Super Bowl 60 brings the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks back onto the same stage that defined an era. Eleven years after Malcolm Butler’s interception sealed Super Bowl 49 for the Pats, New England and Seattle meet again.
That shared history, paired with the pressure of two teams trying to prove this run isn’t a fluke, is exactly why a former Seahawks quarterback believes this will be an uneasy night for both sides.
This Ex-Seahawks QB Reveals Why the Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl 60 Will Be a ‘Good Game’
Matt Hasselbeck doesn’t see Super Bowl 60 as a coronation. In an exclusive interview with PFSN, the former Seahawks quarterback framed Patriots vs. Seahawks as a chess match: a test of nerve, preparation, and restraint. In his mind, that’s exactly why it should be good.
“I think the Seahawks win by four,” Hasselbeck said. “I don’t think it’s a blowout. I think it’s a good game. It’s an uneasy game for both teams.”
That uneasiness, he explained, comes from two teams that know they’re evenly matched and can’t afford mistakes. Nothing loose. Nothing free.
“I would be shocked if there aren’t trick plays in this game,” he said. “If I’m a player… I’m finding out who on the roster was a high school quarterback, who played baseball, who’s lefty, who’s righty.”
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From there, the pressure shifts squarely onto Drake Maye. His regular season was elite: 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 72% completions. He finished second on PFNS’s NFL QB Impact Metrics.
But the playoffs have told a different story. Maye has thrown for just 533 yards on 55.8% completions with five giveaways in three postseason games, while absorbing five sacks per game. Against a Seattle defense loaded at every level, Maye’s scrambling, eight carries for 47 yards per playoff game, may be less of a luxury and more of a necessity.
On the other sideline, Hasselbeck sees a quarterback completing a long arc. Sam Darnold’s history against New England is brutal: 0-4 with a touchdown and 9 interceptions, including the infamous “seeing ghosts” game.
But this version of Darnold isn’t that player. He’s won 30 games over the past two seasons, played turnover-free football in his last three outings, and enters Sunday facing a Patriots defense that has quietly allowed 16 points or fewer in five straight games.
When the Seahawks have the ball, the headline duel could define the night. Christian Gonzalez versus Jaxon Smith-Njigba is elite-on-elite, even if it’s not always one-on-one. Smith-Njigba already burned New England for 117 yards in their last meeting, and with DK Metcalf gone, he’s the focal point.
Hasselbeck made his feelings clear: “Jaxon Smith-Njigba has had a ridiculously good year. If he were more flashy and played in a different market, we would be talking about him a lot more. He is ridiculously good.”
That’s the throughline in Hasselbeck’s view of Super Bowl 60. Two teams that know each other’s history, respect each other’s strengths, and understand how thin the margin really is. That’s why he expects discomfort. That’s why he expects tricks. And that’s why, more than anything, he expects a good game.
