Patriots Head West for Super Bowl LX with Familiar Faces and Focused Minds
As the Patriots prepare to head west for Super Bowl LX, they’re not just packing shoulder pads and game plans-they’re bringing along a little local knowledge, too.
Jaylinn Hawkins knows the Bay Area well. Before he was making plays in the Patriots’ secondary, he was locking down receivers at Cal, just a short drive from Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium, where New England will take on the Seahawks this Sunday. After Friday’s practice at Gillette Stadium, Hawkins couldn’t help but smile when asked about the trip.
“Get ready to wear shorts again,” he said. “Get ready for good weather. Dress for the sun.”
For a team used to battling through the New England winter, next week’s forecast-daytime highs in the 60s, cool but comfortable nights-might feel like a vacation. But make no mistake, the Patriots aren’t heading west to sightsee. They’re heading west to finish what they started.
Still, Hawkins encouraged fans making the trip to soak in the scenery.
“Enjoy the Bay-it’s a beautiful place,” he said. “Go to the beach.
Go sightseeing. It’s a beautiful place.”
Hawkins isn’t the only Patriot with Bay Area roots. Safety Craig Woodson also played at Cal, following in Hawkins’ footsteps in the Golden Bears’ secondary.
Tight end Austin Hooper grew up in San Mateo and played his college ball at Stanford, just down the road from Levi’s Stadium. For all three, this Super Bowl is more than just a championship game-it’s a homecoming.
That local connection runs deeper than this current roster. Tom Brady, the face of the Patriots’ dynasty, grew up in nearby San Mateo idolizing Joe Montana.
Julian Edelman played a year of junior college ball in the area before his rise to postseason legend status in Foxboro. The Patriots’ history is intertwined with the Bay Area, and now they’re returning with a shot at a seventh Lombardi Trophy.
“You’ve got to enjoy this whole process,” Hawkins said. “Enjoy everything that comes with it. But then at the end of the day we have a game to play, and that’s what we’re there for.”
It’s a sentiment echoed throughout the Patriots’ locker room. The early part of the week was about getting distractions out of the way-ticket requests, travel logistics, family plans. Now, it’s about football.
“I feel like at the beginning of the week it was like, ‘Whoa, we’re going to the Super Bowl,’” Hawkins said. “But now that we’re prepping, it’s, ‘Let’s lock in. Let’s get ready.’”
This isn’t the Patriots’ first rodeo with the Seahawks on the sport’s biggest stage. The last time these two met in a Super Bowl, it ended with one of the most iconic plays in NFL history-Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception that sealed a 28-24 win in Super Bowl XLIX. This time around, the stakes are just as high, and the Patriots are treating every detail with care.
Head coach Mike Vrabel, himself no stranger to Super Bowl prep, kept things straightforward when asked about the team’s ticket policy.
“I don’t really get into a lot of the details,” Vrabel said. “I think they do get two [tickets] and then can buy a certain number based on availability, based on practice squad - based on different things.”
Hawkins and his wife, Jayda, had already started planning their guest list two weeks ago-just in case. Now that the “if” has become “when,” it’s all about making sure the right people are in the stands.
“If we go to the Super Bowl, let’s get this list right,” Hawkins said. “Let's make sure the people who are there are supposed to be there.”
Of course, not everyone can get a ticket. That’s just part of the deal. But for those lucky enough to make the trip, they’ll be watching a team that’s peaking at the right time.
New England’s defense has been the story of the postseason. In three playoff wins-over the Chargers, Texans, and Broncos-the Patriots have allowed fewer than 210 total yards per game and forced eight turnovers. Their most recent win, a gritty 10-7 battle in snowy Denver, showed just how tough and disciplined this unit has become.
Now, the Patriots are one win away from hoisting their seventh Lombardi. The setting may be sunny California, but the mindset is all business.
It’s a homecoming for some, a dream realized for others, and a chance at history for all.