The New England Patriots are going back to the Super Bowl.
After a seven-year drought and their first Super Bowl appearance in the post-Tom Brady era, the Patriots are set to play the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 in a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX.
The road to the Super Bowl for New England started off as easy as it could get. The Patriots were gifted a near-painless regular season schedule, and, after a bumpy 1-2 start, they went on to win 16 of their last 17 games. They proved their worth right out of the gate in the playoffs, cruising past the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans with commanding 16-3 and 28-16 wins, respectively.
Their AFC Championship game against the top-seeded Denver Broncos proved to be their most difficult challenge yet. The weather added another challenge. What started off as a clean field in the beginning of the game gradually regressed into a layer of white, icy snow by the fourth quarter. This stifled both teams’ ability to move the ball and create substantial offense.
Lucky for the Patriots, defense was never a problem. A lot of their success can be attributed to their defensive strategy, which involved an onslaught of blitzes against Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Coming into the conference championship, all eyes were on the 29-year-old backup for his career playoff debut. Stidham was forced to fill in after a season-ending ankle injury took out Broncos star quarterback Bo Nix.
Stidham’s first completion resulted in a 52-yard gain that put the Broncos in position to score the first touchdown of the game, but things would only get worse for him.
As the game progressed, the Patriots threw blitz after blitz at Stidham, putting, as much pressure on the quarterback as possible. The blitzes and snow prevented the Broncos from running the ball effectively, which was a key part of their game plan. Late in the second quarter, Stidham backpedaled under pressure from the Patriots’ defense and threw an awkward push pass in the direction of a running back and was ultimately determined to be a backwards pass recovered by the Patriots inside the Broncos’ 15-yard line. The play was ultimately determined to be a backward pass, and the ball was recovered by the Patriots, giving New England possession inside the Broncos 15-yard line. Just two plays later, the mistake led to a game-tying touchdown for New England, as Drake Maye ran the ball in from six yards out.
Flaunting a solid defensive unit and a star quarterback in Maye, the Patriots are now one game away from completing their comeback after a disastrous past two seasons. However, an equally equipped Seattle team stands in their way.
The Seahawks have made it to their first Super Bowl appearance in 11 years after winning a matchup that lived up to the hype and is considered by some to be the best NFC Championship game of all time. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 in thrilling fashion.
Seattle attempted to counter the Rams’ strong offensive unit right from the beginning. Delivering when it mattered, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold threw three touchdown passes, including a 51-yarder to Rashid Shaheed that gave the Seahawks a 7-0 lead early on.
After Darnold extended the Seattle lead to 31-20 with a touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp in the third quarter, it was up to the defense to secure the victory. Tensions rose when Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen received a taunting penalty that ultimately resulted in a Rams touchdown, bringing the score to 31-27.
But, in the final quarter, Seattle’s defense lived up to its expectations. With under five minutes left and the Rams driving, Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon knocked down quarterback Matthew Stafford’s pass on fourth down, allowing the Seahawks to regain possession and run out the clock to secure their place in the Super Bowl.
So what does a Seattle-New England rematch have in store? For one, a matchup between Sam Darnold, who just came off one of the best performances of his career, and Drake Maye, a blossoming superstar and MVP candidate. It also sets the stage for a battle between, arguably, two of the best defensive units in the league this season. The result will either show the world that the Pats don’t need Tom Brady and Bill Belichick to win, or that Seattle can come away with a championship ring this time around. Regardless, a matchup between the second-seeded AFC Champions and top-seeded NFC champions should deliver a game worth watching. Current odds say the Seahawks are set to take this one. Time will tell.
