Super Bowl LX: A Tale of Two Betting Underdogs

Back in 2015, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks battled it out for Super Bowl XLIX. The 28-24 victory for the Patriots was an instant classic, later viewed as being in contention for the greatest Super Bowl ever. It had everything, not least a dose of controversy with the fabled “Deflategate.” 

As is now known, those two teams will be taking to the field for Super Bowl LX, but to say that things are different now is an understatement. In 2015, the Seahawks came into the game as reigning champions, having destroyed the Broncos the year before in one of the most one-sided games in Super Bowl history. And the Patriots, they were the Patriots, with Tom Brady at his peak. 

Teams’ Preseason Odds Were Huge 

Cut forward to Super Bowl 26, and very few pundits would have picked this as their matchup. In the Super Bowl LX futures odds at the beginning of the season, the Patriots were 80/1 shots. The Seahawks were 60/1. Both teams represent the second and third longest-odds of making a Super Bowl ever, though both have been eclipsed by the 150/1 odds of the St Louis Rams in 1999/2000, which is perhaps the greatest underdog story in the history of the NFL. 

Nevertheless, we arrive at this game in a curious position. Basically, you have two underdogs that have never looked like underdogs throughout the season. The Seahawks, in particular, look like a team full of polished veterans, not a team that has missed the Playoffs in the past two seasons. Their dismantling of the 49ers in the Divisional Round is a testament to their explosive offense, as is their blow-by-blow contest with the Rams – one of the teams really fancied this season – in the NFC Conference Final. 

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As for the Patriots, the team has been led by an MVP-worthy campaign from quarterback Drake Maye. He started the majority of last season’s games, where the Patriots recorded just four wins, but he has been the breakout star of the NFL this season, leading the Patriots to a 14-3 regular season and looking pretty unflappable in the Pats’ three postseason wins. 

The Seahawks Are Taking On Money

The Seahawks are the clear money-line betting favorites, though it feels like it will be a little closer than what the odds suggest. One of the reasons for this is that the Seahawks have come through more tough tests, especially in the postseason. The Patriots have been fortuitous at times, including just before the AFC Final, where they played against a Broncos team that had just its starting quarterback, Bo Nix, to injury. 

Yet, people have been saying that the Patriots would run out of steam all season, and they simply have not let up. You can’t fluke a 17-win campaign in the NFL, and the Patriots could easily make it 18 at Levi’s Stadium. They will need to suss out a game plan against the team with the best defense in the league, and a team that probably has the best balanced attack, too. That will be tough, but Mike Vrabel – who has rightly been tagged as the coach of the year – is a canny customer. 

This game looks intriguing, and it comes after an NFL season that always seemed to go off script. We have seen some huge upsets, including some incredible comebacks. These two underdogs who no longer fit that tag could finish off one of the best NFL seasons we have seen in a long time.