The stage is about for Tremendous Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (6:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock), the place the New England Patriots will conflict with the Seattle Seahawks in a showdown that guarantees excessive drama and unforgettable performs.
Quarterbacks Drake Maye (Patriots) and Sam Darnold (Seahawks) have steered their groups to the game’s largest stage, however even one of the best signal-callers want a supporting forged that may make historical past.
Listed below are the ten greatest non-QBs within the sport, ranked in reverse order:
10. Patriots proper guard Mike Onwenu
Onwenu will face one in all his largest exams within the Tremendous Bowl. The Seahawks’ formidable pass-rush tied for seventh within the league in sacks (47) through the common season. He needs to be up for the problem.
Per Pro Football Focus, Onwenu allowed simply two sacks on 648 pass-block snaps within the common season. PFF also noted he was the one O-lineman to permit zero pressures within the AFC and NFC title. New England, after all, beat the Denver Broncos 10-7 within the AFC Championship Recreation.
9. Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III
At Tremendous Bowl media row on Wednesday, former Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander told NFL Network that “[Walker] appears to be like like a smaller model of [himself].”
Walker (5-foot-9, 211 kilos) is powering the Seahawks floor assault, simply as Alexander (5-foot-11, 225 kilos) did when he gained 2005 NFL MVP after speeding for a franchise-record 1,half of 1 mile in 16 regular-season video games.
Walker ranks third within the postseason in speeding yards (178) and first in speeding TDs (4). The fourth-year RB ran for 1,027 yards in 17 regular-season video games, the second-best mark of his profession.
8. Patriots DE Milton Williams
As of Friday, DraftKings Sportsbook lists Seattle as a 4.5-point favourite over New England in Tremendous Bowl LX. Williams clearly would not thoughts being the underdog.
“It actually do not matter who they decide, who they like. We have got to go on the market and play. And, you already know, we go on the market and win the sport, we’ll see how a lot they acquired to say,” he said Wednesday (h/t Phil Perry of NBC Sports activities Boston).
Williams — who helped the Philadelphia Eagles win their second Tremendous Bowl final season — may again up that declare. Sports Info Solutions credited the fifth-year DE with a mean sort out depth of 0.9 yards, a profession greatest. (Common sort out depth measures the common distance a defender makes a sort out behind the road of scrimmage.)
7. Seahawks security Nick Emmanwori
Emmanwori (6-foot-3, 220 kilos) nearly appears to be like like somebody out of science fiction. San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner told ESPN’s Mina Kimes the rookie security reminds him of “an Avatar,” the blue characters from director James Cameron’s blockbuster movies.
Emmanwori’s mixture of dimension and athleticism makes the 2025 Defensive Rookie of the 12 months finalist a defensive cornerstone for Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald. In the course of the common season, he ranked third on the workforce in tackles (81) and passes defended (11).
The previous South Carolina Gamecocks star injured his proper ankle throughout Wednesday’s apply. Nonetheless, he said he plans to play Sunday.
6. Seahawks LB Ernest Jones IV
Jones hoisted the Lombardi Trophy throughout his rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. However his second journey to the Tremendous Bowl is extra significant. He is dedicating it to his father, Ernest Jones Jr., who died of most cancers in July 2024.
“It enhances it rather a lot,” Jones mentioned Tuesday, per John Boyle of the Seahawks’ web site. “It is tremendous emotional once I take into consideration him. However this sport, I am doing what he needed me to do. He is all the time pleased with me, he likes to see me play soccer, so I will go give it all the things I’ve acquired.”
Enjoying to honor his father has helped gasoline a profession 12 months for Ernest Jones IV. He tied for second within the NFL in interceptions (5) and 18th in tackles (126), incomes a second-team All-Professional nod.
5. Seahawks DE Leonard Williams
Surprisingly, Williams is an avid player of “Magic: The Gathering,” the favored buying and selling card sport. Seahawks followers would say his play has been magic for the workforce’s protection this season.
Williams totaled seven sacks in 17 regular-season video games, incomes a second-team All-Professional nod. Pro Football Focus credits him with 66 pressures (together with playoffs), the third-best mark amongst inside D-linemen.
4. Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez
Gonzalez has one interception this season (together with playoffs), however do not let that idiot you. He stays a stellar cowl nook. Per Sports Info Solutions, he allowed simply 26 completions and two TD catches on 61 targets in 14 regular-season video games.
Maybe he’ll seize one other key decide on Sunday. On Jan. 29, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel mentioned the CB has been impacting the sport on a “better degree” all through the postseason.
3. Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon
Macdonald indicated Witherspoon was a very powerful participant on Seattle’s protection — No. 1 within the league in factors allowed (17.1) coming into Tremendous Bowl LX — on Thursday.
“He is a part of the engine that makes the entire thing go,” the coach said (h/t Ari Horton of the workforce web site). “He is in all probability the sparkplug behind the entire thing.”
Witherspoon allowed only one TD catch on 33 targets through the common season (via Sports Info Solutions), incomes a second-team All-Professional nod.
2. Patriots WR Stefon Diggs
On Wednesday, Diggs revealed he thought of signing with the Broncos in free company as an alternative of the Patriots due to his relationship with Davis Webb, who was recently promoted from passing sport coordinator to offensive coordinator. He performed with the previous backup QB when nonetheless with the Buffalo Payments in 2021. Denver needs the WR had chosen in another way after the AFC Championship Recreation loss to New England.
The Patriots gave Diggs a three-year, $63.5M contract in free company, regardless that an ACL tear in his proper knee restricted him to eight video games with the Houston Texans in 2024. That threat has paid off for New England.
Diggs tallied 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and 4 TD catches in 17 regular-season video games. He was named a 2025 Comeback Participant of the 12 months finalist.
1. Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Macdonald is grateful 2025 Offensive Participant of the 12 months Smith-Njigba performs for him.
“Can you place three guys on him?” the coach joked when requested how he would cease the wideout throughout his Tuesday information convention.
Even that won’t gradual the star wideout. In the course of the common season, he led the NFL in receiving yards (1,793) and tied for sixth in TD catches (10). As of Friday, FanDuel Sportsbook offers him the third-best Tremendous Bowl LX MVP odds (+550), behind Maye (+230) and Darnold (+115).
