If you had the Patriots and Seahawks penciled in for Super Bowl LX back in August, go ahead and take a victory lap-because almost no one else did.
In a season full of surprises, this matchup might be the biggest shocker of them all. Mike Vrabel, in his first year back in Foxborough as head coach, took a Patriots team that had been stuck in neutral for two straight 4-win seasons and turned them into AFC champions.
Over in the Pacific Northwest, Mike Macdonald breathed new life into a Seahawks franchise that hadn’t tasted a playoff win in five years. Now, both teams are heading to the biggest stage in football.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t supposed to happen. Not according to the oddsmakers, anyway.
The Seahawks opened the season at 60-1 to reach the Super Bowl. The Patriots?
An even steeper climb at 80-1. Put those together, and you’re looking at a combined 4800-1 shot of these two teams meeting in Las Vegas.
That’s not just unlikely-that’s historic.
To put it in perspective: a $100 bet on New England to win the AFC would’ve cashed out at $8,000. A $100 parlay on both teams making it to the Super Bowl?
That’s a $480,000 payday. This isn’t just a Cinderella story-it’s two of them crashing the same ball.
For the Patriots, the turnaround has been nothing short of remarkable. Even the most hopeful fans probably had their sights set on a wild card berth, maybe a playoff win if things broke right.
But a 14-3 regular season and an AFC East title? That’s a different level.
And they’ve backed it up in the postseason with suffocating defense, allowing just 26 total points across victories over the Chargers, Texans, and Broncos. Vrabel has this team playing with the kind of edge and discipline that defined the Patriots’ dynasty years-but now with a new face under center in rookie Drake Maye.
Seattle’s rise wasn’t quite as steep, but it’s just as impressive. They won 10 games last season, but few expected them to leapfrog both the Rams and 49ers in the NFC West.
Macdonald’s biggest gamble-handing the reins to Sam Darnold-has turned into a masterstroke. The Seahawks didn’t just win games; they dominated, finishing 14-3 with the best point differential in the league at +191.
And when the lights got brighter in January, they turned it up another notch, putting up 72 points in commanding playoff wins over San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Now, these two teams-written off by most before the season even began-are one win away from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Super Bowl LX kicks off Sunday, February 8, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most unexpected, and potentially most compelling, matchups we’ve seen in years.