For the fourth and final time, I am back to pick and preview the winner of the biggest game in sports. Historically, I have done pretty well as I have picked the last two correct winners and two years ago almost got the exact score of the game (I had the Chiefs winning 24-21 and they won 25-22).
But this year may be the toughest to pick yet.
The matchup for the Super Bowl is probably not the one you expected during the preseason as both of these teams missed the playoffs a season ago and one of these teams came into the year with a new coach and second-year quarterback and the other with a second-year coach and a new quarterback.
But nonetheless, the New England Patriots will officially be facing off against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60 this Sunday on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara California at Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers. This game is a rematch of Super Bowl 49, which took place 11 years ago in the now infamous Malcolm Butler game that left viewers scratching their heads with Coach Pete Carroll’s controversial decision to not run the ball at the 1-yard line.
That game saw New England win by a score of 28-24, but how will this game fair?
Preview
The Patriots this season have done a complete 360 from the previous season. Last season, the team had just a 4-13 record and baring a meaningless week 18 victory over the Buffalo Bills backups, would have earned the number one pick in last year’s draft. However, New England had a roster overhaul in the offseason and assured fans that they would compete this year for a playoff spot.
The offseason began with hiring former Tennessee Titans head coach and former Super Bowl champion with the Patriots Mike Vrabel. Vrabel instantly changed the culture in New England and was a new voice from the previous coach Jarod Mayo who only lasted one season as Bill Belichick’s replacement. After Vrabel, the Pats brought a familiar face back in Josh McDaniels, who was an offensive coordinator for the Patriots for a number of seasons and won a handful of Super Bowls as a member of their coaching staff. The belief was that McDaniels would pair well with second-year quarterback Drake Maye and that was evident this season with Maye being selected to the Pro Bowl and being a finalist for NFL MVP in his first season as a full-time starter.
But, the Patriots made more than just coaching acquisitions. They brought in pass catching options of Mack Hollins and Stefon Diggs to give Maye more targets and signed Morgan Moses to help the offensive line. On defense, they made big time signings of Carlton Davis, Robert Spillane, Harold Landry and Milton Williams who had a dominating performance in last year’s Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Pats topped off their outstanding offseason at the NFL draft where in the first two rounds they selected LSU’s Will Campbell and Ohio State’s TreyVeyon Henderson who have both made impacts in their rookie seasons.
The Seahawks also had some retooling of their roster in the offseason. The offseason for Seattle started with some departures of some long tenured players. The Seahawks traded former Pro-Bowl talents of Geno Smith to the Raiders and D.K. Metcalf to the Steelers and lost Tyler Lockett in free agency. They replaced these players very well by signing former Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp and signing quarterback Sam Darnold to a 4-year contract.
Darnold throughout his career has been unable to find a steady home in the NFL. After being selected by the Jets with the third overall pick, things fizzled out for Darnold in New York leading to him being traded to the Carolina Panthers. When his second chance in Carolina went south it seemed as if he was headed to be a career backup. After one season in San Francisco where he served as the backup quarterback, Darnold signed a 1-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings and was named the starter after rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered a season ending injury before the season began. Darnold had an excellent season with the Vikings throwing for over 4,300 yards and 35 touchdowns while leading them to a 14-3 record. After a first round playoff loss, the Vikings decided not to bring back Darnold and he landed in Seattle where he too led them to a 14-3 record.
How We Got Here
The New England Patriots (14-3) started off the season with just a 1-2 record. From there they tallied off 10 wins in a row and were the hottest team in football. The Pats barely missed out on the number one seed in the AFC, but won two straight home games against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Houston Texans where the defense played exceptional. Going into the AFC Championship game, the defense remained the story for the Patriots as they escaped with a 10-7 victory against the top seeded Denver Broncos.
The Seattle Seahawks (14-3) started off the season pretty solid with a 6-2 record halfway through the season. But, that was when they made a big move by acquiring playmaker Rashid Shaheed from the New Orleans Saints. Shaheed has made plays for Seattle on offense and special teams and helped them to end the regular season going 8-1 down the stretch and earning a bye. Seattle blew out the San Francisco 49ers coming off of the bye and edged out the Los Angeles Rams in their last matchup that saw Darnold have a career game.
What’s at Stake
For the New England Patriots, a win would be the seventh in franchise history, which would be the most by a team in NFL history. Drake Maye would become the youngest quarterback to ever win the Super Bowl at just 23, capping off a season for the ages. Coach Mike Vrabel would become just the fifth coach ever to win a Super Bowl in his first season with a team.
For Seattle, a win would earn them their second Super Bowl in franchise history. Coach Mike Macdonald would instantly be regarded as one of the top coaches by earning a Super Bowl win in just his second season as coach and Sam Darnold would finally silence his critics. The Seahawks would also get redemption against the Patriots from the devastating loss in Super Bowl 49.
Bad Bunny
In what has been a seemingly controversial debate over the last couple of months, latino artist Bad Bunny is set to perform at halftime of the Super Bowl. Some of you may recognize Bad Bunny from hits like “I Like It”, “DTMF” or “Baile Inolvidable” while others of you may recognize him from his role in Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore 2.”
Bad Bunny just recently won the most decorated award at the Grammys as his album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” took home album of the year. This made history as it became the first Spanish-language album to ever win album of the year.
Expect Bad Bunny to continue his big year on Sunday with some potential guests such as J Balvin or Cardi B who just so happens to be dating Patriots star Stefon Diggs.
Prediction
We can expect a lot in this game from Gatorade Splashes to iconic commercials, but what team will emerge as victorious.
My prediction is that the Seattle Seahawks will win Super Bowl 2026 by a score of 28-24, the same score that they lost by last time.This game will be determined by not turning the ball over and by finishing drives with touchdowns instead of field goals.
The Seahawks have been playing fantastic the entire season on defense. They have brought great pressure and made things uncomfortable for opposing quarterbacks all season and with New England having a weak offensive line and Maye having a slight fumble issue, I envision Seattle winning the turnover battle and forcing at least two with their defense. On offense, I expect Seattle to play at their own pace, capitalize on good field position from their defense and special teams and to run the ball well as they have all season. I do not expect this to be a game where the offenses light up the scoreboard, but if I had to pick a MVP of the game I would take Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker who I see having multiple touchdowns and having a big game on the ground.
With all that being said Super Bowl 2026 looks to be one of the best that we have seen in a while.
Kickoff time for Super Bowl 2026 is 6:30 p.m., Sunday Feb. 8. The game will be aired on NBC and will also stream on Tubi and Peacock.
