Boston, Mass. (WEEI/WGR Sports Radio 550) - Ladies and gentlemen, we have a Super Bowl matchup!
Super Bowl LX at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. - home of the San Francisco 49ers - will feature the AFC champion Patriots (14-3) taking on the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks (14-3) in a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX that saw New England come away with a 28-24 win led by future Hall-of-Famer Tom Brady.
The Patriots pulled off a 10-7 win on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game over the 1-seed Denver Broncos in, what became, blizzard conditions at Empower Field at Mile High.
Both defenses dominated the day, with New England’s MVP candidate at quarterback in Drake Maye doing just enough on the ground - 10 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown - to help clinch the victory for his team late in the fourth quarter.
It was a different story for the game played at Lumen Field later on Sunday, as the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams went back-and-forth in an NFC Championship Game shootout, reminiscent of their Week 16 battle that saw Seattle win an overtime thriller, 38-37.
The Seahawks, yet again, traded blows with their NFC West rival, eventually walking away with a 31-27 win on the strength of 310 passing yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Sam Darnold.
The Patriots are playing in their 12th Super Bowl in franchise history, making their first appearance on football’s biggest stage since the 2018 season. The last time they were there, Brady and Bill Belichick were winning their sixth and final championship together, beating the Rams, 13-3, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to win Super Bowl LIII.
Through 11 Super Bowl appearances, the Patriots are 6-5 overall, with victories in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018. This 12th appearance extends their record of most Super Bowl appearances for a franchise, with the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Broncos all tied for a distant second with eight appearances overall.
The Seahawks are playing in their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history, making their first appearance on football’s biggest stage since that aforementioned loss in Super Bowl XLIX during the 2014 season. They’re 1-2 all-time in Super Bowl play, with their one victory coming in Super Bowl XLVIII, blowing out a Peyton Manning-led Broncos, 43-8, in one of the most convincing championship game performances in NFL history.
That 2013 Seahawks team is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenses of all-time, shutting down a Denver offense who had set scoring records throughout the regular season.
Fast forward to 2025, and both franchises are coming to the game with very different characters involved.
Maye is only in his second season as a pro.
Mike Vrabel - despite winning three Super Bowls as a linebacker with New England in the early 2000s - is only in his first season as his former team's head coach.
Darnold is in his first season as quarterback in Seattle, while his head coach Mike Macdonald is only in his second season on the sidelines for the Seahawks.
In addition to the quarterbacks and head coaches, both teams’ rosters are filled with contributors who were either signed in free agency (Milton Williams for New England, Cooper Kupp for Seattle) or drafted last spring (TreVeyon Henderson for New England, Nick Emmanwori for Seattle).
There is one connection from that 2014 Super Bowl to this one: Josh McDaniels was the Patriots' offensive coordinator then, and he is once again New England's offensive coordinator now.
No other player or coach on either sideline appeared in that game 11 years ago.