WLTL's Super Bowl Preview

The lineup for the big game is set. Patriots VS Seahawks. A rematch of 2014. This will be Seattle's 4th appearance in the Super Bowl, and New England's 12th appearance. Sam Darnold VS Drake Maye. "Legion of Doom" VS a competent NFL defense that honestly has not been tested all campaign. Who will win?

HISTORY:

The Seattle Seahawks joined the league in 1976, and it would be 7 years before they made their first ever playoffs. However, when they finally did, they made it all the way to the AFC Championship off the back of superstar whiteout Steve Largent, arguably the number 2 wide receiver of the 80s behind only Jerry Rice, before they lost to the Oakland Raiders. The team remained a fringe playoff team for a couple of decades before Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander had this team on a dominant run. They won their divisional matchup in 2006 and rode that all the way into the 2006 Super Bowl. While their run would be spoiled by the Donte Bettis homecoming game in Detroit, it was still an impressive showing that would lay the groundwork for one of the most dominant defensive teams in the history of the NFL. As the team began building its defense with pieces like Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor, Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck were transitioned out of the lineup for Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson. With those two leading the offense and the newly assembled "Legion of Boom" defense, the Seahawks cruised to a 2013 Super Bowl victory, dismantling Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos in one of the most brutal Super Bowls of all time. The following year, they tried to repeat their campaign, beating Green Bay in overtime to return to the Super Bowl. However, on the final drive, the game was thrown away by Pete Carroll's offense, as an interception at the goal line secured the victory for none other than the New England Patriots. While the offense seemingly took steps forward in later years, the loss of major pieces to both sides of the ball meant that the Seahawks had little to no playoff success in the years following before Russell Wilson was traded to Denver, and Pete Carroll left his role as coach for the team, giving way to the new era in Seattle.

New England's history is one of complete dominance, yet it didn't start that way. Founded in 1960, it took them 3 years to make the playoffs; however, what followed was a miserable 13-year drought, followed by a string of first-round exits. That all changed in 1985. The Patriots, led by Steve Grogan, were poised to rewrite the narrative as they charged all the way from the Wild Card to the Super Bowl. However, the team that was waiting for them was the '85 Bears. With a 46-10 final score, the Patriots were sent back into obscurity for yet another decade, until another superstar quarterback arrived. Drew Bledsoe took over the mantle under center, and along with a strong defense headlined by Ty Law, the Patriots were poised for another Super Bowl run. They fought their way past the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars to the 1996 Super Bowl, where another NFC North team awaited them. Much like last time, the Patriots stood no chance, this time losing to Brett Favre's Green Bay Packers. After a few years of tough football, it finally happened. Drew Bledsoe was injured in a game with the New York Jets, and unknown backup Tom Brady entered the field. From here, everyone knows the story; the Patriots scrape past the Raiders because of "The Tuck Rule" and beat "The Greatest Show On Turf" in the Super Bowl thanks to a game-winning drive from Brady. After missing 2002, the Patriots would win a tight 2003 Super Bowl against the Carolina Panthers and go back-to-back after Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles came up short the following year. After years of incredible playoff success, 2007 looked to be a year for the record books. With an all-time defense and Brady throwing lobs to Randy Moss, the Patriots were 17-0 and cruised to the Super Bowl. As heavy favorites over the New York Giants, they should've won. Yet, it wasn't in the stars as Eli Manning and David Tyree founded one of the most iconic upsets in sports history as the Patriots were felled on the national stage. After two straight first-match exits, the 2011 Patriots made yet another run to the Super Bowl, where who else would be waiting for them but the New York Giants once again. And, once again, those pesky Giants somehow upset Brady's dominant Patriots. With two straight AFC Championships heading into 2014, the Patriots were hoping to finally take home the Lombardi for the first time since 2004. As we mentioned above, they got it done at the last second. This refueled the dynasty, as, after losing the final duel against Manning, they made three straight Super Bowls, making the 28-3 comeback against the Falcons, losing to Nick Foles and the "Philly Special", and beating the Rams in one of the most forgettable Super Bowls in recent memory. With the dynasty seemingly over after 2019 and the departure of Tom Brady, the Patriots have seemingly already found their next QB. With "Drake Mayenia" taking over New England, they hope to keep up their success of the past two decades.

THIS YEAR:

Seattle's Super Bowl run has been a hard-fought one. After receiving the first-round bye, the Seahawks faced the banged-up San Francisco 49ers at home and utterly demolished them 41-6. Despite some Caleb Williams heroics, the Los Angeles Rams beat the Chicago Bears to get to the NFC Championship. In yet another in-division rematch from the regular season, the Seahawks won a tight contest as the Rams ran out of time on their final drive. The Seattle Seahawks have Sam Darnold undercenter with superstar widereceiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Kenneth Walker III at running back. The main story is the defense. This unit echoes the "Legion of Boom" in its dominance, and it has been playing on another level this season. The only worries about Seattle come from Darnold's occasional reversion to his New York Jets days, but their team is firing on all cylinders and is set to bring the Lombardi back to the West Coast.

On the other hand, New England's Super Bowl run has been incredibly underwhelming. They beat a battered Los Angeles Chargers team in the Wild Card, with the defense holding the Chargers offense to 3 points. The next week featured another historically good defense in the Houston Texans; however, they had a turnover machine under center in CJ Stroud. Despite Stroud throwing 4 interceptions in the first half, the Patriots were still held to only a one-score lead for much of the game before finally making it a two-possession game late in the showing. Advancing to the AFC Championship, they caught yet another lucky break, literally. After beating the underdog Buffalo Bills in overtime, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle that saw him sidelined for the AFC Championship. With 1-3 starter Jarrett Stidham undercenter, the result was assured for New England. Yet, this game was uncomfortably close. Even with the Broncos' ridiculously loaded defense, which had many reminiscing of the 2015 squad, the Patriots only managed a 10-7 win over a supposedly inferior team. Heading into the Super Bowl, the Patriots have Drake Maye throwing to Stefon Diggs with a tough rushing attack led by Trevyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson. Their defense is in great form, too, but they come in as the underdogs for the Super Bowl.

PREDICTIONS:

CARTER:

35-17 Seahawks. The Seahawks have dominated the playoffs so far, even with the close game in the NFC Championship. Seattle has played well defensively, but their offense has been the standout point of the team so far in the playoffs. Drake Maye had injury concerns early this week, but those have been shut down by him. I don't think the Patriots have a chance in this one unless their defense is able to contain Kenneth Walker III and Jaxson Smith-Njigba.

JOE:

31-10 Seahawks. The Patriots' legitimacy has been questioned all season long; they've had objectively one of the easiest roads to the Super Bowl in recent memory, and have floundered in the face of true defensive adversity. They barely scraped past the Broncos 10-7, who, quite frankly, had every opportunity to take the game away from the Pats. This Seahawks defense echoes the Legion of Boom from the early 2010s, and their offense is sufficiently productive to put up consistent scores. Drake Maye is banged up as well, so the best chance for New England is to rely on their defense and capitalize on every opportunity they're given. It would be an underdog story for the record books, but I just can't see a reality where Seattle doesn't dominate this game.

AJ:

42-17 Seahawks. The only way I can see the Patriots winning is if Sam Darnold goes down, and even then, not only does this Seahawks offense have many more high-impact players than the Broncos or Texans, but I also generally trust Drew Lock to run this offense more than I'd trust a QB like Jarrett Stidham. All of this is before we get into how absolutely loaded that defense is. Defense wins championships, and the Seahawks will run rampant and take home their second Lombardi.