New England Patriots seek NFL Super Bowl history in Seattle Seahawks showdown
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
New England Patriots' 23-year-old quarterback Drake Maye addressing the media at the Santa Clara Marriott in the US on Feb 5.
PHOTO: AFP
SANTA CLARA – The New England Patriots will seek a record seventh Super Bowl when they take on the Seattle Seahawks in the National Football League (NFL) finale on Feb 8, in a wide-open clash between two teams nobody expected to reach American football’s biggest stage.
A franchise once so dominant that they were dubbed the “Evil Empire”, New England have floundered since the departure of Tom Brady, who is widely considered the NFL’s greatest player, in 2020.
But they have defied all expectations with a spectacular season so far.
Drake Maye has led the resurgent Patriots to a league-best 17 wins, including play-offs, and he can become the youngest quarterback to win the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy at 23 years old.
Capping a season remarkable for upsets and underperforming giants, they face a Seahawks side led by journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold, who passed through four NFL clubs before a revitalised debut year in Seattle.
The Seahawks proved themselves by topping the tough National Football Conference Western Division and possess the NFL’s tightest defence. They are the marginal bookmakers’ favourites for the showdown at the 75,000-capacity Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Away from the sporting contest, all eyes will be on a historic half-time performance from Bad Bunny, the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican artiste.
He is expected to deliver the Super Bowl show entirely in Spanish.
One of the world’s biggest stars, Bad Bunny has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. The US President has claimed the performance will “sow hatred” and is notably skipping the game on Feb 8.
The clash between New England and Seattle is the unlikeliest Super Bowl matchup of modern times, according to bookmakers.
The Patriots were among the NFL’s weakest teams in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, winning just four games in each. But the appointment of Mike Vrabel – a tough, blue-collar, no-nonsense head coach who played for New England alongside Brady – has been transformative since he took over in March 2025.
A win on Feb 8 would make the Patriots the most decorated NFL team of the Super Bowl era (since 1966) as seven-time champions. They are currently tied on six championship victories together with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“It would be historic,” said Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss. “No one wanted us to be here. No one expected us to be here.”
A few days after taking a diplomatic stance on the clash
Brady won six Super Bowls as New England’s quarterback, but he said earlier this week: “I don’t have a dog in the fight in this one. May the best team win.”
Roasted publicly by former teammates, he took to Instagram on Feb 6 to laud Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Posting a photo of Kraft smiling alongside him, Brady wrote: “You know I got your back RKK. Get that seventh ring so we can match.”
To achieve that, the Patriots will have to rely heavily on the dual threat of Maye, a prodigious ball-carrying runner who is also the league’s best at throwing long-range passes.
But Maye also gets sacked more than almost any other quarterback. He comes up against a Seattle defence that loves to swarm the opposing signal caller and has yielded the fewest points in the league.
The Seahawks have just one Super Bowl in their trophy cabinet, and their most recent appearance came in 2015 when they were beaten by Brady’s Patriots.
For Seattle to get revenge in the rematch, quarterback Darnold must shed his longstanding reputation for wilting under pressure.
He has already silenced some doubters in this season’s play-offs by throwing four touchdowns with no interceptions.
“He’s a resilient dude and a competitor. A winner,” Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald told AFP.
The game is being played out against the backdrop of Mr Trump’s divisive and brutal immigration crackdown.
NFL security chiefs this week scotched media reports that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will have a role at the Super Bowl.
But politics may not be entirely absent. Bad Bunny used the Grammy Awards stage on Feb 1 to condemn Mr Trump’s actions
It has fuelled anticipation that he could double down on those comments in a show expected to be watched by 125 million Americans.
Bad Bunny has also pledged that Puerto Rican culture will feature in “a huge party”, but further details are under wraps.
“The world is gonna be happy this Sunday,” he promised.
AFP, REUTERS
