Robert Spillane Says He’s “100%” for Super Bowl LX - Patriots Banking on Defensive Leaders to Be Ready
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - If there’s any doubt about Robert Spillane’s availability for Super Bowl LX, the Patriots linebacker isn’t entertaining it.
Despite being limited to just 13 snaps in the AFC Championship Game due to an ankle injury, Spillane made it crystal clear ahead of Wednesday’s practice: he’s playing.
“There’s no chance in my mind that I miss this game,” Spillane said. “It feels like I’ve been preparing for this moment for years of my life. But 100% confidence from me.”
That’s not just talk - it’s coming from the heart of New England’s defense. Spillane isn’t just a team captain; he’s the guy with the green dot on his helmet, calling the shots and setting the tone. And even with an ankle that’s been tested multiple times this season, he’s doubling down on being ready for the biggest game of his career.
Spillane led the Patriots with 97 tackles during the regular season - and that’s despite missing the final four games with a different ankle injury. When healthy, he’s been a workhorse. He played every defensive snap in the wild-card round, followed that up with 93% of the snaps in the divisional round, and then went down early in the AFC title game in Denver.
Since then, it’s been all rehab, all the time.
“It happened in that last game in Denver, and every single day, I’ve been progressing through the injury,” Spillane said. “It’s been getting better and better and better.
So we’re exactly on track, where we need to be. Running, cutting, doing all of that.”
He’s not sugarcoating the workload, either. Around-the-clock treatment has been the name of the game.
“Treatment all day, all night. That’s my sole focus,” he added.
“I’m doing everything required from the training staff, and that’s 24 hours of care, taking care of it throughout the night, as well. So we’re going to stay on that plan and trust the process.”
While Spillane sounds like a lock to be on the field when the Patriots line up against the Seahawks, the status of another key defensive piece - edge rusher Harold Landry - is still up in the air.
Landry missed the AFC Championship with a knee injury, and while he’s trending in the right direction, he’s not ready to make any guarantees.
“I feel good,” Landry said. “The staff has been doing a good job getting me to this point. We’ll see how practice goes today, and then how the rest of the week goes, and we’ll go from there.”
Landry was one of the Patriots’ most disruptive defenders all season. He led the team with 8.5 sacks and 19 quarterback hits, and tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with 10. His absence was felt in Denver, and his presence against a mobile quarterback like Seattle’s could be a game-changer.
He’s part of a free-agent class that’s paid off in a big way for New England, alongside Spillane and defensive tackle Milton Williams. And if he can go, the Patriots’ pass rush takes on a whole new level of danger.
For Landry, it’s not just about getting back on the field - it’s about seizing a moment he’s dreamed of for years.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lot of people,” Landry said. “I know we have a good young team, and anything can happen in the future, but it’s hard to get back to a moment like this. So to be able to play in a game that I watched my whole childhood growing up and aspired to be in, it would mean the world to me.”
The Patriots’ defense has been the backbone of their postseason run, and with a Super Bowl showdown looming, they’ll need their leaders - and their playmakers - at full strength. Spillane says he’s ready.
Landry’s working toward it. If both are on the field Sunday, New England’s defense will be much closer to the disruptive, physical unit that’s carried them this far.