SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It seems like ancient history now, but there was a first time when the Patriots and Seahawks met on the field in a Super Bowl.
There was Tom Brady and Bill Belichick on one side and Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll on the other. It was fast and furious and a rock-em-sock-em ending draped in controversy, and when all the tumult and shouting was done in Glendale, Ariz., the Patriots had hung on and won to deny the Seahawks a second consecutive Super Bowl triumph.
That was 11 years ago. Brady and Belichick have been replaced by Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel. Wilson and Carroll made way for Sam Darnold and Mike Macdonald. The old guard is gone, these franchises have been rebuilt and rejuvenated, and the results of their handiwork will be on display Sunday in Super Bowl 2026 at Levi’s Stadium.
These teams achieved matching 14-3 records in the regular season, but the Seahawks are the more acclaimed group and are 4.5-point favorites against the upstart Patriots.
“Somebody has to be,’’ Vrabel said of carrying in the underdogs’ status. “I don’t think we dislike it.’’
Vrabel and Macdonald are making their head-coaching debuts in the big game, but they are not on similar footing. Vrabel, 50, won three Super Bowls as a Patriots linebacker, thus he is well-versed on what this is all about. Macdonald, 38, is in his second year as a head coach, a wunderkind moving through this for the first time.
If the Patriots win, Vrabel becomes the first person to ever win a Super Bowl as a player and a head coach with the same team.
Both sides are exceedingly difficult to beat. The Patriots arrived on a six-game winning streak, and their three losses — two in the first three weeks of the season — were by a total of 18 points. The Seahawks head in on a nine-game winning streak, and their three losses were by a combined nine points. Their largest margin of defeat was 17-13 against the 49ers in the season opener. If this game turns into a rout, it will be against the norm for these sides.
The quarterbacks made it here traversing disparate paths. “Draft bust’’ and “overvalued’’ were labels that were attached to Darnold with Velcro-like snugness as he washed out with the Jets as the No. 3 overall pick in 2018. The Seahawks are his fifth NFL team, and as he moved around the league, he made friends, stayed classy, and was so popular amid the journey that he has many former teammates and coaches pulling for him.
“I take every experience as its own,’’ Darnold said.
A Seahawks victory would make Darnold just the fourth quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl in his first year with a team — joining Brady (Buccaneers), Trent Dilfer (Ravens) and Matthew Stafford (Rams).
“Can’t say enough about Sam, man,’’ said wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Darnold’s top target. “It’s been a great first year. We got one more to go. For him to overcome what he has to overcome, I’m riding with Sam all day.’’
Maye took the more conventional approach. He was the No. 3 overall pick in 2024, spent his rookie year learning and mostly losing, and emerged as an MVP candidate in his second season. He has all the makings of a worthy successor to Brady’s legacy in New England. If the Pats win, Maye will become the youngest starting quarterback (23 years and 162 days old) to win a Super Bowl.
“It all starts with talent,’’ Vrabel said. “I think he’s extremely talented. He’s a competitor. He’s always trying to learn. Continues to build and develop as a leader. His success and his performance is a large part of why we’re here.’’
Maye has not carried his sensational regular season performance into the playoffs. He had been sacked 15 times in four postseason games, the most by any player to reach a Super Bowl since 1970. The Patriots have struggled to score points.
Both quarterbacks are dealing with slight physical issues that bear watching. Maye dinged his right shoulder two weeks ago, and Darnold was limited in practice earlier in the week with an oblique issue.
These teams meet again, 11 years after their first Super Bowl encounter. The names have changed. The new wave is here.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
