The unlikely rematch

Collage by Easton Clark, Photography Editor

“INTERCEPTED AT THE GOAL LINE BY MALCOLM BUTLER!”

These words have rung through the ears of Seattle Seahawks fans since the team’s devastating loss to the New England Patriots in 2015’s Super Bowl XLIX.

As sports fans, these moments stay ingrained in our minds forever — miracles for some, scars for others. 

Now, 11 years later, the two teams will face again this Sunday in Super Bowl LX. Seahawks fans have an opportunity for revenge, Patriots fans have a chance to relive it and the rest of us get front-row seats to the drama with far less emotional liability. 

The rosters have changed drastically since 2015, but some narratives persist.

While Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel are a long way from Tom Brady and Bill Belichick status, you can’t blame fans for getting flashbacks. Maye is a second-year MVP runner-up and Vrabel a defensive-minded leader, with accomplished offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels still calling the plays.

And this Seahawks defense isn’t quite the legendary Legion of Boom squad, but there’s no denying the dominance this year, allowing the fewest points in the league. Marshawn Lynch is gone, but standout wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba keeps fans comfortable on the offensive side. 

This matchup feels both incredibly familiar and surprisingly fresh. 

It’s the most unlikely Super Bowl matchup in 50 years, according to preseason odds. 

On one side, first-year head coach Mike Macdonald has reignited the Seahawks, turning what was a fringe playoff contender last year into the No. 1 seed in the NFC. On the other, the Patriots pulled off one of the quickest rebuilds in history, reaching the Super Bowl after only a seven-year drought and already finding themselves an MVP-caliber quarterback.

Maye has been nothing short of incredible this year, totaling 4,844 yards and 35 touchdowns while leading the Patriots to a 14-3 record. He made second-team All-Pro and led the league in completion percentage, total QBR and passer rating. 

And the craziest story of all might be that of Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. Drafted third overall in the 2018 NFL draft by the New York Jets, things went sour quickly. The Jets gave up on him after three years and traded him to Carolina. Darnold spent two uneven seasons with the Panthers, backed up for the 49ers the following year, and then landed on the Vikings in 2024, where he had a career year that earned him a contract in Seattle and proved he may never have been the problem at all. 

In just one year with the team, he’s already in the Big Game. 

Both quarterbacks have exceeded expectations, but they haven’t done it alone. 

Smith-Njigba was this season’s Offensive Player of the Year, logging 119 receptions, 1,793 receiving yards — the eighth most all-time — and 10 touchdowns in his breakout season. Seahawks running backs Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet combined for 1,757 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the year, though Walker III will be without his counterpart after Charbonnet suffered an ACL tear in the divisional round. 

Patriots Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez will look to slow down Smith-Njigba in one of the key individual matchups in the game, backed by an experienced secondary and a strong front seven led by Milton Williams and Robert Spillane. 

On offense, Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs, a former All-Pro and 2020 NFL receptions and receiving yards leader, has been knocking on the door of a Super Bowl appearance for a while now. He fell short in the 2017 NFC Championship with the Vikings and again in the 2020 AFC Championship with the Bills. But all it took was one year with his new team to get there. 

Diggs and veteran tight end Hunter Henry will be Maye’s security blanket in the passing game. Running back duo Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie Treyveon Henderson will lead the run game behind an impressive offensive line. 

But they will have to face a scary Seahawks defense. They’re first this season in expected points added (EPA) allowed per play and sixth all-time in Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA). Cornerback Devon Witherspoon, defensive lineman Leonard Williams, and linebacker Earnest Jones IV all earned second-team All-Pro honors. 

Both teams are incredibly talented — explosive offensive weapons and well-rounded defenses. The Seahawks have been the better team recently. But Drake Maye has played at an elite level this season, and the Patriots defense is not as far behind the Seahawks as some may think. If Seattle has learned anything from the past, it’s to never count out New England. 

In that painful loss 11 Super Bowls ago, the Seahawks were on the 1-yard line with 26 seconds left and a chance to take the lead. In one of the most infamous play calls in NFL history, the Seahawks passed the ball instead of handing it off to star running back Marshawn Lynch. Russell Wilson’s throw was intercepted by Malcolm Butler, sealing a 28-24 Patriots victory.

Will the Seahawks get their revenge with their new quarterback, top-ranked defense and Offensive Player of the Year?

Or will the Patriots remind us who they are and kickstart the era of Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel?

Either way, I, a 49ers fan, will not be happy.