The New England Patriots are slight underdogs heading into Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks.
On Monday, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky said his part about why the Seahawks have an advantage over the Patriots.
According to Orlovsky, Drake Maye and New England’s offense hasn’t been good enough to challenge an offense as powerful as Sam Darnold and the Seahawks. What Orlovsky failed to mention is that Maye has been up against three top-5 defenses over the last three playoff games, and he’s been 3-0 in those games, despite not putting up gaudy numbers.
Of course, the Seahawks’ defense will also present an elite group that Maye will have an uphill battle against. But Darnold hasn’t yet faced a defense of New England’s caliber in the playoffs. Orlovsky’s analysis might not be spot on here.
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One thing that’s clear is that very few people expected either of these teams to be here when the season started. Both the Seahawks and Patriots entered the season with 60-1 odds to win the Super Bowl and 25-1 odds to win their respective conferences.
Darnold’s redemption arc has already been fulfilled just by making the Super Bowl and having the kind of year that he’s had. He was tremendous in Minnesota, and his continued success only reiterates that he’s one of the best QBs in the game, despite what his former teams may have thought about his potential.
Maye, meanwhile, has a real shot to win the 2025 NFL MVP award for the regular season that he had. He’s way ahead of schedule at age 23, and the Patriots are on the verge of entering another decade-plus of contention.
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Featured image via David Butler II/Imagn Images
