The Seattle Seahawks have won nine straight games, looking for their first Super Bowl title since the 2013 season. On the other hand, the New England Patriots might be embarking on the beginning of a new dynasty in Foxborough.
Super Bowl LX has all the makings of a classic, as Seattle was 60-1 in the preseason to win the title while New England was a whopping 80-1.
Who’s going to win Sunday in Santa Clara? Here are the FOX Sports staff’s game predictions.
Nick Wright: Seahawks 27, Patriots 17
Everyone is going to be gambling this weekend. I have Seattle covering the 4.5 spread. I’m also taking the 45.5 under.
Greg Auman: Seahawks 31, Patriots 20
It simply feels like Seattle is a more complete team, dominant on both sides. New England’s defense has done the heavy lifting in three playoff wins, but I think Seattle is better than anything they’ve faced.
I think offensive coordinator (and soon-to-be Raiders head coach) Klint Kubiak will build a smart game plan that limits the risk for Sam Darnold, and I think Seattle’s playmakers will be the difference in the game.
Ben Arthur: Seahawks 24, Patriots 17
Both teams have elite defenses (Seahawks have the slight edge), so I think this comes down to quarterback play. And I just trust Sam Darnold more. That would’ve been a crazy thing to say a year ago, but give him credit. He’s delivered for Seattle in the biggest moments in this Super Bowl run, most notably the NFC championship game.
Drake Maye is the MVP finalist, but he hasn’t been the same player since the regular season ended.
There has been a startling recency bias around the two QBs in this game. Sam Darnold saw two divisional opponents for the third time and had deep familiarity with those defenses — and he beat up on them. But New England’s? Not so much.
Meanwhile, Drake Maye has played better than you’d expect (from his statistics) while playing three elite defenses on his playoff run. But he certainly hasn’t matched his impressiveness from the regular season. Darnold will finish this game with three turnovers, with the Patriots’ defense generating interior pressure that makes life difficult to read out Mike Vrabel’s disguised coverages. And that’ll open the door for Maye, who will start nervous in the first half but find his footing enough to score a pair of second-half touchdowns (one rushing and one passing) to win it.
The Seahawks will have a final drive for the go-ahead TD, but the Patriots’ defense will hold.
I have seen the worst of Sam Darnold, and I am over it. He is an elite, championship-worthy quarterback now. But the Seahawks don’t need him to throw for another 346 yards and 3 touchdowns. They have one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks (even without Zach Charbonnet) and a dangerous defense.
The Patriots have had a remarkably charmed run and haven’t faced a team as good as the Seahawks all season. That reality is about to smack them hard in the face.
Expect the Patriots to keep the game close because of the experience of head coach Mike Vrabel and New England’s underrated defense. However, the Seahawks have too many explosive players on offense for the Patriots to keep Seattle contained for the duration of the game.
I don’t see New England’s offensive line keeping Drake Maye clean in perhaps the most lopsided positional match in the game. Maye was sacked an NFL-high 15 times in the playoffs and is responsible for three miscues. Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald and Seattle’s dominant defensive front, led by Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence, should create problems for Maye.
There’s still a chance Sam Darnold reverts to his turnover-prone ways, which leads to a puncher’s chance for New England here.
Will Hill: Seahawks 27, Patriots 17
The Patriots have had a remarkable turnaround post-Bill Belichick, but the Seahawks will pose a significant step up in competition compared to what the AFC bracket presented. I expect a low-scoring game, but I think the more talented Seahawks will ultimately pull away and win 27-17, with Sam Darnold taking home MVP.
I hate the game from a spread standpoint. It seems like a simple handicap where Seattle is better at every position and groupthink has the Seahawks winning comfortably.
If anything, I’ll see if I can get a cheap Seahawks’ money line on the game, but I’m not going to lay 4.5 here.
Sammy P: Seahawks 23, Patriots 20
After a low-scoring first quarter, I expect things to stay competitive the rest of the way. New England (15-5 ATS) made bettors money all season long and that mostly came in the favorite role. Mike Vrabel is a tremendous underdog coach and that song should remain the same this Sunday in Santa Clara.
The Seahawks have been the best team wire to wire this season and the best case for the Patriots in this game is Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold turning back into a pumpkin, which I do not expect. He’s been nails this postseason. The Seahawks’ defense is going to sit in zone coverage and force the New England to work for all their yard,s which is difficult without dynamic playmakers at the skill positions.
The Seahawks will win this game comfortably.
It might end up being a close game. Maybe New England even pulls off the upset. But Seattle is very good, and I think this game might get away from the Patriots. So I’m betting on a couple of Seahawks alternate spreads, -6.5 and -9.5, hoping to get a little more at the pay window.
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