Ladies and gentlemen, we have a Super Bowl matchup!
On Sunday, both the AFC and NFC Championship Games were played, with the Patriots (14-3) beating the Broncos (14-3) to win the AFC in Denver, and the Seahawks (14-3) beating the Rams (12-5) to win the NFC in Seattle.
That means Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA on February 8 will feature the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, 11 years after the two franchises faced off in Super Bowl XLIX - a 28-24 win for New England.
On Sunday, the Patriots pulled off a 10-7 win in what became blizzard conditions 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, as the Seahawks and Rams went back-and-forth in a shootout reminiscent of their Week 16 battle that saw Seattle win an overtime thriller 38-37.
On Sunday, 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 3 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, Tom 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 Steelers, 49ers, Cowboys and Broncos all tied for a distant second with 8 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.
You can hear Kevin Harlan and Kurt Warner on the national radio call of Super Bowl LX on Westwood One.
We’ll have that broadcast for you right here on 93.7 WEEI-FM in Boston, and across the WEEI Sports Radio Network in New England.
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.