NFL Ultimate Guide: The players, the coaches and the ads here’s everything you need to know for Super Bowl LX

Every season, all 32 NFL franchises make bets they hope will pay off in the Super Bowl, from roster and coaching decisions to on-field strategies, and the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots are no different. Time and time again, Seattle and New England made some of the riskiest gambles in the league, and, as any gambler will tell you, the more legs you add to a multi-bet, the longer the odds of success. But the potential payout increases, too, and hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, in Super Bowl LX on Monday is the ultimate jackpot. Here’s everything you need to know about the biggest game in US professional sport, including how an Aussie could be the difference. ROAD TO SANTA CLARA SEAHAWKS: Seattle faced a crossroads last offseason as it contemplated the second year under defensive-minded head coach Mike Macdonald. The team shocked the league by parting ways with incumbent quarterback Geno Smith and signing ex-Vikings passer Sam Darnold, a former high draft pick who had flamed out at previous stops. Pairing Darnold with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was a masterstroke and just got the latter a job next season as head coach of the Raiders. The team also bet on a big jump from Macdonald’s defence in Year 2 and it paid off, with that unit entering the Super Bowl as the nastiest in the NFL. The D is giving Legion of Boom vibes, after throttling the 49ers, 41-6, in the Divisional Round of the playoffs and making enough plays to beat the Rams, 31-7, in the NFC Conference Championship. PATRIOTS: If Seattle faced a crossroads, New England faced a crisis. First-year head coach Jerod Mayo was axed after finishing 4-13 last season. A far cry from the Tom Brady dynasty. Desperately needing stability around promising sophomore QB Drake Maye, the team hired the respected Mike Vrabel, who’d been sacked as Titans head coach in 2024. Vrabel, a former Coach of the Year, won Super Bowls as a player with Brady in New England and brought that experience to Foxborough. It paid off. After a league-leading cash splurge on free agents, which almost never works out, the Pats feasted on a cupcake schedule. Any doubts were removed in the postseason, when New England beat three of the Top 5 defences in the NFL in the Chargers, Texans and, in the Conference Championship, Denver. However, it’s worth noting the Chargers’ offence was decimated by injuries, Texans QB CJ Stroud imploded and the Denver game ended in a blizzard. THE QUARTERBACKS SEAHAWKS: Sam Darnold’s journey to Super Bowl LX is wild. Drafted at No.3 overall by the Jets in 2018, the QB only lasted three seasons in New York and infamously said he was “seeing ghosts” on the field when under pressure. He was traded to the lowly Panthers, where he couldn’t win the starting job, but had his career resuscitated as a backup for Kyle Shanihan’s 49ers. He then landed in Minnesota, where an injury to presumptive starter JJ McCarthy last season thrust him into the starting lineup and he played the best ball of his career. Except at the pointy end of the season when it mattered most, reverting to a pumpkin, prompting the Vikings to let him go. Since arriving in Seattle, Darnold has reminded us he has a cannon for an arm, but also is prone to errors, leading the league in turnovers. He had four interceptions in one game alone this season (the Rams in Week 9), but notably only four total picks since. FYI, the team that had him seeing ghosts? Yep, the Patriots. PATRIOTS: Second-year phenomenon Drake Maye just missed out on winning the NFL MVP award to Rams passer Matt Stafford. In fact, when all the votes were tallied, it was the closest finish since 2003, when Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were named co-winners. That tells you just how good Maye has been, which is backed up by nearly every advanced metric there is, while he also amassed 450 rushing yards with four touchdowns on the ground. Most impressively, the young gunslinger has done it with a supporting cast most pundits would describe as adequate at best. His partnership with Brady’s old offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, looks to have this team on the brink of at least a decade of Super Bowl contention. It’s not good news - keep an eye on the niggling injury to Maye’s throwing shoulder. THE COACHES SEAHAWKS: Macdonald became the hot name on the coaching carousal in 2024 after two years as defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, leading one of the league’s best units on that side of the ball. His scheme got the most out of his players and established an identity for the whole franchise, which is exactly what Seattle needed when it moved on from Super Bowl-winning coach Pete Carroll. In Year 2, with a defence completely retooled under his watch, Macdonald proved why he was the right pick, but his key move was adding Kubiak as OC. With an offence that chases explosive plays and an aggressive D, the Seahawks are excellently coached. PATRIOTS: When he was in Tennessee, Vrabel took the Titans all the way to the No.1 seed in the AFC with Ryan Tannehill at QB. That achievement looks even better in hindsight, proving just what a fine motivator of men the former Patriots linebacker is. By all reports, the time between head coaching gigs has been instructive for Vrabel, and he brought some new tricks to New England. But the cornerstone of his philosophy as a coach is good fundamentals and looking to exploit any edge you can. Hey, it’s the Patriot Way. Vrable was just named NFL Coach of the Year and McDaniels as Assistant Coach of the Year. Defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was an even bigger winner – he was just declared cancer free after a season-long battle with prostate cancer, and will be back on the sideline for Super Bowl LX. THE X-FACTORS SEAHAWKS: Seattle’s seemingly endless array of pass rushers on the defensive line are set to be the biggest needle-mover on the gridiron in Super Bowl LX. Especially against Patriots rookie left tackle Will Campbell, who has been mostly solid but struggled mightily against the NFL’s best rushers. If