It’s crazy to think the New England Patriots are about to be in a 12th Super Bowl as a franchise, but here we are.

Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel have returned the team to its glory days after capping off a 14-win season that resulted in the AFC’s No. 2 overall seed and the aforementioned Super Bowl appearance. Now, they’re one win away from adding an seventh Lombardi to the collection.

Big games require big predictions, so we decided to put together a few of our own call-outs before kickoff.

Let’s dive in.

Drake Maye throws more interceptions than touchdowns

Maye has played in 30 games over his first two seasons and he’s thrown more interceptions than touchdowns just twice – once in 2024 and once in Week 14 of this season against the Bills.

That’s pretty incredible to think about when considering the fact Maye has yet to play two full seasons in the NFL. For instance, both Joe Burrow and Josh Allen pulled this off seven times during their first 30 games in the NFL. Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes clocked in at three times and twice, respectively.

Unfortunately for Maye, he’s going to notch his third instance in the biggest game of his life. Seattle’s defense is simply too good and while the Patriots have done a good job with what they have, they don’t have the dominant playmaker, or playmakers, needed to keep the Seahawks defense off-kilter. – Evan Winter, A to Z Tampa Bay

Mike Vrabel will get tricky with the trenches

Trick plays should always be expected in the Super Bowl, especially by the underdog. It’s the best way to go against 20+ weeks worth of film review and even the scales against a better team.

The Seahawks might want to look back 20+ years this week to remember New England’s head coach catching a touchdown in back-to-back Super Bowls as a linebacker. The first of the two was a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter!

Vrabel had his moments of glory as a player. Now that he’s calling the shots, it would not surprise me at all for him and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to dial up an end zone opportunity for an offensive or defensive linemen to throw off Seattle. Capitalizing on red zone trips is going to be a game-deciding factor for the Patriots. Expect Vrabel to do whatever it takes to gain the upper hand in his first Super Bowl as a coach. – John Sheeran, A to Z Cincinnati

Hunter Henry ends up as the Patriots’ top receiver

The Seahawks have one of the most dominant defenses in the NFL, but one area that gets overlooked is how they can struggle against tight ends.

Per Sports Info Solutions, the Seahawks defense gave up a total of 1,044 yards in coverage to tight ends during the regular season (61.4 yards per game), which was seventh-most. Those struggles have continued into the postseason, where Seattle’s responsible for allowing the second-most yards (134) and fourth-most receptions (10), as well as the fourth-highest positive play rate (53.3%).

This obviously bodes well for the Patriots who will look to utilize tight end Hunter Henry in the passing game to help Maye get in rhythm. Henry is seventh in the league in receiving yards by a tight end with 768, and only has four drops on the season. He’s also third in the league in yards per reception at 12.8, which means he can stretch the field. Maye will have limited opportunities against the Seahawks’ secondary, but Henry will open space up in the middle of the field.

Henry will be the leading receiver with 8 catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns to help the Patriots knock off the Seahawks. – Josh Taylor, A to Z Washington

Drake Maye leads the Patriots in a category he probably doesn’t want to

I do believe the Seattle front is going to create a ton of chaos in this game. Thankfully for Drake Maye, this isn’t college. Sack yardage doesn’t count as rushing yardage, which means this bold prediction has a chance to come to life: Maye will lead the Patriots in rushing yards.

Maye was impactful with his legs in the AFC Championship Game against Denver but still did not lead the team in rushing — that honor went to Rhamondre Stevenson (71 rushing yards versus 65 for Maye). I think Maye will need to thrive outside of the scripted play once again to give the Patriots a chance in this game, in part because Seattle’s pass rush is going to force him off his spot and also because I don’t think New England profiles well to simply line up and run the ball in a traditional manner.

This is where big-time skill sets at quarterback move the needle the most: In the postseason when opposing teams have you well scouted and typically take away your first option – what do you do then?

As we saw with Maye in the AFC Championship Game, he’ll run. And I think he’ll run (and run often) once again in Super Bowl LX. – Kyle Crabbs, A to Z NFL

Christian Gonzalez locks down Jaxon Smith-Njigba

My bold prediction for the Patriots in this game is that Christian Gonzalez shuts down Jaxon Smith-Njigba, holding him to less than his 2025 average and under 100 yards.

Now, I’ll immediately hedge that bet by saying that I fully expect the Seahawks to motion, shift, and realign JSN throughout the game, but when those two are matched up, despite the All-Pro season from JSN, I think Gonzalez will do more than hold his own.

For one, Gonzalez is a bigger corner, whose length and physicality can disrupt the timing of Seattle’s bread and butter in JSN. The 2025 season saw Gonzalez allow a mere 39% completion rate when he was targeted in man coverage. Beyond that, he forced 10 pass breakups and recorded three interceptions.

Teams have shown a willingness to target Gonzaelz when he’s playing man, but it often comes with a cost. By the end of the game, I think Seattle may find that out. – Rob Gregson, A to Z NFL

Dallas Cowboys News

Jimmy Johnson makes a confession while going to war with the Pro Football Hall of Fame for Belichick decision

The former Dallas Cowboys head coach is quite angry at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he should be.

Mauricio Rodriguez