The Seattle Seahawks will face the New England Patriots for the Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 8 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California—a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots won 28-24 on a last-second goal-line interception by Malcolm Butler off a Russell Wilson pass.

Eleven years later, the teams look drastically different. The Seahawks are led by Coach of the Year finalist Mike Macdonald, whose championship-caliber defense ranks first in the NFL in points allowed. Quarterback Sam Darnold earned a Pro Bowl selection after a career resurgence.

The Patriots counter with Drake Maye, an MVP finalist in only his second NFL season, and coach Mike Vrabel, also a Coach of the Year finalist, who orchestrated one of recent football's great team turnarounds.

Patriots' Offense vs. Seahawks' Defense

An elite offense collides with elite defense. New England finished second in scoring; Seattle surrendered the fewest points in the league. Something has to give.

The passing game will decide this matchup. Maye led the NFL in yards per attempt (8.0) and completion rate (71.9%), powering the league's fourth-ranked passing offense. Seattle's pass defense ranked 10th in the regular season, but the numbers are damning: the Seahawks are 1-2 in games allowing 250-plus net passing yards—their only win came in overtime against the Rams in Week 16.

New England posted eight wins in nine games when they exceeded 250 passing yards. Maye has the numbers to exploit Seattle's secondary weakness.

But Maye's ball security crumbled early in the playoffs. He committed five turnovers (two interceptions, three lost fumbles) in New England's first two playoff games. The Seahawks, who ranked sixth in forced takeaways during the regular season, notched three turnovers against San Francisco in the divisional round.

Seahawks' Offense vs. Patriots' Defense

Seattle's offense operates with multiple weapons. The Seahawks demolished San Francisco 175 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in the divisional round, but their passing attack can explode at any moment with Darnold and superstar Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards.

The Patriots will likely deploy star cornerback Christian Gonzalez exclusively on Smith-Njigba, forcing other Seattle receivers to beat them. Outside Smith-Njigba, no other Seahawks receiver reached 600 yards. That pressure shifts focus to the run game, now operating without running back Zach Charbonnet, Seattle's leading touchdown scorer, sidelined by a knee injury.

New England tied for ninth in pressure rate but ranked 16th in total pressures, 20th in sack rate, and tied for 22nd in sacks. That spells opportunity for Darnold, who completed 72.6% of his passes for 3,261 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions with a 109.4 passer rating when not facing pressure this season.

The Deciding Factor

Darnold's pressure stats paint a grim picture elsewhere: he turned the ball over on 7.2% of his pressured dropbacks—six interceptions and five lost fumbles—the highest rate in the NFL. Yet his NFC Championship performance signals growth. He's not the quarterback who collapsed down the stretch for Minnesota's 14-win team a year ago.

Maye's postseason decline mirrors Darnold's earlier struggles. After a stellar regular season, the second-year QB has misfired repeatedly when it matters most.

Quarterback play wins championships when defenses are elite. Darnold's trajectory suggests readiness for the moment. Maye's early-playoff turbulence suggests vulnerability.

Score prediction: Patriots 25, Seahawks 22