Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
When: Sunday, Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC
After an exciting pair of conference championship games, the Super Bowl is now set. The Seattle Seahawks will take on the New England Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl 49. If this game is anything like that game, we are in for a great matchup. In this article, we are going to go through all the ins and outs of the game and make picks for who will win.
Why the Seahawks can win 
Seattle’s defense ranks as the #1 scoring defense in the league, which will be key to their chances at winning this game. If Seattle is able to play the way they did against San Francisco in the divisional round and week 18, New England could be in for a long day. Along with this stout defense, Seattle’s offense has also taken it up a notch for the playoffs. The offense has scored 30+ points in each of their playoff matchups and has scored seemingly every time they needed to. There were plenty of times during the NFC Championship game where Sam Darnold and the offense needed to score to keep momentum, and that’s what they did. If Seattle can keep up this play on both sides of the ball, they will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
Why the Patriots can win 
New England has been a steady team all year. There’s no doubt that they are the underdogs going into this game, given the uncertainty of how hard their schedule has been. However, the schedule does not discredit the improvement of this team over the past year. In my opinion, the way New England wins this game is similar to Seattle: Through their defense. New England has had arguably the best defense in the playoffs; however, there is question of if the defense is really legit with who they have played (playoff Justin Herbert, CJ Stroud, and Jarrett Stidham). Seattle will be their toughest test yet. If New England’s defense plays the same way they have played all playoffs, they will keep this game close and potentially win.
Seahawks X-Factor: Rashid Shaheed 
Shaheed has been a huge pickup for Seattle. He has added a whole new dynamic to both the offense and special teams. Shaheed essentially won the game on the first play against the 49ers when he returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. He also had multiple big catches in the NFC Championship and was hardly kicked to. Getting him involved on both fronts will help push Seattle to Super Bowl glory.
Patriots X-Factor: Treyveon Henderson 
Henderson has been on and off this season, having multiple games going over 100 yards rushing, but also having games where he looks seemingly invisible. I think this goes for the entire Patriots running back room, including Rhamondre Stevenson. Getting both running backs going will be huge for the Patriots since we already know what Drake Maye and some of the receivers can do.
QB Matchup: Maye vs Darnold
Nobody would have ever predicted these would be the two QBs squaring off in the Super Bowl a year ago. Maye definitely had the better the regular season, and is probably a top 2 candidate for the MVP award. However, Darnold has definitely outshined Maye throughout the playoffs, and especially in the NFC Championship game against the Rams. It can be argued that Maye has played some of the best defenses in the league, but games with multiple fumbles and games with less than 100 passing yards are not gonna cut it against the number #1 scoring defense in the league. Darnold, as good as he has been, can easily lose this game for the Seahawks, as during the regular season he had over 20 turnovers. What this game comes down to is the matchup. Maye has struggled against top defenses, and his own defense is what really has been the winning factor throughout the playoffs. Darnold, while not facing as talented defenses, has been on fire and his offensive weapons are much better that Maye’s.
Recap
Overall, this is going to be a great game, and one that all of us are excited for. This Super Bowl feels fresh, with two new teams and new faces. In a way, this Super Bowl is a reflection of this entire NFL season: unprecedented. Nobody would have picked this matchup. This has been a great year for football, and we can’t wait to see what the final chapter brings.
Game Picks
Kevin: Seahawks-I think they are the more complete team and this game could be a blowout
Luke: Seahawks- The Seahawks are better on both sides of the ball and have way more playmakers than the Patriots which will be the difference.
Mike: Patriots-Drake Maye has been at an MVP level all season and I believe he will silence the haters and bring the bowl back to New England.
