Super Bowl 60 is just a few days away, and anticipation seems to grow by the hour. The New England Patriots will take on the Seattle Seahawks on Feb. 8 to see which team will reign supreme over the rest of the NFL.
This year marks the first time the Patriots and Seahawks have appeared in the Super Bowl since Tom Brady and Russell Wilson retired. Both teams went from missing the playoffs last year to winning their respective divisions and conferences.
Super Bowl 60 Winner and Final Score Prediction
Comparing the Patriots and Seahawks, you see a lot of similarities. Both teams are led by defensive-minded head coaches who are relatively new in their respective roles. Both teams got here on the backs of Pro Bowl quarterbacks, solid running back duos (though Zach Charbonnet is out injured for Seattle), and some star players on defense.
The PFSN NFL Playoff Predictor gives Seattle a 55.8% chance to win the Super Bowl. That’s a pretty close margin, as one would expect from a matchup between the two best teams in the league. But there’s certainly a favorite going into this matchup.
With an offense that ranks ninth in the NFL in PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric and a defense that’s third in the Defense Impact Metric, the Seahawks are the only team this year that has had its offense and defense both rank in the top ten.
There’s also the surprise element of Seattle’s special teams potentially making a Super Bowl impact. Their unit has scored five touchdowns this season and blocked one punt and two field goals. The Patriots have also scored three times on special teams, but the Seahawks’ dominant unit could have a bigger impact than many realize.
Granted, the Patriots have the superior quarterback in Drake Maye. Maye was the second-best by PFSN’s QB Impact Metric, whereas Sam Darnold was the No. 13 quarterback by that metric. Having the advantage at the most important position in football is a major bonus heading into the Super Bowl.
Vrabel is also the more experienced head coach, having spent six seasons with the Tennessee Titans before his current stint with New England. That could give him the slight edge over Macdonald, who’s been very impressive but is still only in his second year as a head coach.
However, the Seahawks have a well-rounded roster with star power on both sides of the ball. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL this year, and their run game featuring Kenneth Walker III gives them a reliable force in the ground game. They’ve also won nine games in a row, including the regular season.
New England’s offense is also pretty explosive, featuring the likes of Stefon Diggs, TreVeyon Henderson, and Kayshon Boutte for Maye to work with. That said, Seattle’s defense has six players who graded in the top 20 at their respective positions. The Patriots only have three.
It should be an entertaining Super Bowl matchup, but the Seahawks enter with a slight advantage. I have them picking up the victory in a one-score matchup that should be tightly contested until the very end.
Score Prediction: Seahawks 27, Patriots 20
Super Bowl 60 MVP Prediction
Of the last six Super Bowl MVP winners, five of them have been quarterbacks. Therefore, it would make sense historically to select the quarterback of the team I choose to win the game, which, in this case, would be Darnold.
That said, in five of the Seahawks’ last six games, their run game has scored just as many touchdowns as their passing attack, if not more.
MORE: Seahawks Legend Reveals 1 ‘Main Reason’ Why Sam Darnold Signed With Seattle in Free Agency
Whether Seattle relies heavily on Darnold over the course of the game is hit-or-miss. Of the 11 quarterbacks to start all 17 games this year, Darnold had the second-fewest passing attempts. Among the top 32 quarterbacks in passes thrown, he ranks No. 25 in attempts per game.
On the other hand, the Seahawks tied for third in the NFL with 507 rushing attempts in the regular season. Walker has run for 4 touchdowns in his two playoff games thus far. Without Charbonnet to compete for touches, he projects as the bell-cow back for them in the Super Bowl.
I have Walker scoring two touchdowns on the ground against the Patriots, with Darnold throwing just one through the air. It’s going against the grain, but if Walker wins the MVP for Super Bowl 60, he would be the first running back to win the award since Terrell Davis in the 1997 season.
MVP Prediction: Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III
