Super Bowl Matchup: Patriots vs. Seahawks
Date/Time: 2/8/26 @ 6:30PM ET
Location: Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA
Where to Watch: NBC/Peacock
Spread: SEA -4.5
Things to Monitor:
The Patriots have the best defense by weighted DVOA the Seahawks have played these playoffs.
The Seahawks have the best offense by weighted DVOA these playoffs.
Rhamondre Stevenson outsnapped TreVeyon Henderson in the AFC Championship game 60 to 4.
Sam Darnold has been tremendous his first two playoff games (and the first QB from the 2018 class to make a Super Bowl).
Drake Maye will be the second youngest QB ever to start a Super Bowl.
Based on preseason odds, this is the unlikeliest Super Bowl matchup of all time.
Extensive Super Bowl preview content from the WalterPicks team will be hitting your inbox soon!
Grading Head Coach Hires Pt 2.
In Part 1, we discussed the official hires at the time: John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski, Jeff Hafley, and Robert Saleh. Since then, only two more hires have been made.
Baltimore Ravens: Jesse Minter
Minter was the hottest name of this cycle, and he is a former Raven in his own right. He is going to bring a sorely-needed intensity to this defense. If he brings in a great staff, I have no doubt that this is an excellent hire.
Grade: A
Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike McCarthy
Oh boy. Steelers fans were not happy about this one. And I can’t blame them.
The McCarthy hire replaces one floor-raiser with another - I don’t personally believe that McCarthy is a bad coach, but this hire does not make much sense to me. He does not bring a Super Bowl ceiling, especially considering the current roster. Time will tell.
Grade: C+
Which of the new HC hire do you think is best?
Updated Predictions for the Rest of the Openings 🔮
1: Arizona Cardinals: Mike LaFleur(current Rams Offensive Coordinator)
LaFleur is the betting favorite - and the right choice. In a tough division, LaFleur has the opportunity to make his mark by using all the experience he’s had with some of the top coaches in the league.
2: Cleveland Browns: Nate Scheelhaase (current Rams Pass Game Coordinator)
Scheelhaase has quickly emerged as the favorite for this job- and it would be an exciting swing. It would certainly be more exciting for Cleveland than simply promoting Jim Schwartz to Head Coach.
3: Las Vegas Raiders: Klint Kubiak (current Seahawks Offensive Coordinator)
To echo my sentiment from last week, Tom Brady is going to want to pair his number one pick, Fernando Mendoza, with a young, offensive-minded coach.
Kubiak has been under some of the greatest coaches in recent memory, and I believe he is going to get his first HC opportunity in Vegas. Brady was hyping Kubiak up on commentary during the NFC Championship game.
4: Buffalo Bills: Brian Daboll (former Giants Head Coach)
Daboll and Josh Allen have a well-known history, and I believe the reigning MVP is going to advocate for Brian Daboll. I am also predicting this because it would be the most bonkers thing for a Giants fan to experience (me, I’m a Giants fan). Bring Dabes back to Buffalo!
