Seahawks:

Darnold’s Redemption

At the beginning of the season, picking the Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl would have sounded insane.
They rolled the dice during the offseason by signing free agent quarterback Sam Darnold to lead their team. Darnold’s NFL career began with getting drafted third overall by the New York Jets. Expectations were high, but Darnold never came close to meeting them.
Early in his career, the Jets were getting crushed by the New England Patriots, and he was filmed on the sideline explaining his struggles.
“I’m seeing ghosts,” said Darnold.
After being labeled a bust and bouncing around to a few different teams, he finally found his footing last year with the Minnesota Vikings, putting together an impressive season. However, after poor performances in the two most important games of the season, many fans questioned his ability to lead a team to the Super Bowl.
Obviously, those doubts were incorrect. Darnold’s redemption is undeniable. His draft class in 2018 included MVP quarterbacks Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, yet Darnold is the first to reach a Super Bowl.

 

Defensive Dominance

The Seahawks have the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL, only allowing about 17 points per game. An instrumental piece of this defense is former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, who also joined the Seahawks during the offseason.

“Dallas is my home. … But I know for sure I’m not going to win a Super Bowl there,” said Lawrence.

 

Seeking Revenge

The Seahawks have won one of their three Super Bowl appearances in franchise history. Their most recent appearance was a heartbreaking 28-24 loss to the Patriots in 2015.

They will be wearing navy blue jerseys with navy blue pants, the same combination they wore in their two Super Bowl losses.

The Seahawks are the favorites to win. However, Darnold has never beaten the Patriots, losing all four career matchups and throwing nine interceptions in the process.

 

Patriots:

Vrabel’s Super Bowl Return

This is their 12th Super Bowl appearance, a league record. They are looking to break the record for most Super Bowl wins, as they are currently tied at six with the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The credit for this historical success belongs mostly to former quarterback Tom Brady and former head coach Bill Belichick. They built a dynasty spanning nearly 20 years. During the first half of the dynasty, a key member of their defense was linebacker Mike Vrabel. 

Vrabel is now the head coach of the Patriots, getting them back on track after a few disappointing seasons following the departure of Brady. He is looking to make history of his own by becoming the first person to win a Super Bowl as a player and a head coach for the same franchise. 

 

Following a Legend

Drake Maye is now the quarterback, taking on the impossible task of following in Brady’s footsteps. It’s just his second season, but he already has the Patriots back in the Super Bowl, and his stats are impressive to the point of possibly winning the league’s MVP award over Matthew Stafford, a potential hall-of-famer.

 

Strength vs. Strength

While the Patriots defense isn’t as strong as the Seahawks, they’re still the No. 4 scoring defense in the NFL, only allowing around 19 points per game. Their secondary is led by cornerback Christian Gonzalez. He will attempt to shut down Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the league’s leader in receiving yards.

 

Diggs gets his shot

New England’s receivers are led by veteran Stefon Diggs. Diggs is playing in his first Super Bowl after losing in two previous conference championship games with the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills.

They will be wearing white jerseys with white pants, a combination they have never worn in the Super Bowl.

The Patriots are the underdogs. However, they were also the underdogs in Tom Brady’s first Super Bowl.

 

Music:

Tailgate Concert – Teddy Swims with LaRussell

 

Opening Ceremony – Green Day

 

National Anthem – Charlie Puth

 

“America the Beautiful” – Brandi Carlile

 

“Lift Every Voice and Sing” – Coco Jones

 

Halftime Show – Bad Bunny

 

Commercials:

A 30-second commercial costs roughly $8 million. That’s over $265,000 per second.

 

Pepsi has taken out an ad using polar bears, the signature mascot of Coca-Cola, re-igniting a soda war.