2026 cbhsports Super Bowl LIX Preview

Image Courtesy: The Seattle Times

Sunday, Feb. 8
Super Bowl LIX (Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara))
2.New England Patriots vs. 1.Seattle Seahawks
6:30 PM ET, NBC
The favorite Seattle Seahawks will return to their division rival San Francisco 49ers’ home stadium to face the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl XLIX rematch 11 years later.

In that game, the Patriots’ Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson’s pass in the end zone that would’ve given the Seahawks the lead and the win on Feb. 1, 2015. The call everyone in the stadium and watching on television would be for Wilson to hand it to All-Pro tailback Marshawn Lynch, who many thought would easily take it through the New England defensive line for a touchdown.

Now, the teams are different. The Patriots don’t have head coach Bill Belichick or quarterback Tom Brady. The Seahawks don’t have Carroll, Wilson, Lynch, or any of the members of the famous “Legion of Boom” defense including Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, or Bobby Wagner.

Former New England player Mike Vrabel has taken over as head coach and led his team to the Super Bowl after back to back four win seasons. His quarterback is second year signal-caller Drake Maye, who is a finalist for the MVP. Maye’s receivers are former Vikings and Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, and Mack Hollins and his running backs are Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.

Maye has thrown for 533 yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions and he has rushed for 141 yards and another score in their two playoff games. Stevenson has carried the ball for 194 yards but will need to get in the end zone if the Patriots are going to win. Boutte leads the team in receiving with 147 yards and a touchdown through the last two games.

The Patriots’ defense has supported and won games for the team in the playoffs. Despite Drake Maye’s five turnovers in the playoffs, New England’s defense has picked off opposing quarterbacks five times and forced four fumbles and recovered three of them to get the ball back in the hands of Maye.

Safety Craig Woodson (13 tackles, 4 passes defended, and 1 interception), cornerback Christian Gonzalez (11 tackles, 4 passes defended, 1 interception, and 1 sack), and linebacker Christian Elliss (8 tackles, 2 passes defended, and 1 sack) have been the vital pieces in the Patriots run to another Super Bowl appearance.

Mike Macdonald came to take over the Seattle Seahawks head coaching job after successfully leading the Baltimore Ravens defense for years. In just his second season, McDonald has a team that has been the best in football, especially for the last month. The well traveled Sam Darnold became the first quarterback to win 14 games in back to back seasons with separate teams.

After 14 with the Minnesota Vikings last season and 17 and counting for the Seahawks, he has the benefit of playing with running back Kenneth Walker III, receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Cooper Kupp.

While Maye has turned the ball over frequently for the other side, Seattle’s Darnold has been efficient, throwing for 470 yards and four scores combined against division rivals San Francisco and Los Angeles. Darnold does have the help of tailback Walker III, who has rushed for 178 yards and 4 TDs and Smith-Njigba, who has 13 catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns.

The Seahawks defense has been just as good if not better than the Patriots’ unit as they head into Sunday’s matchup. They might have given up 27 points to the impressive Rams’ offense but impressed in the divisional round, only giving up six points to the 49ers. Linebackers Ernest Jones IV, Drake Thomas, and cornerback Devon Witherspoon have impressed for Seattle during their playoff run.

Linebacker Jones IV’s 10 tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass defended, and 1 forced fumble and cornerback Witherspoon’s nine tackles and three passes defended have been important in Seattle’s playoff run. They will need Jones’ and Witherspoon’s to play as well as they have been for the Seahawks to win on Sunday night.

The difference in the game should be the Patriots’ ability to hold back Seattle’s pass rushers from getting to Maye and causing him to make bad decisions. Rookie left tackle Will Campbell will have to hold up against a Seahawks defense that includes the aforementioned Jones IV, Thomas, and veteran pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence.

Under pressure, Maye’s decision making against the Seahawks strong secondary headed by Witherspoon will be a determining factor in the game. Despite Maye’s struggles with turnovers, Darnold has had problems with turning the ball over in the past just not in the postseason. He led all quarterbacks during the 2025 regular season 14 interceptions.

So whichever defense can force turnovers and the opposing quarterback to make the most bad decisions should be the victor. Both head coaches, Vrabel and McDonald, deserve to be here, but there can only be one winner. The Seahawks overall talent will overwhelm the Patriots, who played a fourth place schedule in 2025, and that is the reason why they will win their second Super Bowl.

Projected Score: Seattle Seahawks 27, New England Patriots 17