you want an under the radar X-factor, let’s throw in wideout Cooper Kupp, a former Super Bowl MVP for the Rams, who’s made a handful of big plays in the postseason when they’re needed most. If the Pats double-team No.1 receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kupp could be a difference-maker. PATRIOTS: Fresh from winning a Super Bowl with the Eagles last year, defensive end Milton Williams signed a big-money deal with New England in the offseason. He’s lived up to it and more. Williams had two sacks for Philly in the Big Game, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he got to the passer at least once this time. Heating up Darnold is the best way to bring out his inner pumpkin, and New England has an excellent secondary that’ll be ready to swoop on errant passes forced by the D-line. Pressuring Darnold into turnovers is the best chance the Pats have to win. AUSSIES IN ACTION Punters are often afterthoughts in the NFL but Sydney-born Michael Dickson is the exception. Arguably the NFL’s best punter – and definitely its highest paid – Dickson plays with a swagger rarely seen at the position, capable of booming punts and trick plays. His kick forced a muffed punt return in the Conference Championship that directly led to a Seattle TD against the Rams, underscoring his value. THE HISTORY SEAHAWKS: This is the first Super Bowl appearance for Seattle since 2015, when they lost to the Patriots, 28-24, in Super Bowl XLIX. Who could forget that game, won by New England on a goal-line interception by Malcolm Butler, with Seattle needing a TD to win? One of the all-time great NFL moments, which came after the Legion of Boom Seahawks under Carroll won the Super Bowl the previous year. The franchise also appeared in Super Bowl 40 in 2006, losing to the Steelers. PATRIOTS: If it feels like a while between drinks for New England, it’s only because the drinks used to flow thick and fast. The Pats had an astonishing run of success under head coach Bill Belichick and Brady, which ended with six Super Bowl victories, tied with the Steelers for most in NFL history. The last came in Super Bowl 53, defeating the Rams, 13-3, in 2019. Overall, the franchise is 6-5 on the biggest stage, and this season marks a record 12th appearance. PATRIOTS STORYLINES OFFENCE: With Maye under centre, the Patriots offence has exceeded all expectations this season. Free agent addition Stefon Diggs has been a key to this growth, which was far from a sure thing when the wideout joined the team after a year off to a torn ACL. Diggs’ veteran presence rubbed off on receiver Kayshon Boutte, who has produced highlight reel plays at times. Boutte is inconsistent, just like New England’s rushing attack, with lead back Rhamondre Stevenson prone to fumble. This season the offence averaged 28.8 points a game, the second-best mark, but has gone into its shell in the playoffs, averaging just 18. DEFENCE: New England’s defence is a fascinating unit. It’s been terrible in the red zone and struggled against the run at times, which coincided with an injury to Milton Williams. With Williams back in the lineup, the D improved considerably down the stretch and has been lights-out in the postseason, allowing just 26 points across three games. The secondary with Carlton Davis III and Christian Gonzales is legit. SEAHAWKS STORYLINES OFFENCE: Other than the arrival of Darnold, the key driver of Seattle’s offensive improvement this year is the ascension of Smith-Njigba to elite status. JSN led the league in receiving yards, despite being the obvious target for defences to double-team. Teams knew he was getting the ball and he still found ways to make a play. Losing running back Zach Charbonnet to injury in the Divisional Round hurt, but it sets the stage for dynamic RB Kenneth Walker III to get more touches. DEFENCE: This unit is stacked. From the physicality of cornerback Devon Witherspoon to the versatility of safety/nickel Nick Emmanwori, Seattle’s D is a pick-your-poison menace. Have a look at this defensive front: Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall, Byron Murphy II, Jarran Reed, Uchenna Nwosu - the list goes on, and it’s scary. No wonder they call themselves the Dark Side of the Force. THE NOISE Seattle OC Kubiak departing to coach the Raiders this offseason has raised the usual gripes about how much time was spent doing job interviews when he should’ve been preparing for a Super Bowl. Tune out that noise, he’ll have the offence Cherry Ripe. THE HALFTIME SHOW Before you pass judgment on the choice of Bad Bunny as this year’s halftime entertainment, give the poor bloke a go. After all, he just won album of the year at the Grammys and last year topped Spotify’s annual most-streamed rankings for a record fourth time. Not even Taylor Swift has done that. Yes, you might not be as familiar with Bad Bunny as previous Super Bowl entertainers such as Prince, Rihanna or Justin Timberlake, but his show will be spectacular. And it could also be controversial if he calls out Donald Trump’s ICE enforcement, which makes it even more of a must-see. SUPER BOWL ADS Super Bowl commercials are selling for a record $14.4 million for a 30-second spot, but talent appearance fees are reportedly down as brands increasingly turn to AI alternatives. Thankfully, there are some real humans still involved, including pop star Sabrina Carpenter flogging Pringles, an Emma Stone ad for Squarespace directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and one for Uber Eats featuring Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey, and Bradley Cooper. PREDICTION The path to victory for the Patriots is narrow but not impossible. They need to force a turnover (preferably two) and hope they can get enough success on the ground to keep the chains moving and chew up the clock. The Seahawks, on the other hand, can win in multiple ways, with a smothering defence, an offence capable of explosive plays with a genuine superstar in JSN, and the threat of putting points up with special teams. Seattle are just the more complete team, with a D that represents the most elite unit on either sideline. And Darnold is playing like a Super Bowl winner. Famous last words. Score: 27-17. Super Bowl MVP: Sam Darnold