Drake Maye vs. Sam Darnold. Two stingy defenses. A second-year head coach vs. a veteran coach in his second act.
Tremendous Bowl 60 is ready and it is a rematch: The New England Patriots vs. the Seattle Seahawks.
The Patriots will search their NFL-record seventh Tremendous Bowl victory once they face the Seahawks on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Led by Maye, coach Mike Vrabel and a stifling protection, the Patriots are again within the Tremendous Bowl for the primary time since Tom Brady and Invoice Belichick gained their sixth ring collectively seven years in the past.
The Patriots (17-3) beat the Denver Broncos 10-7 on Sunday within the AFC championship recreation to advance to their twelfth Tremendous Bowl.
Darnold, Mike Macdonald and a suffocating protection have led the Seahawks to the large stage for the fourth time in franchise historical past. They’re looking for their second Lombardi.
Darnold, a No. 3 total choose in 2018 now together with his fifth staff, performed certainly one of his finest video games to guide the Seahawks to a 31-27 victory over the Los Angeles Rams within the NFC title recreation. He threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers.
“That doesn’t matter to me,” Darnold stated concerning the doubters he’s confirmed improper. “I simply come to work each single day with these guys. These guys within the locker room, that’s what it’s about to me, man. The best way we’ve come to work ever since April in OTAs, coaching camp, sooner or later at a time and we’re right here. We did it.”
It was a wacky end when Brady and the Patriots beat Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll’s Seahawks 11 years in the past.
Brady threw 4 TD passes and rallied New England from a 10-point deficit to win the fourth of his seven rings when Malcolm Butler intercepted Wilson’s go from the 1-yard line to safe a 28-24 victory on Feb. 1, 2015. Seattle followers nonetheless lament why Marshawn Lynch did not get the ball on a handoff on the 1.
“We didn’t care,” Macdonald stated about coming into the season as underdogs within the NFC West behind the Rams and 49ers. “It’s about us. It’s all the time been about us and what we do and now we’re going to the Tremendous Bowl.”
Maye scored on a 6-yard landing run within the second quarter in Denver after a important turnover by Jarrett Stidham, who made his fifth profession begin filling in for injured Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.
“The Pats are again, child,” Maye stated. “Now, gotta win one.”
Enjoying by means of a snowstorm within the second half, Maye solely threw for 86 yards and ran for 65. Stidham had 133 yards passing and one TD, one interception and one pricey fumble.
The 23-year-old Maye, a finalist for AP NFL MVP and Offensive Participant of the 12 months, will grow to be the second-youngest QB to begin a Tremendous Bowl behind Dan Marino. He’s the fourth second-year QB up to now seven years to guide his staff to the NFL title recreation. Patrick Mahomes (2018) gained it whereas Joe Burrow (2021) and Brock Purdy (2023) misplaced.
Vrabel, who gained three Tremendous Bowls as a linebacker for the Patriots within the 2000s, turned the staff round in his first season as coach. New England went from 4-13 final yr below Jerod Mayo to 14-3.
Vrabel is attempting to grow to be the primary individual to win a Tremendous Bowl as a head coach and participant for a similar staff. Tom Flores, Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy and Doug Pederson gained Tremendous Bowls taking part in for one staff and training one other.
“I can’t let you know how proud I’m to be related to these guys and this group,” stated Vrabel, who’s a finalist for AP NFL Coach of the 12 months. “I gained’t win it. It’ll be the gamers that’ll win the sport, I promise you. It gained’t be me that’ll win it and I promise you I’ll do all the pieces that I can and our employees to have them prepared for the sport.”
No staff has performed within the Tremendous Bowl greater than the Patriots, who’re 6-5. They’re tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for essentially the most wins.
It has been a protracted highway again to the highest for New England, which got here off consecutive four-win seasons and solely had one successful season after Brady’s departure in 2020.
The Patriots have averaged simply 18 factors per recreation within the playoffs, the fewest by any staff to make the Tremendous Bowl because the 1979 Rams, who averaged 15. New England’s protection has allowed simply 26 factors within the three video games, a median of simply 8.7 per recreation. The one staff to permit fewer factors in three playoff video games earlier than a Tremendous Bowl look was the 2000 Ravens, who gave up 16.
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