Who are you picking to win the Super Bowl? - Super Bowl 60

[Gori the Grey]

You're welcome to find a way to pick BOTH (2) Teams!

Feel free to find a way of picking both teams so you can claim "See I was right!" or "We won!" or "I'm happy with the result" regardless of who wins... that's fine ... By all means explain/defend your pick if you're just picking one team but also feel free to hedge, because that's fine

Things people might want to say for the Super Bowl (to try to justify picking both teams):

1. I WANT Team X to win but I THINK Team Y will win = Fine

2. I HAVE TO cheer for Team X (because my cousin, best friend etc is affiliated, or I have some other "connection" to the team) but I also WANT TO see Team Y win because (I'm from the town, or near it or have some other "connection" to the team) = Fine

3. I THINK Team X is the better team and SHOULD win but I'm PULLING FOR Team Y (because "I think XYZ player is a really good person" or "I hate so and so" or "Player XYZ is my favourite at so-and-so position" or some other reason/connection (see #1 and #2) = Fine

4. I'm not a fan of either team so I don't care who wins... but if I have to pick I'd say (see #1,2 or 3) = Fine

Pick either ONE or BOTH teams.

 

[Sommerswerd]

I've been wondering for years how long it was going to take you to do this

I spent all those minutes looking for a nice Patriots v. Seahawks image only to come here and find myself pre-empted

Well done good sir! I officially hand off the annual responsibility to you from now on

 

[caketastydelish]

The last time I checked the spread was 5 points in favor of the Seahawks winning. Unless key Seahawks players have injuries or off-the-field issues preventing them from playing between now and gametime, I'd say that's a fair spread. The Patriots have had a good run this season, but they are built nothing like the teams that have beaten the Seahawks in the past. Drake Maye has had a great season. Their weapons on offense are above average, but not exceptional. Nobody like Gronk. The last time these teams met in the super bowl the Seahawks had no truly great wide receiver. Doug Baldwin, their best weapon at the time was above average, but not elite. JSN is arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. At a bare minimum, he's somewhere in the top 3. No receiver the Seahawks had then was remotely in that conversation.

Stastically the Patriots defense this season is similar to the 2014 team, but the devil is in the details. That team faced average difficulty in terms of opposition. This Patriots team this season, however, had an exceptionally easy schedule. Not just in the regular season, but also in the playoffs. A Chargers team depleted of offensive lineman. A Texans team without Nico Collins (their elite, best weapon on offense). A Broncos team without their starting quarterback.

You can bring up "but the Seahawks beat an injured 49ers team" but they DOMINATED them. I didn't see the Patriots doing that nearly as much to anyone in the playoffs.
Both the Rams and the Seahawks are a stronger team, on both sides of the ball, than the Patriots. Whoever won the NFC Championship game was always going to win the super bowl in my mind, considering the opposition is the Patriots. If the Broncos still had Bo Nix (and they were in the super bowl) I would be genuinely worried, but the Patriots don't have the talent.

And Vbrael is obviously a good coach, but McDonald is better. The Ravens had the best defense in the league when he was their defensive coordinator. Then 2 years later the Ravens defense is in shambles, and this is the best Seahawks defense since their previous Super Bowl run. That's not a coincidence. Drake Maye could only score 10 points aganist the Broncos and that's despite the Broncos defense having practically no help on the other side of the ball. Christian Gonzalez is a great corner, but the Seahawks played them (in New England) in 2024 and JSN had a 117 yard game against him. And JSN is having a much better season this year than then.

Even in the last super bowl, we only lost because Bevell, our offensive coordinator at the time, was an idiot. Kubiak is no idiot. He has been getting head coaching offers for a reason.

edit: Here is a list of all the times the Patriots have played the Seahawks in the last 15 years. As the graph demonstrates, the Seahawks have won five out of 6. They only won the one game because of a boneheaded decision, but the Seahawks no longer have an idiot as an offensive coordinator. Drake Maye has had a great season, but so has Matthew Stafford. But Stafford has much better weapons to throw the ball to, and still couldn't outscore the Seahawks. Finally, according to DVOA metrics the Seahawks had the best special teams this season. The Patriots is above average (ranked 9th) but still a noticeable dropoff in performance. In all three phases of the game (offense defense special teams) the Seahawks have the edge, so i'm taking them not only to win but to cover the spread.

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Sep 15, 2024	Seahawks	23-20	Regular Season
Sep 20, 2020	Seahawks	35-30	Regular Season
Nov 13, 2016	Seahawks	31-24	Regular Season
Feb 1, 2015	Patriots	28-24	Super Bowl XLIX
Oct 14, 2012	Seahawks	24-23	Regular Season

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[caketastydelish]

To avoid accusations of hedging, I'm taking the Seahawks no matter what happens. Devastating injuries to star players could excuse the loss, but does not change who I'm taking to win.

 

[Gori the Grey]

Dude, it's the single year you've been given permission to hedge!

 

[caketastydelish]

Under normal circumstances I would take that into consideration, but I'm a diehard Seahawks fan. And not a bandwagon fan, they have consistently been my team as long as I've watched the NFL in general (which is since 2014). They have been my team for 12 years and I'm taking them to my grave. If the Seahawks weren't in the super bowl hedging might be tempting but not in this case.

 

[danjuno]

The Patriots are an (admittedly distant) second to the Cowboys in term of "I automatically root for whoever their playing against". So yeah, even if they were a colossal underdog, I'd still support the Seahawks.