Happy Super Bowl week.
This season’s largest recreation options acquainted groups and new faces. The New England Patriots have made the Super Bowl for a report twelfth time, and the Seattle Seahawks are in for the fourth time. For probably the most half, although, this can be unfamiliar territory for the present gamers. For the Patriots, solely 5 gamers have Super Bowl expertise. For the Seahawks, it’s 4.
The Seahawks are coming into as 4.5-point favorites, and bettors are backing Seattle. But there are some things that I believe individuals are taking part in prisoner to the second as they mission this Super Bowl. So let’s get into the nitty-gritty.
This is “Sound Smart,” the place we put together you every week with observations from the NFL information cycle. If I do my job, you’ll be fluent within the league’s most vital subjects.
1. IF THERE’S ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW AHEAD OF THE SUPER BOWL, IT’S THAT ….
Don’t be stunned if the 2 Super Bowl quarterbacks make a large number of the postseason narrative. (OR: We are overestimating Sam Darnold and underestimating Drake Maye.)
Sam Darnold is recent off the very best recreation of his life. That’s not hyperbole. In a duel towards the Rams, Darnold performed out of his thoughts towards pass-rush strain — and in a extremely pressurized state of affairs. The L.A. protection had a knack for making Darnold appear to be whole crap, in spite of everything.
But Darnold rose to the event in a manner we’ve by no means seen him do earlier than. And he did it regardless of an indirect damage that largely held him out of shape.
That doesn’t essentially imply he can do it once more.
I’d like to suppose Darnold has modified — endlessly. That he’ll by no means once more see ghosts. That he’ll by no means once more throw 4 interceptions in a recreation. But keep in mind: He did precisely that simply 10 video games in the past.
And simply two video games in the past, the Patriots intercepted Texans QB C.J. Stroud 4 occasions. (And they made Chargers QB Justin Herbert look horrible within the wild-card spherical. (And clearly, Broncos backup Jarrett Stidham regarded like a hapless backup within the AFC Championship Game.) This Patriots protection is wise. The unit is a bear lure, simply hoping to snag Darnold’s leg.
He’s an amazing story. He’s an excellent dude. And he has helped warning groups and media members from prematurely labeling a participant “a bust.” It’s an exquisite narrative, and it is vital. But we will’t make certain it’ll have an exquisite ending — simply because that is neat and tidy for America.
Maybe Darnold has modified. But we should always entertain the concept that Mike Vrabel may outsmart the generally erratic Seahawks quarterback.
And then there’s Drake Maye, who has landed on the alternative finish of the spectrum.
Maye constructed his MVP marketing campaign and the Patriots’ regular-season success upon his uncommon effectivity throwing downfield. The second-year professional led the league in yards per try (8.9) and completion share (72%), a logic-defying set of complementary statistics.
But within the postseason towards elite defenses (just like the one he’ll see within the Super Bowl), Maye has regressed. Through three postseason video games, he has accomplished simply 34.6% of his downfield passes (9-of-26) and has gone 0-for-7 on downfield passes into tight home windows, per Next Gen Stats.
New England’s offense cannot attain the identical components of the sphere — they don’t seem to be as explosive or as threatening.
The Patriots QB has tried to compensate along with his legs — producing first downs on the bottom. And that has helped sufficient to get wins for New England towards groups with lesser offenses. But Maye has been restricted by a proper shoulder damage. Plus, he missed observe due to sickness on Friday. The Seahawks’ protection was the No. 1 scoring protection within the NFL. And even when the Patriots can work out how to rating, Seattle’s offense is proficient sufficient to win in a shootout. We noticed that final week.
If you have a look at what Maye has carried out within the playoffs up to now, you’d suppose he and the Patriots cannot deal with a shootout.
If you have a look at what Maye did within the common season, you’d suppose he may.
The Patriots will want to work out how to get Maye and the offense to recapture their regular-season magic. Or else.
With Darnold, you have got a extremely good participant who will sometimes play the worst recreation you’ve got ever seen. With Maye, you have got a regular-season MVP candidate whose protection has helped him enormously within the playoffs.
Which model of these fascinating quarterbacks will present up on Super Bowl Sunday?
2. HE SAID WHAT?!
At this time final week, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald stated he’d “watched like five plays” from the Patriots. So you may wager it was a busy week for him.
I believe that is an attention-grabbing piece of perspective about how the Super Bowl works — and perhaps why each groups get a lot time to put together for it.
These groups haven’t seen one another since September 2024. Macdonald was teaching that Seahawks staff, however he was teaching towards a very totally different Patriots staff. Even at quarterback, the place Jacoby Brissett began over Maye.
New England underwent a full-scale rebuild when it employed Mike Vrabel in January 2025, turning over the roster and the teaching employees and constructing round Maye, whom the Patriots drafted two years in the past. Macdonald has been in Seattle for under two years and Darnold is in his first season.
Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel weren’t a part of the equation when the Patriots final performed the Seahawks. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
These two organizations have embraced full-scale change on the same two-year horizon.
The groups had scouts at one another’s video games. Their professional scouting departments had began the method. But the teaching staffs generally do not flip the web page till they’ve received their convention championship recreation. Then it’s a full dash.
The Seahawks haven’t had to do that but this postseason. Both their opponents had been division rivals the place the matchup was their third of the yr.
And not solely did Macdonald admit that he hadn’t gotten into the Patriots movie. He additionally admitted he was planning to get on the cellphone with coaches like John Harbaugh to choose their brains about how the Super Bowl week ought to get laid out — and the way he ought to design and set up Seattle’s recreation plan.
Everything is a bit totally different in Super Bowl week. The bye week provides extra time. The logistics eat away at the moment. (Players will spend time getting tickets for family members, bussing round a busy metropolis to get to observe and media obligations, attending advertising and different money-making alternatives.) Even the halftime is unusually lengthy, given there’s an abridged live performance.
Coaches have to work out not simply how to maintain this stuff from turning into distractions but additionally how to make a few of these oddities work for them.
3. TEN THINGS I THINK I THINK ABOUT …
The NFL hiring and firing cycle.
1. Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak (and projected Raiders head coach) was probably the most spectacular offensive coordinator within the league this season — after Patriots OC Josh McDaniels. Kubiak must be excellent in teaching up Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, the projected No. 1 general choose.
Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak will reportedly take over the Raiders after the Super Bowl. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
2. New Giants coach John Harbaugh made an incredible first impression on QB Jaxson Dart.
“Jax loves him! He’s excited!” Dart’s father, Brandon, texted me. The Dart-Harbaugh tandem ought to shock people subsequent yr within the NFC East.
3. Joe Brady pulled the Bills out of a tailspin.
Firing Sean McDermott was the correct factor to do, however the messaging obtained convoluted — and Bills proprietor Terry Pegula got here away trying silly. But in his introductory presser, Brady made a powerful impression.
4. Brady can be clever to make heavy use of his newly-hired OC, Pete Carmichael from the Broncos.
Carmichael comes from the Sean Payton teaching tree and may assist push the Bills again into extra vertical passing. (Brady was notorious for his obsession with the WR display recreation, however that may have been out of necessity due to weak personnel at that place.) (*3*) a Broncos supply instructed me. “I know the QBs really loved him. He’s a great guy and smart.”
5. This Eagles’ offensive coordinator search had some purple flags.
Multiple Philly OC candidates withdrew their names from consideration or took different jobs: Mike McDaniel, LSU OC Charlie Weis Jr., Bears OC Declan Doyle, Bobby Slowik and Zac Robinson. It says one thing that the Eagles struggled to discover a coordinator for this Super Bowl-winning staff that options Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
6. The Eagles landed on Sean Mannion, who was a backup quarterback as just lately as 2023 and rose rapidly with the Packers.
He did wonders with Jordan Love in Green Bay, the place they ran an efficiency-based passing assault. That offensive philosophy labored effectively for the Eagles in 2024 on their Super Bowl run.
7. Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy seem to have gotten Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah fired.
It was exhausting to come again from transferring on from Darnold (now within the Super Bowl!) and committing to McCarthy (empirically the worst starter within the NFL final yr). And it appeared just like the GM virtually did. But on Jan. 30, the Vikings let him go — which is an awfully late level within the offseason. But it looks like, after conversations with coach Kevin O’Connell, the GM wasn’t on the identical web page transferring ahead. (That makes me suppose McCarthy is nearly completed in Minnesota.)
Has Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell misplaced religion in QB J.J. McCarthy after one season beneath heart? (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
8. Mike McDaniel, Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh are the proper match — or a catastrophe.
Stylistically, McDaniel and Harbaugh are on reverse sides of the spectrum, from their garments to their play designs to their mannerisms. McDaniel is inventive. He’s centered on what’s new and is a bit eccentric. He’s additionally obsessive about velocity. Harbaugh is a traditionalist who loves to pound the rock. This might be superior: ying and yang. This is also horrible. I’m pulling up a front-row seat, as a result of Herbert’s prime years are on the road.
9. New Ravens coach Jesse Minter employed former Bears assistant Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator — and Ben Johnson’s teaching tree has its first apple to fall.
Minter seems to be an elite younger defensive thoughts. He’ll deal with that facet of the ball. Can Doyle assistance on offense with Lamar Jackson? Hopefully, Doyle had sufficient time to absorb Johnson’s magic.
10. The Broncos firing OC Joe Lombardi appeared to be about retaining Davis Webb.
Webb could be the Bills’ offensive coordinator proper now, if Sean Payton hadn’t promoted him from offensive move recreation coordinator and quarterbacks coach to OC.
In Sound Smart, we’re diving deeper and pondering outdoors the field concerning the week that was in NFL motion.
