Drake Maye is fast becoming a superstar. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is arguably the NFL’s best receiver. Christian Gonzalez is on the shortlist of elite cornerbacks. Labeled a bust at the start of his career, Sam Darnold is firmly a top-10 quarterback these days.
There’s star power on both sides of the Super Bowl LX matchup, but which team truly has the edge?
Here’s a position-by-position comparison of the Seahawks and Patriots, who’ll square off Sunday for the Lombardi Trophy:
Quarterback
Seahawks: Sam Darnold
Patriots: Drake Maye
Darnold has had his issues in big games and had his share of turnovers this season, but he’s flipped the narrative of his career, especially by helping the Seahawks reach the Super Bowl. The two-time Pro Bowler was terrific in the NFC Championship Game, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns. In two playoff games, he has four total touchdowns with a 122.4 passer rating and zero turnovers.
Maye, meanwhile, hasn’t been as sharp in the playoffs as he was in the regular season. Widely believed to be a top-two finalist for NFL MVP, the former North Carolina star has completed just 55.8% of his passes for 533 yards and four touchdowns with five turnovers (two interceptions, three lost fumbles) and an 84.0 passer rating in three postseason games.
He’s done enough to help the Patriots reach this point — Maye had 10 carries for 65 yards in the AFC Championship Game, including the game-clinching third-down conversion just inside the two-minute warning — but New England’s defense has led the charge. Maye is also dealing with an injury to his throwing shoulder coming out of the AFC title game.
Advantage: Seahawks
Running back
Seahawks: Kenneth Walker III
Patriots: TreVeyon Henderson, Rhamondre Stevenson
Entering the playoffs, both teams boasted strong running back tandems. But the Seahawks’ duo has been cut in half, as Zach Charbonnet — their leading touchdown scorer in 2025 with 12 — suffered a season-ending knee injury in the divisional round against the San Francisco 49ers.
Walker has been left to take the bulk of the touches, but he’s responded in a big way. He had 19 carries for 116 yards and three touchdowns in the divisional round, then 23 touches for 111 scrimmage yards and a score in the NFC title game.
Kenneth Walker III lit up the Rams in the NFC Championship Game for 111 total yards and this touchdown. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
For New England, rookie back Henderson was the leading rusher during the regular season, but it’s been Stevenson leading the way in the playoffs. The veteran tailback has 51 carries for 194 rushing yards compared to Henderson’s 24 carries for 57 yards. The Pats’ lone rushing touchdown this postseason, though, came courtesy of Maye in the AFC championship.
Advantage: Seahawks
Wide receiver
Seahawks: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed
Patriots: Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas
Smith-Njigba was arguably the best wide receiver in football this season, leading the league with 1,793 receiving yards. Then he had 115 yards and a touchdown in the first half of the NFC Championship Game, including a one-handed grab for a first down.
The Patriots have a true No. 1 receiver of their own in Stefon Diggs, but he’s been quiet these playoffs. The four-time Pro Bowler has just 73 receiving yards and a touchdown in three postseason games.
Seattle may have the superior top-end talent at wide receiver, but New England has more depth at the position. The Patriots had four wide receivers with at least 400 receiving yards in the regular season (Diggs, Hollins, Boutte, Douglas) compared to just two for the Seahawks (Smith-Njigba, Kupp).
Advantage: Patriots
Tight end
Seahawks: A.J. Barner
Patriots: Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper
Barner is one of the better young tight ends in the NFL, but the Patriots have more depth at the position with Henry and Hooper, who combined for 81 receptions for 1,031 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025.
An every down tight end for Seattle, Barner has just two catches for 13 yards in two playoff games. Henry and Hooper have caught a combined seven passes for 95 yards this postseason, including a 64-yard performance by Henry in the divisional round.
Advantage: Patriots
Offensive line
Seahawks: LT Charles Cross, LG Grey Zabel, C Jalen Sundell, RG Anthony Bradford, RT Abraham Lucas
Patriots: LT Will Campbell, LG Jared Wilson, C Garrett Bradbury, RG Mike Onwenu, RT Morgan Moses
The Seahawks clear the Patriots when it comes to pass protection. Seattle ranked fifth in sacks and pressure rate allowed during the regular season, compared to 23rd and 26th for the Patriots in the same categories, respectively. While Darnold has been sacked just five times in two playoff games, Maye has been sacked five times in each of New England’s postseason games.
