Why Patriots-Seahawks Is ‘Unlikeliest’ Super Bowl Matchup Ever
It’s a great day for anyone who wagered on the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks to clash in Super Bowl LX before the 2025 season began.
Mike Vrabel erased the stench of consecutive four-win campaigns by steering New England to an AFC championship in his first season as head coach. Meanwhile, Mike Macdonald unlocked another gear in Seattle after five years without a playoff victory.
Neither team entered the fall as a popular championship choice. The Athletic’s Mike Sando noted that the Patriots and Seahawks created the “unlikeliest” matchup in Super Bowl history based on preseason odds.
The Seahawks began the season with 60-1 odds of reaching the Super Bowl, and the Patriots were an even bigger longshot at 80-1. That yields combined 4800-1 odds of them competing for the Lombardi Trophy.
Anyone who bet $100 on the Patriots winning the AFC with that line would have won $8,000. A $100 wager on the Patriots and Seahawks playing in the Super Bowl at 4800-1 would have netted a $480,000 profit.
Even those optimistic about New England taking a big leap under Vrabel and Drake Maye were likely thinking playoffs more than the Super Bowl. After all, the Patriots hadn’t won a postseason contest in six years after Tom Brady led them to their sixth championship.
New England exceeded expectations by going 14-3 and winning the AFC East title. The Patriots have ceded 26 combined points in playoff wins over the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and Denver Broncos.
The Seahawks didn’t take as colossal a rags-to-riches jump, as they won 10 games under Macdonald in 2024. Yet they entered the season as a fringe playoff contender often predicted to finish behind the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West.
Replacing Geno Smith with Sam Darnold paid off handsomely for the Seahawks, who went 14-3 with the NFL’s best scoring margin (+191). They’ve scored 72 points in statement playoff wins over the 49ers and Rams.
The Patriots and Seahawks will meet in the unlikely Super Bowl matchup on Sunday, Feb. 8.