An inside look at the Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl 2026 battle in Santa Clara, Calif. sunday night:
The marquee rating
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs. Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez
In training camp, this is called “the best of the best.”
Gonzalez is among a handful of the best cover corners in the league, while Smith-Njigba rose to prominence this season, with 117 receptions (fourth most in the league), an NFL-high 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Will Gonzalez cross the field to join Smith-Njigba?
He has been lined up on the right side 72 percent of the time this season, although when the Patriots faced the Buccaneers he went with Emeka Egbuka.
The Rams in the NFC title game couldn’t slow down Smith-Njigba — gaining 153 yards and one TD. Gonzalez gives the Pats a chance to keep him in their sights, somehow. “He can do everything,” Gonzalez said. “He’s amazing.”
Four down
I’m Sam: Sam Darnold’s rise from struggling quarterback to Comeback Kid is amazing, and if he ends the campaign with a Super Bowl victory, more power to him.
What cannot be ignored is that he is still a player who likes to be changed.
His 7.2 percent turnover rate was the worst among all starting quarterbacks, according to Next Gen Stats.
He threw 14 interceptions and lost six fumbles in an NFL-high 20 turnovers.
Holding on to the ball and receiving a sack is better than handing it off to a Patriots defense that shut down CJ Stroud four times in the divisional round.
“Everybody, if you get a few hits on the quarterback and attack them in as many ways as possible, every quarterback is going to get frustrated with that and find a way to put themselves in an opportunity,” Patriots running back K’Lavon Chaisson said.
Major gameplay warning: Quarterbacks in this game ranked in the top five during the regular season in completion percentage, touchdown-to-interception ratio and yards per pass attempt of 20 or more yards down the field.
Darnold and Drake Maye can both throw it. But they’ll be facing two top defenses, in terms of preventing deep passes from reaching the end zone.
The Seahawks have allowed just one touchdown, and the Patriots have given up just two touchdowns on passes of 20 yards or more down the field. Which of these trends is winning?
It is difficult to protect: The most dominant unit in this game is Seattle’s defense, which has allowed the fewest points in the NFL this season, helped by two former big men, Leonard Williams and Julian Love.
“I would say this is the most complete defense and the most complete team I’ve been a part of,” Williams said. “Our defense is not only good at all three levels, we have depth at all three levels.”
One caveat: The Seahawks aren’t always good in the tackle department. They’ve missed 162 balls this season — 12th most of any defense, according to Pro Football Focus, and 102 have been missed against the pass.
May Day: When all else fails, run. That’s not the Patriots Way, but if it works, why not?
Maye in the AFC Championship game came up with a bootleg-handoff-handoff run on third-and-5 for his first touchdown and sealed the deal with a 10-7 victory over the Broncos.
He led the league in first downs (27) and was third in total yards (432) during the regular season. He has run it nearly seven times a game since Week 15.
If the Seahawks’ defense is strong than weak, it’s containing opposing quarterbacks, who are averaging 5.3 rushing yards per game, fourth most in the league.
Answer from Paul: Seahawks 23, Patriots 19
