Your Super Bowl LX cheat sheet
Maybe you’re not a hardcore football fan. Maybe you’re looking forward to the ads and the halftime show more than the actual Super Bowl LX game. You’re not alone—an estimated 40% of the more than 100 million U.S. Super Bowl audience consists of people who don’t normally follow football.
But even if the names Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts don’t ring any bells (the starting quarterbacks of last year’s Super Bowl contenders, the Kansas City Chiefs and the victorious Philadelphia Eagles), a quick overview of this year’s big game may come in handy this weekend.
Who’s playing
The Seattle Seahawks will face the New England Patriots in Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, February 8, on NBC. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 pm ET.
No, you’re not experiencing déjà vu
These two teams played in Super Bowl XLIX eleven years ago, with the Patriots winning 28-24 in what was, at the time, the biggest Super Bowl 4th quarter comeback ever. Tom Brady led two touchdown drives to bring New England from 10 points down to take the lead, and Russell Wilson threw an interception to little-known Malcolm Butler on the goal line with less than 30 seconds left, sealing the Patriots’ fourth Super Bowl.
Who are Super Bowl LX’s QB’s?
New England is led by second year sensation Drake Maye, Seattle by Sam Darnold.
Some key facts on Maye:
- He was the third overall draft choice in 2024 out of North Carolina.
- Just 23, Maye is set to become the second youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl at 23 years and 162 days. (Dan Marino was just 23 years and 127 days when he started at QB for the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX following the 1984 season.)
- Maye’s brother Luke was a star player for the Tar Heels’ basketball team.
- In his second NFL season, Maye led the NFL in completion percentage, yards per pass attempt, passer rating, and various advanced metrics. He finished second in MVP voting (behind Matthew Stafford, quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams).
Key facts on Darnold:
- At 28, Darnold is already playing for his fifth NFL team. He was considered a draft bust after flaming out with the New York Jets, who selected him third overall in the 2018 draft, and then struggling with the Carolina Panthers. He was a backup for San Francisco in 2023.
- Darnold became the starter at Minnesota in 2024 after rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury and led the team to the playoffs.
- Darnold has been stellar for the Seahawks this year, including playing arguably his best game in the NFL in the NFC Championship win over the Rams, sealing a trip to Super Bowl LX for Seattle.
Key facts about the two head coaches
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has the chance to become the first person to win a Super Bowl as both player and head coach for the same franchise. He’s in his first season with the team, and orchestrated a turnaround from eight combined wins over the last two seasons to a 14-3 regular season and a trip to the Super Bowl. Vrabel was a star linebacker for New England during the first decade of the Brady-Belichick era, and participated in three Super Bowl championships. The NFL Coach of the Year as head coach of the Tennessee Titans in 2021, Vrabel was let go after 2023.
Mike Macdonald is in his second season as head coach of the Seahawks. Just 38, he has the chance to be one of the youngest coaches to win the Big Game if his team comes out on top in Super Bowl LX. Regarded as a defensive savant, he was a longtime assistant for John Harbaugh with the Ravens, and also spent a season as Jim Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan. He then went back to the Ravens as their defensive coordinator before earning the head coaching job in Seattle.
Other star players in the game
Patriots veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs has made four Pro Bowls in his career, all with New England’s division rival, the Buffalo Bills. He is perhaps most well-known for catching the Minneapolis Miracle to defeat the New Orleans Saints as a member of the Vikings in the 2018 NFL Playoffs. Diggs is currently in a romantic relationship with rapper Cardi B. The two welcomed a baby boy in November 2025. Diggs is also facing felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault charges stemming from an incident with his former private chef in December.
On the defensive side of the ball, New England’s stars are defensive tackles Milton Williams—a big money free agent signing from last year’s Super Bowl champion Eagles—and Christian Barmore—who like Diggs is also currently facing assault charges—as well as third year cornerback Christian Gonzalez—a two-time All-Pro who intercepted Jarrett Stidham’s pass in the AFC Championship game to all but seal the win.
Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the NFL in receiving yards this season as a 23-year-old. He burst onto the scene as part of a stacked Ohio State team a few years before entering the league. He’s flanked by Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp, who left the Rams after eight seasons last offseason to join the Seahawks.
The Seahawks have the league’s top scoring defense, allowing opponents just 17.2 points per game. The lineup features three second team All-Pro selections. Linebacker Ernest Jones, veteran defensive tackle Leonard Williams, and young superstar cornerback Devon Witherspoon all received those honors from the league, while 33-year-old defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is also having a career resurgence, making the Pro Bowl.
Who owns the teams?
Under Robert Kraft’s ownership, the Patriots have been the most successful team in the NFL. A former season-ticket holder, Kraft bought the team, kept it in New England amidst challenges to move the franchise, and oversaw the entirety of the Brady-Belichick dynasty. This is the 12th Super Bowl appearance for the Patriots under Kraft’s ownership. The teams Big Game record going into SB LX is 6-5.
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s sister, Jody Allen, has been the de facto owner of the Seahawks since Paul’s death in 2018. Reports emerged last week that Allen is looking to sell the team after the Super Bowl, but the ownership group refuted those reports.
Why people are talking about the announcer
One of his generation’s most popular announcers, 59-year-old Mike Tirico will make his Super Bowl play-by-play debut. He has hosted Super Bowl pregame and postgame coverage, as well as serving as NBC’s Olympics host, but will have his first opportunity to call the Big Game on Sunday. Former NFL wide receiver Cris Collinsworth is no stranger to calling the Super Bowl, as he’ll have his sixth opportunity to do Super Bowl color commentary.
What about halftime?
Fresh off his Album of the Year Grammy win, international sensation Bad Bunny will perform at halftime. Selection of the 31-year-old native Puerto Rican sparked some controversy within the MAGA crowd as he’s a vocal opponent of Donald Trump and performs in Spanish. He has nearly 84 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Who is favored to win?
The Seahawks are approximately 4.5 point favorites, meaning that sportsbooks expect Seattle to win by four or five points. For a modern Super Bowl, that’s a fairly big line. Nobody has been favored by more than that in a Super Bowl in over a decade, per Sportsoddshistory.com.
What’s at stake?
If Seattle wins, it will be the franchise’s second Super Bowl, and will avenge the loss in Super Bowl XLIX back in 2015, when the Patriots denied the Seahawks from winning two in a row. For New England, a win would mean an NFL record seventh Super Bowl, all coming within the last 25 years.