Next Sunday, February 8th, marks this year’s Super Bowl. The AFC Champions, the New England
Patriots are set to face the NFC Champions, the Seattle Seahawks, in Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium. This will be a battle of two quarterbacks, each the third overall pick in their respective draft classes, two teams that
stunned the league and defied all preseason odds, and two head coaches named Mike. Off the field, the
hometown band Green Day will open Super Bowl LX, and international superstar Bad Bunny will perform
at halftime, being the first ever halftime performer to sing entirely in Spanish. Here’s everything you need
to know to watch this year’s Super Bowl, from key players to off-the-field life stories.
New England Patriots
Let’s start with the New England Patriots, whose home of Gillette Stadium is just over 20 miles
from Brown’s campus. If you had asked any NFL fan at the beginning of the season who they thought was
going to win the American Football Conference (AFC), you wouldn’t have heard very many, if any, predict
the Patriots. Led by a first-year head coach, a second-year quarterback, and starting the preseason ranked at
26 out of 32 teams by ESPN, their odds for success were slim. They had a 30.5% chance to make the
playoffs and a 13.1% chance to win the division, both of which they were able to accomplish.
They finished 2024 with a 4-13 record, and many thought they would improve, but not drastically, especially
after starting this year with a 1-2 losing record. Despite having an objectively ‘easy’ schedule on paper,
with a Strength of Schedule ranking of 32 (dead last), people still didn’t believe in them.
Their scoring offense is ranked 2nd in the league, led by quarterback Drake Maye. New England
fans know a thing or two about elite quarterbacks, and many were excited about Maye from the second he
was drafted. After two successful years of playing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he
decided to declare for the NFL Draft. In 2022, he was awarded the ACC Player of the Year.
The rising star is having a breakout second year in the league. He finished the regular season with
the best QB rating (77.1), 3rd in touchdowns (31), 4th in yards (4,394), and with a completion rate of 72%.
So far in the playoffs, he’s thrown for 533 passing yards, 4 touchdown passes, and has a 55.8 completion
rate. He’s a finalist for the league MVP and the Offensive Player of the Year, along with a Pro Bowl
selection.
Besides the fact that he’s a great quarterback with a bright future in New England, fans have fallen
in love with his wife, Ann Michael Maye. The two met when they were just 12 years old and have been
dating since 7th grade. This past summer, they got married in the offseason. Ann Michael Maye also went
to UNC-Chapel Hill along with Drake. People love a good high school sweetheart story, but the main event
that put Ann Michael Maye on the map for Patriots and NFL fans was her TikTok Christmas series,
“Bakemas.” Every day of December, she would record and post a TikTok of her baking a new treat.
Through this series, she shared fun recipes, took viewers along for a step-by-step on how to bake each
treat, and displayed her cheery personality.
Another area of threat for New England is two of their running backs, rookie TreVeyon Henderson
and Rhamondre Stevenson. Henderson finished the regular season with 10 touchdowns and 911 rushing yards from 180 carries. After his impressive rookie season, coming off a National Championship with
Ohio State University, he is a finalist for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Patriots’ other running back,
Stevenson, has seen more action in the playoffs with 194 rushing yards from 51 carries. Keep an eye on
these two on the drives when New England opts into running.
The last offensive threat to highlight for New England is wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who, despite
having been on other great teams, is making his first career Super Bowl appearance after 11 seasons in the
NFL. This regular season, he had 4 touchdowns and 1,013 receiving yards from 85 receptions. This past
November Diggs and Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B welcomed a child together and are currently in a
committed relationship. Cardi B has been seen at games, even getting some pictures with the Patriots’ owner
Robert Craft up in the owner’s box.
The Patriots are also equipped with an elite and underrated defense, which was ranked 2nd in
points allowed per game throughout the regular season. The other Pro Bowl selection from the roster
comes from their defense, cornerback Christian Gonzalez. In just his third season, he continues to shine
and make great impacts for this New England defensive unit.
Seattle Seahawks
Now let’s talk about the Seattle Seahawks, who are making their first Super Bowl appearance since
the 2014 season, when they fell short 28-24 to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. As a team,
they finished the regular season with a 3rd nationally ranked offense and a defense ranked 1st with points
allowed. Similar to the Patriots, very few had expected them to reach the Super Bowl. They had a
preseason ranking of 20, with a 33.5% chance to make the playoffs, and a 14.3% chance to win their
division. Their head coach, Mike Macdonald, is in his second season with the team and his first-ever head
coaching job in the NFL.
Though their starting quarterback, Sam Darnold, was drafted third overall like Drake Maye, he’s
definitely had a bumpier career thus far. Across his 8 years in the league, he’s played for 5 teams (Jets,
Panthers, 49ers, Vikings, Seahawks) and was labeled by many as a “draft bust”. Since being with Seattle,
he’s been able to make his case to disprove those accusations and switch the narrative to being a comeback
player who has led a top offense to the Super Bowl. In the 2025 regular season, he threw for 25 touchdowns
(ranked 9th), was 5th in yards with 4,048, achieved a completion rate of 67.7%, and ranked 19th in QB
rating with a score of 55.7. Darnold will continue to try to power this explosive offense through one more
game.
Seattle’s main running back, Kenneth Walker III, will be a key player for the Seahawks as well,
coming off an impressive performance against the LA Rams in the NFC Championship match. He
finished the year with 1,027 rushing yards from 221 carries and 5 touchdowns. Along with Walker giving
this Seattle offense a strong running game, they have a trifecta of wide receiver weapons for QB Darnold to
look for. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Cooper Kupp are three players to watch when the
Seattle Seahawks are on offense.
On top of Seattle’s highly rated offense, they have an even better defense. Finishing the year ranked
number one is no coincidence. This aggressive, versatile, and relentless group that Mike Macdonald has
forged is ranked 6th all-time in advanced metrics leading into Sunday’s game. They’ve been given the
nickname, a “Dark Side” unit, because of this. In Seattle’s last Super Bowl appearance, they had another
elite defense, the “Legion of Boom,” which has gone down as one of the best defensive units in NFL
history. This group, despite being different from the “Legion of Boom,” will try to live up to the legends
one last time this season.
The New England Patriots will be in their white uniforms, and the Seattle Seahawks will be wearing
navy blue. Now you’re ready to watch Super Bowl LX. You’ll know what you’re talking about if you’re
watching with year-round NFL fans, or you’ll be able to help people who might be tuning in for their
once-a-year NFL watch.
Will the New England Patriots win their 7th Super Bowl ring, becoming the first
team to ever do so? Or will the Seattle Seahawks finally get their revenge for Super Bowl XLIX and win
their second franchise Super Bowl ring?