining moments in determining who might have the edge going in. And, I feel that these matchups in Super Bowl LX will determine the champion of the NFL.
Seattle’s Pass Rush vs New England’s Offensive Line
In the regular season, Drake Maye has been sacked 47 times, that’s 4th most in the NFL in 2025. Then, in the postseason, he has been sacked 15 times, with 5 sacks in each playoff game. New England’s OL has allowed big-time pressures of 37.3%, particularly against a 4-man rush. That statistic alone could spell trouble for New England’s OL and Drake Maye in Super Bowl LX. Keeping Drake Maye upright will be important for New England if they want to win this game.
Seattle’s Pass rush could give Patriots quarterback Drake Maye all kinds of trouble in Super Bowl LX. Seattle’s pass rush is top in both pressure rates and sacks in 2025. Their front 5 players on the defensive line all have at least 40 pressures during the regular season. And, at least 4 players on the front 5 for Seattle have at least 6 sacks during the regular season. The Seahawks pass rush could be in for a field day against New England’s offensive line.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp vs New England’s Secondary
The Wide Receiver tandem of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp could be a problem for the secondary of New England. Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the league in receiving yards with 1793 yards and 10 touchdowns. Cooper Kupp is bringing his previous Super Bowl experience from the Rams to this game as well. JSN could be in for another 100-yard-plus game in Super Bowl LX and help Sam Darnold. While Cooper Kupp will take a lot of pressure off from Jaxon Smith-Ngjiba, it will make it one-on-one.
New England’s secondary does have an excellent cornerback tandem that can shut down high-power offenses. Both Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis will have their hands full of JSN and Cooper Kupp. Christian Gonzalez will have the tough task of trying to contain Jaxon Smith-Njigba from having a 100-yard day. Plus, Carlton Davis is no slouch by any means throughout the postseason, and will try to slow down Cooper Kupp. The Pats secondary will need to figure out how to contain both Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp in their plan.
Mike Macdonald vs Mike Vrabel
In this game, we will have 2 defensive-minded head coaches. Seattle’s Mike Macdonald & New England’s Mike Vrabel are 2 1st time Super Bowl Head Coaches.
Mike Macdonald, in only his 2nd year, has guided the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl. Both the offense and defense for the Seahawks are both ranked in the top 10 in total yards. Coach Macdonald, every single game has been making the Seahawks rely on one another to find ways to win games. And that has been the case in the postseason, by beating two NFC West rivals in back-to-back weeks. A win for coach Macdonald could make him only 4th head coach 40 or younger to win a Super Bowl.
His counterpart, Mike Vrabel, has guided the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his 1st year. Vrabel knows all about winning a Super Bowl in New England; he won 3 as a player. And, his philosophy is win in all 3 phases of a game: offense, defense, and special teams. Mike Vrabel will need to outsmart Mike Macdonald in those phases to win this game on Sunday. This game, for Vrabel, will be about bringing the New England Patriots into a new era of winning and beyond.
