Super Bowl LX Preview. Part I

It’s that time of the year, when the Greatest Extravaganza in Sports – and the game it’s wrapped around – takes place; the Super Bowl.

This year’s 60th (or LX) edition of the National Football League’s championship decider is being played in the San Francisco 49ers home stadium, and pits the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks against the New England Patriots who won the AFC for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. That’s a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX (*49*) when the Brady/Belichick Patriots won by stopping the Seahawks on their goal line.

We’ve reassembled the usual crew to again preview the Big Game. It’s been something of a fallow year for our teams; Hamish Girvan’s Chiefs fell off a cliff, Stephen Gallagher’s Buccaneers and Ryan Nixon’s Falcons missed out in the tepid NFC South, and Jonathan Paterson’s Browns are… well, still the Browns. Only Scott MacLean’s 49ers even made the playoffs.

Anyway, here’s our takes.

1. On the Seahawks side much has been made of quarterback Sam Darnold's career arc. Where does his story rank amongst the great redemption stories if he can lead his team to a second title for the franchise?

HG: The best fact about Darnold is he is the first New York Jet quarterback, either current or former, to start a Superbowl since Joe Namath in 1968! Darnold certainly could be seen as a journeyman however he seems to be the in the right environment with the Seahawks, although you could claim the Vikings made a complete mess of it not extending his contract for this season. As for a redemption story I am not so sure – this is his 5th team and the Seahawks have drafted a number of decent players over the past 2-3 seasons to build a team that can compete around Darnold.

JP: At the risk of opening this preview on a down note, it's pretty low. Yes, he was a highly heralded college player drafted at the top of the first round who then failed at his first stop, had to rebuild his career, and has now found success at two different teams in the last two years. But you have to look closer at this recent success; both the 2024 Vikings and 2025 Seahawks have been optimal locations for quarterback success. Great defences meaning you are rarely playing from behind? Check.

Minnesota were third in overall defensive EPA in 2025, Seattle were second. Quality offensive lines play giving you time to progress your reads? Check. Minnesota were 2nd in pass block win rate in 2024, and Seattle were 12th in 2025. All pro seasons from your leading receiver? Check.

Justin Jefferson put up 103 – 1,533-10 in 2024, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba put up 119 – 1,793 – 10 this season.  So, is this redemption arc really about him delivering on the promise he showed at USC, or has he just turned his luck around, finding his way to coaches and teams that are able to succeed despite him rather than because of him? Maybe I’m judging too harshly, and just have “takelock” after seeing him flop around incompetently for the first six years of his career. But I also feel there is a chance of him putting up a full Delhomme this Monday…

RN: Too often we write off quarterbacks based on their first landing spot results, when a number of other variables matter. Darnold going to the Jets as a rookie was a recipe for disaster, because, well, the Jets. In hindsight, his 2019 season, where he was 7-6 across 13 starts (they went 7-9 overall) might actually have been indicative of what he could do. But coaching, offensive line, offensive weapons, a good defence, and a competent organisation in general all play a part in how a team performs. Now that Darnold has found his way via Minnesota to Seattle, he is thriving given the excellence around him. For Darnold, it's justification of his high draft stock, but for everyone it’s a reminder that just because a guy fails in one particular location, it isn’t necessarily because he doesn’t have what it takes.

SG: It’s not quite the ultimate redemption story, but it’s up there. I think there’s more to be said about perseverance than anything else. He’s shown just how good he can be while playing in Minnesota, but this year it’s been next level. He’s certainly found a home in Seattle, and that will bring confidence, and within that, an even greater player over the coming years. He’s only 28.

SM: It’s certainly a good shout based on what he’s gone through. Highly-touted in college, a first-round pick, flopped in both New York and Carolina (albeit in difficult situations for a young quarterback), started to find himself again as a backup with the 49ers, was terrific for Minnesota last year until the playoffs, and again this year in Seattle including the playoffs. Yes there’s a strong element of having a great supporting cast with him these past two seasons, but he deserves plenty of credit for hanging in and persevering when he could have called it quits and gone and sold insurance.

2. Many hoped that the Patriots would be confined to purgatory after the success of the Brady/Belichick era. What does it say for “The Patriot Way” that they’re back here so quickly?

HG: Love how after any dynasty type run there is glee from other fans in seeing failure after it. (Kansas City Chiefs haters take note!). Drake Maye was a class quarterback when drafted 3rd overall in 2023 behind Caleb Willams and Jayden Daniels. Having a player’s coach who can build a culture has been what Mike Vrabel excels in, so Maye in his second season as a pro has definitely grown.

Good teams are always run well at the top. There are only a few in this league who you can say are competent in this regard and the Patriots are definitely one. Patriots legendary coach Bill Belichick was given a season or two too many once Tom Brady left and you’d wonder what could have happened if a new coach had been brought in straight after in after Brady left and years of Belichick’s defensive style. Vrabel has done well working with what he’s been handed; little in theway of decent receivers and a very defence minded team.

JP: In a nutshell, Robert Kraft has a horseshoe up his ass (potential topic of a still redacted Epstein email). This answer is going to be negative again, but you can’t ignore the strength of schedule that the Pats have faced this year. Of their 14 regular season opponents, only 3 posted winning schedules, and 10 were so bad they have since fired their head coach. The Chargers OL missed the bus to Foxborough in the wild card round. CJ Stroud threw 4 interceptions in the Divisional Round.  They played Jarrett Stidham in the AFC Championship Game.

But having said that, Drake Maye looks legit, even though he hasn’t played a good game in the playoffs yet. While I don’t put any stock in ‘The Patriot Way’, if you have a top 5 QB, you have a chance every year. So, they are now back amongst the contenders for the foreseeable future. Yay.

RN: See above. It wasn’t immediate success after Brady and Belichick, but their relatively quick return to the Super Bowl speaks wonders for their organisational competency. They made the right choice to sit with the 3rd pick and take Maye, in a first round loaded with QB prospects. Maye might be the best of the bunch, even if Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix have shown flashes of potential, while the Falcons and Vikings are likely having buyer’s remorse given the inconsistency and frailty of Michael Penix and JJ McCarthy. But Maye has landed at a franchise that has shown the ability to consistently perform at the highest level, and with Mike Vrabel installed as coach this year, has taken a big second year leap. That combination could be the foundation of a competitive team for years to come, especially given the lay of the land in the AFC East. The Bills are facing upheaval despite still having Josh Allen, the Dolphins are facing upheaval and don’t have a franchise QB, and the Jets are, well, the Jets.

SG: I’d run through a brick wall for Mike Vrabel. He’s a Patriot through and through, and I think that certainly plays into why they have come back so quickly. They don’t have the top-tier players, Maye is only in his second year as a Quarterback, and they’ve delivered a Super Bowl appearance much quicker than most had thought for.

SM: That “way” took a few missteps after Brady’s departure, but the decision last offseason to fire former Patriot Jerod Mayo after a single season and hire former Patriot Mike Vrabel was a masterstroke. They made over the roster, got Drake Maye some help, and its paid dividends. There will be plenty of talk about the quality of teams they’ve faced this year and Seattle will be a big step beyond that, but if they win that’ll only be remembered by diehards and statheads. Oh, and Vrabel would become the first person to win a Super Bowl with the same team as a player and head coach.

Check back tomorrow for Part II. Thanks for reading.

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