The Patriots ranked higher than the Seahawks in rushing offense in 2025 (New England was sixth; Seattle tied for 10th), but the latter has had the more effective rushing attack in the playoffs. The Seahawks have four rushing touchdowns to the Patriots’ one.
Advantage: Seahawks
Defensive line/Outside linebacker
Seahawks: DE DeMarcus Lawrence, DT Byron Murphy II, DT Leonard Williams, DE Derick Hall, OLB Uchenna Nwosu
Patriots: OLB Harold Landry, DE Christian Barmore, NT Khyiris Tonga, DE Milton Williams
The Seahawks arguably had a top-three defensive line in football this season, boasting incredible depth up front. Six of Seattle’s D-linemen generated at least 30 pressures, according to Next Gen Stats. No other team had more than four linemen do that.
Veteran defensive lineman Leonard Williams (99), the sixth overall pick in the 2015 draft, is going to his first career Super Bowl in Year 11. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
The Patriots’ defensive line has been terrific in these playoffs, but the team may be shorthanded in the Super Bowl. Landry, who led New England with 8.5 sacks during the regular season, sat out the AFC Championship Game with a lingering knee issue.
Advantage: Seahawks
Inside Linebacker
Seahawks: ILB Drake Thomas, ILB Ernest Jones IV
Patriots: ILB Robert Spillane, ILB Christian Elliss
The Seahawks have the best inside linebacker in this matchup in Jones, who had 126 tackles, seven pass breakups, and five interceptions (one pick-six) in the regular season.
Spillane’s status for the Super Bowl is unclear. He injured his ankle in the first quarter of the AFC Championship Game and didn’t return.
Advantage: Seahawks
Cornerback/nickel
Seahawks: Devon Witherspoon, Josh Jobe, Riq Woolen, Nick Emmanwori (nickel)
Patriots: Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, Marcus Jones (nickel)
Gonzalez, the Patriots’ No. 1 cornerback, has gotten more attention nationally in New England’s run to the Super Bowl. He has four pass breakups these playoffs, including a late interception that helped the Patriots secure the AFC championship.
Patriots corner Christian Gonzalez earned his first Pro Bowl nod this season after being an All-Pro last year. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
The Seahawks, however, have more depth at corner. Witherspoon has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his three NFL seasons, while both Jobe and Woolen ranked in the top five in fewest yards allowed per target in man coverage in 2025, per NGS. Emmanwori, a rookie second-round pick, gave up just two catches on five targets for eight yards against the Rams’ explosive offense in the NFC title game.
Advantage: Seahawks
Safety
Seahawks: Coby Bryant, Julian Love
Patriots: Jaylinn Hawkins, Craig Woodson
The Seahawks’ safety tandem appears to have a bit more playmaking upside. Bryant and Love combined for five interceptions and 13 pass breakups in 2025, compared to four picks and nine passes defensed for Hawkins and Woodson.
The Patriots’ duo has stood out in the playoffs, though. Hawkins and Woodson have a combined 30 tackles, including 20 from Woodson, who also has a quarterback hit, an interception, four pass breakups and a fumble recovery in three postseason games.
Advantage: Patriots
Specialists
Seahawks: Jason Myers (K), Michael Dickson (P), Rashid Shaheed (PR/KR), Chris Stoll (LS)
Patriots: Andy Borregales (K), Bryce Baringer (P), Marcus Jones (PR), Kyle Williams (KR), Julian Ashby (LS)
Acquired from the New Orleans Saints, Shaheed has become one of the great midseason additions in recent NFL history for the Seahawks. He was named to his second career Pro Bowl as a returner, and he’s continued his terrific play in the playoffs. In the divisional round, Shaheed returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. He also caught a 51-yard pass in the NFC title game.
If the Super Bowl comes down to the wire, will the Patriots be able to trust Borregales, a rookie kicker? The sixth-round pick missed two field goals in the AFC Championship Game, though that was in bad weather conditions in Denver.
