Super Bowl LX Preview
California Love
California Love
- Super Bowl LX Preview
- YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Late one evening edition, today’s tune is 2Pac’s California Love because the Super Bowl is out there.
Today is also my parents' anniversary and everybody knows they’re massive fans of Tupac.
LA is close enough to San Francisco.
On to the ball…
Quarterbacks
Edge: Draw
As a Jets fan #SuckForSam advocate back in the year 2017, I still ride with Darnold. He may have seen ghosts on a Monday Night Football game against the Patriots in 2019, but he’s matured into a winning QB… Drake Maye may have been in MVP discussion during the regular season, but he’s looked much more like a 23-year-old QB in year two thus far in the playoffs.
Running Backs
Edge: Patriots
Ram Stevenson, if he doesn’t fumble, is a prime Cedric Benson-level RB. His only issue is that he has fumbled 17 times in 70 games. TreVeyon Henderson has been a touchdown waiting to happen since graduating from THE Ohio State University. Seattle lost half of their punch with the loss of Zach Charbonnet and will now lean on Kenneth Walker to handle the bulk of the carries. That said, New England is deeper.
Wide Receivers
Edge: Seahawks
The Seahawks have the #1 pass catcher in terms of receiving yards this season with Jaxon Smith-Njigba. They also have Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp. This Pats WR core doesn’t even have a Deion Branch. Instead, we got Stefan Diggs ready to crash out on a moment’s notice and Mack Hollins walking everywhere barefoot. This goes to Seattle.
Tight Ends
Edge: Draw
Both teams love dumping it off to their mid-tier solid Tight Ends. Only in year two this season, AJ Barner has established himself as a potential perennial reliable pass-catcher. He caught 52 passes for 519 yards. That is basically what Hunter Henry has been throughout his career. Calling it a tie.
Big Uglies
Edge: Seahawks (Slightly)
At blindside tackle for New England, Will Campbell had a great rookie season, but since his Week 12 MCL sprain hasn’t been the same. The Pats’ 22-year-old Left Tackle has allowed 3 sacks, 2 QB Hits, and 7 QB Hurries since his return in Week 18. New England has a decent offensive line, but not one that should physically impose on Seattle. The Seahawks don’t exactly have a world-class O-Line either, but their tackles, Charles Cross and Abram Lucas, have allowed just two sacks since Week 10.
Pass Rushers
Edge: Seahawks
Both teams' pass rushes have turned it up an extra notch in the playoffs. The Seahawks are heavily reliant on Demarcus Lawrence and Leonard Williams. Their two big-name veteran defensemen have combined for 3 sacks, 5 QB Hits, and 9 QB Hurries in their last two games. New England has had a league-high 12 sacks in the postseason, but that should be attributed to the weather, plus playing the likes of CJ Stroud and Jarrett Stidham.
Linebackers
Edge: Patriots
The Patriots’ signing of Robert Spillane was arguably their biggest of last offseason. Spillane immediately became a leader on a New England defense. He missed most of the AFC Championship Game with dinged up ankle, but is expected to be ready to go for the Super Bowl. Seattle has its own undrafted free-agent linebacker, Drake Thomas, who has emerged as a starter this season. Thomas plays alongside Ernest Jones, who gets picked on quite a bit in the passing game, but actually finished with 5 INTs in the regular season and picked off another ball in their win over the Niners in the Divisional Round.
Defensive Backs
Edge: Seahawks (Slightly)
The secondaries for both teams are a massive strength. They each have star shutdown corners in Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon. The 3rd-year DBs were both selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, with the Seahawks taking Witherspoon at #5 in the 1st Round and the Patriots taking Gonzalez at #17 in the 1st Round. Thus far, Witherspoon has been the more durable, but both guys have already been named All-Pros in their young careers. Opposite of Gonzalez, New England has the steady vet in Carlton Davis III, who has plenty of postseason experience from his days in Tampa Bay. Seattle has switched up their CB2 throughout the season due to Riq Woolen’s inconsistent play. That said, Woolen is coming off a two-interception performance in the NFC Championship, so don’t be surprised if he sees plenty of snaps. I gotta give Seattle a slight edge at defensive back because of star safeties Julian Love and Nick Emmanwori. The rookie, in particular, has been one of Mike Macdonald’s keys to unlocking his scheme. Emmanwori plays a hybrid role similar to how Macdonald used Kyle Hamilton during his days in Baltimore.
Special Teams
Edge: Seahawks
Both teams have dangerous returners in Marcus Jones and Rashid Shaheed. Jones has house-called 3 punts in his career, and his 14.3 yards per punt return is the current all-time record in NFL history. Shaheed was the only player in the NFL this season to score a touchdown via punt and kickoff. Would expect plenty of punts out of bounds in this one. The Seahawks have the edge in special teams because I trust the veteran Jason Meyers over the rookie Andy Borregales.
Head Coach
Edge: Draw
Mike Macdonald had some large shoes to fill in taking over for Pete Carroll, and Mike Vrabel had even larger shoes to fill by taking over for his former coach, Bill Belichick. The Seattle head coach is the team’s defensive play-caller, while Vrabel has always been more of a CEO-type of HC. At 38 years old, Macdonald would be the 3rd youngest coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl. 16 years since hanging up his cleats, Vrabel would be just the 5th HC all-time to win a Super Bowl as a player and a head coach. He’d join Tom Flores, Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy, and Doug Pederson, while becoming the first to win Super Bowls with the same team in different roles. Although Vrabel won Coach of the Year, this is a tossup.
Prediction & Props
Length of National Anthem
Most books have the anthem over/under at two minutes on the dot. I like the under, not sure Puth has the pipes to go over 120 seconds.
Half-time Performance
