Story by
ESPN NFL Experts Cast Doubt on New England Patriots’ Super Bowl Hopes
- Story by
- ESPN NFL Experts Cast Doubt on New England Patriots’ Super Bowl Hopes
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The New England Patriots are the AFC champions, punching their ticket to the Super Bowl in just their second season with quarterback Drake Maye . While competing for the Lombardi Trophy is nothing new for this franchise and they have been one of the best NFL teams in 2025, many are casting doubt on the Patriots' ability to beat the Seattle Seahawks .
In an early Super Bowl LX preview from ESPN , all 11 NFL analysts made early predictions for the Seahawks to beat the Patriots and hoist the Lombardi Trophy at Levi's Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 8.
Advertisement
Related: NFL Defense Rankings 2026, Super Bowl Preview
Among the experts polled were NFL reporters Dan Graziano and Lindsey Thiry, and analysts Dan Orlovsky , Ben Solak, Aaron Schatz, Field Yates and Seth Walder. Some do not even think the Seahawks vs. Patriots matchup will be particularly close.
"ESPN's FPI, which considers a team's play on a down-to-down basis all season, sees the Seahawks as being in a different class as the Patriots. I'm inclined to trust the numbers. Seahawks by double digits."
One common trend among the 11 predictions, they all see the Patriots offense struggling in the Super Bowl. Schatz believes New England will be held to 18 points with Orlovsky predicting Maye and Co. simplt "isn't good enough" to beat Seattle.
Read More: 2026 NFL Draft Order Before the Super Bowl, Draft Picks By Team
Advertisement
ESPN's NFL experts all picking against the Patriots isn't new. Two weeks ago, the five-person panel on NFL Live all predicted that the Houston Texans would beat New England in the Divisional Round. Their immediate reactions went viral and the Patriots had some fun with it after beating Houston.
As of Monday, Seattle is a 4.5-point favorite in the Super Bowl over New England. However, recent history suggests that could also work in the Patriots' favor. As noted by ESPN , underdogs have gone 4-1 in the last five Super Bowls with three straight wins. Since 2007, the underdog has gone on to hoist the Lombardi Trophy 12 times and lost just seven times.
It also helps that Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has firsthand experience with winning the Super Bowl as an underdog. Back in 2002, New England was expected to lose to the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Thanks to a pick-six by Ty Law and a Patriots defense that generated three takeaways, New England won 20-17.
Advertisement
Related Headlines
