Overview
- The Patriots and Seahawks meet Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in a rematch of their 2015 title game, with Drake Maye and Sam Darnold making their first Super Bowl starts.
- Maye led the NFL with a 113.5 passer rating in Year 2 and downplayed a monitored shoulder issue during Opening Night, with expectations he will play.
- Tom Brady declined to pick a winner on his podcast, saying he has “no dog in the fight,” while suggesting Seattle might take six of 10 hypothetical meetings.
- Seattle’s surge features Darnold’s late-career breakout and Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s league-leading receiving yardage, with OC Klint Kubiak reportedly in line for the Raiders’ head job after the game.
- Mike Vrabel’s first season lifted New England from consecutive 4–13 campaigns to 14–3, and he said defensive coordinator Terrell Williams is cancer free, as debate over late Pro Bowl additions such as Shedeur Sanders continued.