(Predict at the bottom)
The Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots; a matchup with the backdrop of a complicated history. These storylines will let you know what most football fans will be talking about on Sunday.
Sam Darnold vs. Drake Maye: Opposite Careers
The New England Patriots’ quarterback Drake Maye, chosen third overall in the 2024 NFL draft, emerged as one of the league’s top quarterbacks as of late. At just 23 years old, he finished second in the NFL MVP race. The start of Drake Maye’s career is shaping up to be one of the best the post-Tom Brady era Patriots could ask for, and he will attempt to cap his sophomore season off by winning the Patriots’ first superbowl since Brady.
On the opposing sideline, Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks is in his 7th NFL season. Also drafted 3rd overall, Darnold’s career started with disaster on the New York Jets. NFL Reporter Henry Mcketta boiled down Darnold’s first three seasons on the Jets to “an institutional failure to support him.” The Jets are widely regarded as the most dysfunctional organization in the league, constantly unable to give their young players support through the lack of hiring talented coaches and complimentary players. The coach of the Jets never got another NFL job after the Jets fired him in 2021, the year after Darnold left. Darnold only started to gain respect in the 2024-2025 NFL season after leading the Minnesota Vikings to an outstanding 14-3 record. However, he ended the season with two bad losses, ultimately being the main factor in Minnesota losing in the first round. This led to skepticism around whether it was Darnold who was the x-factor to the teams success or the coaching staff and defense who carried the team to regular season glory. Ultimately, Darnold signed a deal with the Seahawks last offseason, and has so far proven the doubters wrong.
Sam Darnold Is “Seeing Ghosts”
This game is a poetic echo of the time Darnold famously said, “I’m seeing ghosts.” in a Monday Night Football game in 2019. This game against the Patriots was disastrous for him as he had five turnovers and only 86 passing yards. Him “seeing ghosts” is a result of the constant defensive pressure he was under, and inability to put together a productive possession. While the Patriots defense isn’t as dominant as it was in 2019, they still allowed the fourth least PPG in the regular season albeit with the 22nd most sacks and 11th most quarterback pressures. The Seahawks’ offensive line is widely considered a “good enough” unit, so Darnold shouldn’t have too much of an issue “seeing ghosts” this time around.
Rematch of Superbowl 49
11 years ago, in Super Bowl XLIX, the Patriots bested the Seahawks 28-24 in a thrilling fashion. At this time, the Seahawks were known for their “Legion of Boom” defense and powerful running back, Marshawn Lynch. Late in the fourth quarter, down by four points, the Seahawks opted to throw the ball when only one yard away from a touchdown, resulting in a game-sealing interception by Patriots defender Malcolm Butler. The decision to not run the ball for a touchdown still haunts the Seahawks franchise to this day, as they have not reached the same level of success since 2015.
Predictions
