The 2025-2026 NFL season had to be one of the strangest ones I have ever witnessed. All the way back to the 2025 NFL draft, a predicted first-rounder, who is the son of an NFL legend, fell to the fifth-round. We saw thrilling storylines pop up: Daniel Jones in the MVP conversation, the Chiefs and the Ravens missing the playoffs, and Philip Rivers coming back to play for the Indianapolis Colts. But, the rematch of a Super Bowl -Patriots vs Seahawks- one that ended in the worst play call in the history of the NFL will be a perfect ending to this bizarre year.
A Memorable Prequel
The last time the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks were in the Super Bowl together, chaos rained. It started off slow, with no points in the first quarter. By halftime, the teams were tied at 14. In the third quarter, the Seahawks put up another 10 points to make it a two-score game. The Patriots came back up 28-24 late in the fourth with the game living on one final drive for Seattle.
The drive started as a usual two -minute drill, Seattle pulled time and ran small plays to inch their way towards the end zone. On one of those plays, Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson decided to throw a deep ball to Jevon Kearse, one of his wide receivers. Kearse pulled off an incredible catch inside New England’s 10 yard line. As they pushed down to the 1 yard line, disaster struck for Seattle. Their offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell, neglected to use star running back Marshawn Lynch and decided to have Wilson throw a quick ball to receiver Ricardo Lockette. Wilson took the snap, and did as instructed, throwing the ball on a quick slant.
In a spectacular turn of events, the Patriots undrafted rookie cornerback Malcomb Butler picked the ball off and won the game for New England, giving star quarterback Tom Brady and the team their 4th ring since the 2001 Super Bowl.
Sunday’s Match-up
Both quarterbacks, New England’s Drake Maye, and Seattle’s Sam Darnold, have displayed attributes that makes them both worthy of this year’s NFL MVP award. Maye has passed for 4,927 yards, 35 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, has a completion percentage of 66.4%, and boasts a 64.1 quarterback rating. In contrast, Darnold has thrown for 4,763 total yards, 29 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, boasts a completion percentage of 68.8%, and has a quarterback rating of 66.9.
Both teams have had good seasons with the ball on the ground. TreVeyon Henderson, the Patriots running back has had a tremendous rookie season after being selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft. He has 968 rushing yards on 204 attempts and 9 touchdowns. On the other hand, the Seahawks running back, Kenneth Walker III, has 1,205 yards on 259 carries and 9 touchdowns on the ground. Part of the reason Walker III does not have a lot of touchdowns is because the Seahawks have another running back they use in the red zone, being Zach Charbonnet. With Charbonnet injured, expect to see a lot of ground game from Kenneth Walker III.
Both teams also have very good receiving cores. The Seahawks leading receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba was on pace to break the receiving yards in one season record, but failed. He has 1,965 yards on 132 receptions and 12 touchdowns. New England’s leading wide receiver, Stefon Diggs, has had a great year with 1,086 yards on 96 receptions and 5 touchdowns. I expect this to be a great showdown between a young star who is on pace to make the hall of fame and a veteran who seems to have come back to his prime after being injured. This is also a monumental occasion for Diggs, win or lose. It is his first time going to a Super Bowl after being in the conference championship twice in his career.
RMHS Weighs In
Math teacher Mr. Skeffington had some words of advice for the Patriots coaching staff. He said, “Well… I think that the Patriots are going to have to force at least two turnovers to win the game, and I think they’re going to have to not have any offensive turnovers. I think turnovers are going to be the key. They’re going to have to make Sam Darnold make decisions that he doesn’t want to make.”
Social studies teacher and football assistant Mr. Mahoney also had something to say about the upcoming game. He said, “The Patriots have just beaten the 5, 1st, and 2nd best defenses with the Seahawks being the 6th best. So, on paper you would think they should find a way to win. On the other side of the ball, Sam Darnold has never played well vs. the Patriots in his career, so I am crossing my fingers he comes down to earth from his current success. I think this game comes down to QB play and who plays better vs. the other defense. As for Mr. Mahoney’s prediction? “The Patriots beat Seattle 27-24.”
The Writer’s Take
My opinion is that it will be a close game, with each quarterback throwing at least one interception each. I also think that both offenses will start slow, running the ball and throwing short passes. I believe that Darnold will “see ghosts” again and be like he was before going to the Vikings in 2024. I think the game will be decided by a last second field goal with New England beating Seattle 24-21. I also have a feeling that the field goal would come during overtime, which would only make this the third Super Bowl with overtime being featured.
Overall, I think that it will be a great game, with many twists and turns along the way. I can’t wait to sit on my couch with some nachos and warm cider, watching Drake Maye and Sam Darnold go at it against each other.
I will end with a final statement, courtesy of Stefon Diggs: “We all we got…We all we need!”
