The stage is set for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California. Representing the NFC will be the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks. Meanwhile, the second-seeded New England Patriots will represent the AFC in the Big Game.

In what could be considered one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in NFL history, the Pats went from 4-13 last year to AFC Champions this season. When Mike Vrabel was hired as New England's head coach last January, he knew this kind of immediate success was possible.

“You have to believe things sometimes before you can see them, and you have to believe that what you're doing is the right thing, and, if it's not, you have to recognize it and make adjustments and changes to the program and everything else,” Vrabel said after the Patriots' 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. “We’ve got a great group of guys, and they continue to - again - believe in the things that we did. And they formed and created an identity, and they try to protect it. Today was just another example of - as things kind of change and unfold - our ability to adjust.”

Conversely, the Seahawks finished last season well, even though they failed to reach the playoffs. Seattle went 6-2 over its final eight games, which seemed to lay the foundation for this year's group.

“It was something that, like - at this point last year - as we were finishing up the season, I think the buy-in of understanding what we were trying to achieve was there, and the guys were excited about it,” Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters on January 26th. “I felt like - maybe towards the last part of the season - they started to feel what we could build and the possibility of doing it. And so the initial intention was there, and then, really, it's a team effort, coaches included, strength staff included. Once they're in the building, creating an environment where they feel like they can really take it to the next level.”

After establishing that foundation, Seattle decided to make a change at quarterback by trading away Geno Smith and signing Sam Darnold. Though a questionable move at the time, this decision proved to be incredibly important because the Seahawks' team passer rating jumped from 91.5 to 97.9. This also led to more passing touchdowns and fewer interceptions.

“I think when your quarterback walks in, and he's going to operate that way, the way that Sam does every day, it's [an] easy guy to follow,” Macdonald said on the first night of Super Bowl LX media availability. “Like, Sam's a great quarterback, but I call him a ball player. That's just who he is. And the guys love playing for him. He's just been a tremendous leader for us.”

New England might not have made a quarterback change, but Drake Maye took a major step forward in his progression this year. He improved in almost all meaningful passing statistics while leading the NFL in passer rating during the regular season (113.5). Maye even helped the Pats land Mike Vrabel.

“I've said a large part of why I'm here is because of Drake Maye being the quarterback here and me wanting to coach him and be a part of this organization,” Vrabel told members of the media Monday evening. “So I'm excited for his growth. I'm excited for what he's done, and I'm excited for what he's going to do.”

While the quarterback play has been exceptional for Seattle and New England this season, both teams’ defenses have also been elite. The Patriots, in particular, have been phenomenal on that side of the ball, leading all playoff teams in yards allowed (209.7 per game), points allowed (8.7 per game), and sacks (12).

“They're a connected unit,” explained Mike Macdonald. “They’re great situationally. They play together. They're tough. They're physical. They have a great scheme. So, it's one of those things where [it] kind of all fits together, and I think when you stick to these things over the course of time, that's when you start playing your best ball towards the end of [the] season, and that's what they're doing.”

The Pat's recent defensive performance has seemingly overshadowed how good Seattle has been on that side of the ball. The Seahawks are allowing the fewest points per game of any team in the NFL this year (17.1).

“They stop the run. They play hard. They match deep routes. They don't give up a lot of explosive plays, and they tackle,” Mike Vrabel said. “This is [a] really good tackling football team. They don't miss many tackles.”

One of the most important matchups in the Super Bowl will be between Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Both of those guys are playing the best football of their careers. Gonzalez is only allowing a 40.4 passer rating when targeted. However, QBs have a 151 rating when targeting Smith-Njigba in the playoffs. The on-field matchup between these two could decide this game.

“He can do everything from every spot of the field,” Gonzalez said of Smith-Njigba on February 2nd. “He's a smooth runner, smooth route runner, can run every route. It's just an amazing player. I mean, I’ve got the most respect for him, and I'm excited for Sunday.”

That isn't the only matchup that will determine how this thing plays out. The battle in the trenches between New England's defense, which leads all teams in sacks this postseason, and Seattle's offensive line will have a major impact on the Super Bowl.

“I'll probably see a lot of (Christian) Barmore and (Milton) Williams. Those two guys are really dynamic defensive tackles. We’ve definitely got our work cut out for us on the O-line because they do have a really, really good front,” explained Seahawks rookie offensive lineman Grey Zabel. “So, what I'm seeing is they’ve got size and speed, and they’ve got great lateral quickness when they play that read front. So, you're going to have to be balanced and underneath yourself to have a chance. I think they're really good football players. It's going to be a great test, and I'm excited for it.”

Thankfully, injuries will likely not be much of a factor in this contest. The only player that could be hampered by an injury is rookie Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori, who rolled his ankle during the team's Wednesday practice. But with a chance to start in the Super Bowl, Emmanwori told reporters he plans to play.

“Just a little mishap had happened. [I] just rolled my ankle, and I just didn't finish practice. So that was it,” he said on Thursday. “I expect to play on Sunday. I feel good. [The] training staff’s got a good plan for me. Everything’s good.”

