Why a Patriots vs. Seahawks Super Bowl Would Be the NFL’s Best Story This Year

There have been plenty of surprises this NFL season, with unexpected teams coming out of nowhere to be possible Super Bowl contenders, and two of those are the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.

And while I did think both of these teams going into the year would be playoff teams, I did not think I would realistically be discussing both teams potentially being Super Bowl bound this year, and yes, I do think we need this matchup in Super Bowl LX this February. And while yes, there is personal bias here—my dad is a Patriots fan and I’m a Seahawks fan—the case for this showdown goes far deeper than family rivalry. This would be one of the most meaningful Super Bowls the NFL could ask for in 2025, both on and off the field.

The real significance of this potential matchup is the story it would tell about the NFL: how quickly a franchise can be rebuilt when leadership is held accountable, risk is embraced, and the right quarterback is in the building.

Over the last couple of years, the Patriots were not competitive. The final stretch of the Mac Jones and Bill Belichick era was defined by a lack of offensive identity, limited roster talent, and coaching decisions that did not support the development of a franchise quarterback. The team bottomed out and entered the 2024 draft needing hope.

And they found it. They took quarterback Drake Maye third overall, and although his rookie year was rocky, largely due to the leadership of first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, the organization didn’t hesitate to make a change. After recognizing quickly that Mayo was overwhelmed, they hired Mike Vrabel who is the right coach to pair with their young quarterback. And that change—without major roster overhaul— has transformed the Patriots.

This season, New England’s offense is poised, efficient, and driven by Maye, who suddenly looks like an MVP type of quarterback. Their schedule plays out favorably the rest of the way, and barring setbacks, they could realistically finish as the AFC’s number one seed, forcing teams to travel through Foxborough to reach the Super Bowl.

On the other side of the league in the NFC, Seattle’s journey tells a similar story of a franchise that made bold changes.

The Seahawks had been competitive for years under Pete Carroll, a Super Bowl-winning coach who kept the team strong and stable. But stability can also become frustrating for fans. Seattle reached a plateau: good, but with no realistic path to great. Recognizing this, the organization made the difficult decision to move on from Carroll and took a chance on Mike Macdonald to lead the franchise forward.

The transition wasn’t seamless. Early in Macdonald’s tenure, the offense stalled and the team underperformed. But he didn’t overhaul the roster or rely on new personnel when he first got there in 2024, especially on defense. Instead, he re-engineered the scheme, maximizing what Seattle already had on defense, and since the second half of last season, Seattle’s defence has been arguably the best in the NFL—structured, disciplined, and consistently dominant.

It was last offseason when Macdonald made his mark on the franchise when we saw what he and general manager John Schneider did at quarterback. Geno Smith had been reliable, but the Seahawks wanted a higher ceiling. They took a calculated risk on Sam Darnold, a quarterback with only one strong season to his name, believing he would run the offense the way they envisioned, and thus far, Darnold has thrived, also playing at an MVP level.

They followed that up with another bold move: trading away DK Metcalf. Metcalf has been one of the league’s premier receivers, but Seattle wanted to build around Jaxon Smith-Njigba. They bet on his development—and they were right. Smith-Njigba is now playing at an elite level, positioning himself among the top receivers in the NFL.

In all, a Patriots vs. Seahawks Super Bowl wouldn’t just be entertaining—it would be huge for the NFL. It would highlight organizations that refused to settle for mediocrity. It would showcase:

• The power of matching the right quarterback with the right coach.

• The importance of adapting rather than clinging to past identity.

• The value of taking risks, even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed.

A matchup like this sends a message across the league: don’t be afraid to change. Don’t stay comfortable. Don’t waste seasons hoping that things will magically improve. Act decisively, and build with intention.

As a fan, of course, the personal stakes are clear it will be family affair for myself, and also be a rematch of one of the most iconic Super Bowls ever played.

But even taking that bias away, this is the Super Bowl the NFL needs.

To remind everyone watching—teams, coaches, and fans—that greatness requires risk. And if a franchise is going to fall short, it should fall short going down swinging.