The Super Bowl LX matchup is set, and it will be a blast from the past—but with upstart new personalities.
Seattle clinched the NFC championship late Sunday, beating the Rams 31–27 at Lumen Field. The Seahawks will face the Patriots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium, after New England secured the AFC title earlier Sunday, beating the Broncos 10–7 in snowy Denver.
The upcoming Seattle-New England clash will be a revival of Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015, won by the Patriots 28–24. That game, played in the height of the Tom Brady era against Seattle’s famed Legion of Boom defense, is most famously known for then-Seahawks coach Pete Carroll electing to pass in a short-yard situation with a chance to win a second-straight title. Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, however, intercepted a throw from Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson to seal the victory for New England.
There is plenty of history, meanwhile, involved in the upcoming game as first-year Patriots head coach and former star linebacker Mike Vrabel is attempting to become the person to win a Super Bowl with a single franchise as both a player and a head coach. New England also clinched its 12th Super Bowl appearance, extending its record for the most of any NFL team. A seventh victory for the Patriots would break a tie with the Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, meanwhile, is looking to claim a NFL title in just his second season and further assert his rapid ascendency into one of the league’s top stars.
Seattle will see quarterback Sam Darnold extend his remarkable—and lucrative—career rejuvenation after prior stops with the Jets, Panthers, 49ers, and Vikings.
“This is a special group, and I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else,” Darnold said of his Seahawks teammates.
Initial betting lines have the Seahawks favored by 3.5 points.
NBC Eyes Viewership Record
The coast-to-coast spread of the two competing teams, meanwhile, gives a further boost to NBC as it looks to challenge, if not surpass, the U.S. television viewership record of an average of 127.7 million viewers set last year for Super Bowl LIX on Fox.
The Comcast-owned NBC is leaning into its upcoming Super Bowl LX coverage by combining much of its promotion and ad sales for the event with coverage next month of the 2026 Winter Olympics and NBA All-Star Game. The Super Bowl will also represent one of, if not the single largest, event ever on its Peacock streaming service.
The network and the NFL will enter the game with plenty of viewership momentum, with audience boosts seen during the divisional playoff round, the wild-card round, the regular season, and on streaming.