Emmanwori is one of the many players on both teams who is making his first Super Bowl appearance. Only seven players in this year's game have been to a Super Bowl before in their careers. New England has four players on its roster with Big Game experience: Mack Hollins, Milton Williams, Carlton Davis III, and Austin Hooper. Meanwhile, three members of the Seahawks have been to the Super Bowl before: Cooper Kupp, Ernest Jones IV, and Sam Darnold, who served as a backup in Super Bowl LVIII. For somebody like Mike Vrabel, who played in four Super Bowls during his pro career, he understands that there is some value going into the Big Game with prior Super Bowl experience.

“[I] just understand - having watched all these Super Bowls in the last few years and the ones that I've been a part of - is trying not to really predict how it's going to go, and you'll have to see how the game's unfolding,” Vrabel said on February 4th, “but understand each situation that we're going to be asked to execute, we've been through since April.”

On the other side, Mike Macdonald, like many members of the Seahawks and Patriots, is getting his first Super Bowl experience. He knows that the glitz and glamour of the Big Game will be distracting, but he has liked how his team has been able to regain its focus throughout the week.

“It's funny. You're not looking at the guy that's been to the Super Bowl like six times,” he said on Wednesday. “This is all of our kind of first time going through this experience, and I think that's been an edge for us throughout the whole season, is every time we've gone into a new experience together, we have principles that we want to abide by, and those are kind of like our guiding lights in terms of how we want to operate and how we want to make our decisions. But we also know that we're kind of going through it together, and we're not afraid to pivot and use different methods and things like that. So I think this is an example of that, where the principle of the matter is we do want to adhere to our process, the best we can... And at some point, you're going to get distracted, and that's okay. It's about how relentless can we be coming back to center and be in this moment, and - up to this point - I've really loved how our team's operated.”

Seahawks Pro Bowl defensive back Devon Witherspoon summarized this week perfectly. He said, "It's a great feeling" to be playing in the Super Bowl.

“It's a dream come true,” Witherspoon told reporters on February 5th.”We always dreamed about it: being kids and stuff, playing on this level. And, being able to be here today, man, it's just a one-of-a-kind feeling.”

Drake Maye echoed Witherspoon's sentiment but explained that, at the end of the day, this is just another football game and must be treated that way.

“This is it. You know? This is what we're here for,” Drake Maye said on Thursday. ”Peyton (Manning) reached out to me after Denver and had some good tips about trying to keep some of my rhythm, my schedule the same. But really, other than that, just trying to do whatever I can… to kind of fine-tune the things and kind of dot the ‘I’s,’ cross the ‘T’s,’ and get ready for the game.”

Prediction for Seattle Seahawks (-4.5) vs. New England Patriots

I have been flip-flopping my pick ever since the NFC Championship Game ended. At first glance, I believed that the Seahawks would kill the Patriots. After the dust settled, though, I started to lean towards New England, and I stood firm in my belief that they would win up until Thursday. Since then, my positive feelings towards Seattle returned.

There is one of three ways this game will go: the Patriots will win a close game, the Seahawks will win a close game, or Seattle will blow the doors off New England. I think we can safely say that the Pats will not blowout the Seahawks. If I'm being honest, though, I don't think the 'Hawks win this game if it's close. If this is a close game in the fourth quarter, the Pats will win.

The Seahawks are going to have to rely on their passing attack if they want to win Super Bowl LX. They have a solid rushing attack that has averaged 125 yards per game in the playoffs (sixth out of 14 teams). The problem will be going against the Patriots' front seven, which has only allowed 71.3 rushing yards per game, making them the best run-defending team this postseason. New England wants Sam Darnold to attempt a lot of passes; that plays into their defensive game plan. The more passes he attempts, the better chance he has of making a mistake, and once he throws that first interception, he will be immediately transported back to the 2019 "seeing ghosts" game he had against the Patriots, where he threw four interceptions.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks have shown that they can be gashed for a lot of yards through the air and on the ground. After all, the Rams just put up 479 yards and 27 points on them two weeks ago, and that was at home! An experienced offensive coordinator like Josh McDaniels knows that Seattle will be preparing to stop the pass, so New England will most likely come out with an emphasis on the ground game. They should have success running the ball. After all, they have averaged 130.7 rushing yards per game in the playoffs, while Seattle is allowing 111 yards on the ground per game. This strategy will allow the Pats to control the ball and win the time of possession battle.

Normally, I use calculated facts and data as well as gut feelings to make my picks. But when it comes to this specific game, I am abandoning all logic. Seattle is clearly the better team in my opinion, but New England is much luckier. And in my 25 years of watching the National Football League, I have learned that it is always better to be lucky than good. My brain is saying Seahawks, but my gut is telling me Patriots. I have to go with my gut on this one, as much as it pains me to see another New England Super Bowl Championship.

Prediction: Patriots 24 - 23 Seahawks

How to watch Seattle Seahawks (-4.5) vs. New England Patriots

Super Bowl LX starts at 6:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday at Levi's Stadium. You can watch it on NBC or stream it via the Peacock app, NFL+, YouTubeTV, Hulu + Live TV, FuboTV, or DirecTV.

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