The New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2019. New England took over the AFC East in 2025, winning the division and racking up 14 wins during the regular season. Now they are just one game away from lifting the Lombardi Trophy once again.
New England faces off against Seattle in a rematch of Super Bowl 49. The Seahawks have one of the best defenses in the entire league, which should cause some problems for QB Drake May and the Patriots' offense.
Seattle also has QB Sam Darnold leading the charge. He has flourished with the Seahawks after leaving the Vikings during free agency. Darnold would make the ultimate comeback story if he can go from draft bust to Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
That puts the Patriots in the role of the villain attempting to stop a storybook ending for the Seahawks.
Can the Patriots win the Super Bowl during Mike Vrabel's first season as head coach? Or will they fall short in Drake Maye's first ever Super Bowl appearance?
Below we will explore three Patriots bold predictions before their Super Bowl 60 showdown with the Seahawks.
Drake Maye plays the game of his life in the Super Bowl
Patriots fans were given some reason to worry about Maye's health just before the Super Bowl.
Maye missed practice on Friday January 30th just over a week before the most important game of his life. He missed practice due to a combination of a right shoulder injury and an illness. Vrabel claimed that Maye could have practiced if it weren't for the illness.
Regardless, that right shoulder injury is certainly the more concerning piece of news. Even more so when paired with Maye's questionable injury designation.
Let's be clear: Drake Maye will be playing in the Super Bowl. But it is fair to question if he'll play up to his normal standard if he's battling an injury. Especially to his throwing shoulder.
Personally, I think Maye is going to overcome his injury and play a great game against the Seahawks. I'll even dare to say his best game in the NFL so far.
But what exactly would qualify as a personal best performance by Maye?
Let's compare Maye's performance to New England's victory over Baltimore from the later weeks of the regular season.
In that game, Maye went 31-of-44 for 380 passing yards with two touchdowns and one interceptions. He also added 10 carries for 25 rushing yards. Can he take it up a notch in the Super Bowl?
I'm predicting that Maye will go over 380 passing yards and have at least three touchdowns against Seattle. Let's also give him at least 50 rushing yards.
If the Patriots win the game, Maye will certainly win Super Bowl MVP.
New England struggles to establish the run against elite Seattle defense
Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson have been a surprisingly good running back duo throughout the 2025 season. However, they can struggle against elite defenses.
Look no further than New England's playoff victory over Houston.
Stevenson and Henderson combined for 95 rushing yards on 28 attempts. That is 3.39 yards per carry, which is a decent average. But it is concerning to see New England held under 100 rushing yards despite 28 attempts.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks come into this game with one of the best run defense units in the entire NFL.
Seattle only allowed 91.9 rushing yards per game during the regular season. That ranked third in the NFL, just above the Texans of all teams.
Personally, I don't see the Patriots getting over 100 rushing yards during the Super Bowl.
If I'm wrong, that's most likely because Maye rips off a few huge runs while scrambling out of the pocket.
Regardless, the Patriots should be worried about their chances against the Seahawks if they cannot establish the run.
Patriots defense has Sam Darnold seeing ghosts on Super Bowl Sunday
But if the Patriots show up on defense, then they'll have a chance to win the Super Bowl.
Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams made it clear during a recent interview that he wants to wreck Darnold's night.
“I always put the game on [our defensive line], to be able to control the line of scrimmage,” Williams said. He complimented Darnold's ability to make every throw, which is why New England's defense needs to “speed him up, get him off the spot, and try to take advantage and make him put the ball in harm's way.”
The Patriots have a unit that is used to doing just that.
New England has one of the league's best defenses, at least when measuring by the regular season. They only allowed 18.8 points per game and just 193.5 passing yards per game.
The stage is set for the Patriots to decide the Super Bowl with their defense. If they can simply make a few big plays early, I think they could set the Patriots up to win the whole thing.
I'm predicting that New England will get multiple sacks on Sam Darnold. They will also force at least one turnover, which could end up being the difference in the game.
Let's add on that the Seahawks will score fewer than 20 points on offense.
If all of that happens, the Patriots should be Super Bowl champions once again.
