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5 things to watch in Patriots’ Super Bowl 60 matchup against Seahawks
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- 5 things to watch in Patriots’ Super Bowl 60 matchup against Seahawks
SAN FRANCISCO – It all comes down to this.
On Sunday, the Patriots have a chance to start the Mike Vrabel era off in the best way possible when they take on the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60 . If the team is going to win their final game, they’ll have to once again prove everyone wrong.
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This season, Patriots players said they had extra motivation due to people doubting them. Coming into the 2025 season, no one predicted a Super Bowl run due to coming off back-to-back 4-win seasons and having a new coaching staff.
Instead, Vrabel, his staff, and players proved everyone wrong en route to a 14-3 season. During the playoffs, the Patriots heard doubters in all three playoff matchups. Houston ’s defense was supposed to be too tough in the AFC divisional round. Denver ’s defense and offensive line were supposed to carry them over the Patriots in the AFC Championship game.
Instead, the Patriots persevered and won three straight playoff games and booked a trip to the Bay Area for this unlikely Super Bowl run.
Now, they’ll have to do it again. The Seahawks are the favorites in Sunday’s championship matchup. Most pundits are predicting the Patriots will lose. That’s fitting for this team, but it remains to be seen if they can prove people wrong one more time.
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Here are five things to watch in Super Bowl 60:
Defensive dominance
The Seahawks offense has been dynamic this season. Seattle has averaged 36.0 points per game in the playoffs. In the regular season, they averaged 28.4 points per game. That was third in the NFL behind the Los Angeles Rams and Patriots.
In this matchup, the Patriots’ defense needs to dominate. That’s been the case in the playoffs as the Patriots’ defensive line, led by Milton Williams and Christian Barmore , has wrecked opposing offensive lines. Seattle has a good offensive line, finishing the season ranked ninth in sacks per pass attempt. The Patriots need to win the battle in the trenches on Sunday.
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Opponents are averaging 8.7 points per game against the Patriots this postseason.
Drake Maye
Drake Maye says he’s fine after suffering a right shoulder injury in the AFC Championship game. The quarterback was limited to start this week, but finished the final two practices as a full participant. Now, he has a chance to cement his legacy in the second year of his NFL career.
The Seahawks are a tough defense, and this won’t be easy. Seattle led the NFL in points allowed (17.2) this season. Their run defense ranked third, while their pass defense finished tenth in the league.
Maye was outstanding in the regular season, finishing first in passer rating and completion percentage. In the playoffs, he hasn’t been as effective passing as he has been running. But on Sunday, the Patriots need Maye at his best.
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Pass protection
Speaking of Maye, the Patriots need to keep their quarterback upright if they want him to be efficient in the pass game. Seattle finished 11th this season in sacks per pass attempt. They have four players ( Byron Murphy , Leonard Williams , Uchenna Nwosu , and DeMarcus Lawrence ) who have six or more sacks.
The Patriots will be the first team to start two rookies on the offensive line ( Will Campbell and Jared Wilson ) in Super Bowl history. They’ll need the best from both first-year players. The Patriots’ offensive line finished 26th in the NFL in sacks per pass attempt. Maye has been sacked 15 times in three playoff games. The Patriots need to be better on Sunday.
Turnovers
The Seahawks offense doesn’t have many weaknesses. They have a top-10 run and pass game. They don’t allow many sacks. The one area Sam Darnold has struggled, however, is with turnovers. Darnold finished third in the NFL with 14 interceptions this season. Only Geno Smith and Tua Tagovailoa threw more interceptions.
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Darnold also led the NFL with 11 fumbles. The key for the defense is simple – get the ball back to Maye. The easiest way to do that is to turn the ball over. The Seahawks haven’t turned the ball over this postseason. Their defense has forced four takeaways. The Patriots need to flip that script.
The winner of the turnover battle on Sunday could very well win Super Bowl 60.
Return game
Special teams matters in the postseason, and we’re not just talking about the kickers. In this matchup, both teams bring explosive returners who can score at any moment.
This season, the Seahawks traded for receiver/returner Rashid Shaheed . He earned Pro Bowl honors again this season. He scored touchdowns as both a kickoff and punt returner. The Patriots have to make sure to either keep the ball away from Shaheed or keep him contained on Sunday.
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Shaheed had a kickoff return touchdown in the NFC divisional round against San Francisco. The Patriots hope that Marcus Jones can make a big special teams impact on Sunday. Jones earned second-team All-Pro honors as a punt returner after averaging 17.3 yards per return and scoring two touchdowns this season.
Prediction: Patriots 20, Seahawks 17
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