Super Bowl teams faced long odds

By David Mullen

Before the 2025 season began, the odds of the New England Patriots playing on Sunday, Feb. 8, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., in Super Bowl LX, were 125 to 1. The Seattle Seahawks, like the Dallas Cowboys, were 60 to 1. The Cowboys missed the playoffs with a 7-9-1 record.

The top four preseason Super Bowl favorites in Las Vegas — the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs — all hovered around 7 to 1 to reach the Bay Area in February. The NFC’s Eagles and the AFC’s Bills never made their respective conference championship games. Baltimore and Kansas City didn’t even make the playoffs. 

When it comes to predicting the Super Bowl, there is one sure bet. America will be watching. Super Bowl LX (or 60 if not fluent in Roman numerology) is expected to reach 120 million viewers. No matter which teams play in the Super Bowl — in this case, New England and Seattle — ardent football fans and those just attending a Super Bowl watching party for the guacamole dip will dig in for the game and the commercials.  

NBC’s Super Bowl ad inventory is already sold out. The price of a 30-second TV spot during the game costs more than $8 million, or about the same amount of money Seattle’s 1,000-yard rusher Kenneth Walker III will make in the final year of his rookie contract ($8.44 million). Walker III is expected to play for 60 minutes, not for 30 seconds.

Both teams are riding the success of ferocious defenses. Seattle dominates up front and is excellent at stopping the run. New England has a “bend, don’t break” defense, which led them to the Super Bowl by defeating the Denver Broncos, 10-7, in a bruising and snoozing AFC Championship Game. 

In his first year as the Patriots coach, Mike Vrabel has built the team in his image. Known for his on-field grit and leadership, Vrabel played 14 seasons as NFL outside linebacker primarily with New England, where he won three Super Bowl rings. After a 4-13 record and a last place finish in 2024, Vrabel marched the Patriots to a historic turnaround. In the 2025 regular season, the Pats went 14-3 and have won 16 of their last 17 games (including playoffs). Second-year QB Drake Maye, a top NFL MVP candidate, completed a league-leading 72 percent of his passes for 4,394 yards and 31 TDs. Although a threat to run, Maye suffered 47 regular season sacks. The New England offensive line will be taxed to stop the hard charging Seattle defenders.

The Seahawks had a remarkable season. Under 38-year-old head coach Mike MacDonald, Seattle won the highly competitive NFC West with a 14-3 record (division foes San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams went 12-5). They secured the NFC No. 1 seed, allowing their vociferous fans, known as “The 12s,” to have a voice in Seattle’s success. At home, Seattle beat the 49ers, 41-6, and the Rams, 31-27, in the NFC Championship Game, meaning that the Seahawks would fly south for the winter. 

Seattle’s defense was the stingiest in the league. Their offense, led by the often criticized Sam Darnold, was third best in the NFL. Darnold led the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2024, but a first-round exit from the playoffs made him persona non grata in the Twin Cities and labeled him as a QB that can’t handle pressure. Darnold became a free agent, and Seattle gave him more than a cup of coffee, serving him a three-year, $100.5 million contract. 

Darnold delivered the Seattle offense a much-needed kick. He completed 67.7 percent of his passes for more than 4,000 yards. After enduring three years of lukewarm quarterbacking by Geno Smith, Darnold led Seattle to the Super Bowl and became the toast of the town.

It’s the 12th appearance for New England in the Super Bowl and the fourth for Seattle. The two teams clashed in Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 when the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady-led Patriots survived the Seahawks, 28–24. Seattle was driving for the winning score with less than 30 seconds left when Pats cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepted an ill-advised pass from QB Russell Wilson at the 1-yard line.

If looking for an edge, both Seattle and New England play at home on synthetic FieldTurf. If one is looking for a stake in the grass, give up the search. Both teams played against the 49ers on the hybrid Bermuda grass surface at Levi’s Stadium during the regular season. For the Super Bowl, the NFL lays an entirely new sod field grown in the Central Valley. The NFL buys California grass.

While Super Bowl LX sets up like a defensive battle, Seattle is far superior on special teams. Led by Pro Bowl WR and returner Rashid Shaheed, the Seahawks return punts and kickoffs for touchdowns. Veteran kicker Jason Meyers was perfect on 12 kicks (3 FGs, 9 XPs) in the playoffs. New England’s rookie kicker Andres Borregales does not exude confidence and kicking in the Super Bowl will compound the tension. “No pressure kid, but 120 million people are watching.”

I don’t think a field goal will decide Super Bowl LX. Seattle wins easily, covering the current -4.5-point spread. Before the season, the odds of a Seattle/New England Super Bowl seemed like a bad bet. Soon, one team will cash the winning ticket.