The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks meet tonight in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, kicking off at 11:30 p.m. (Irish time).
Television coverage in Ireland
The game, which will mark the first Super Bowl since the 1970 merger between teams each ranked in the top four in offensive and defensive scoring during the regular season, will be broadcast live on Virgin Media (11 p.m.), Sky Sports NFL (10 p.m.), Channel 5 and DAZN.
The Patriots, who finished the season 17-3, are making their 12th Super Bowl appearance, the most of any team.
Tonight, New England can become the first team to win seven Super Bowls and pass San Francisco (40 wins) for the most playoff wins by a franchise in NFL history.
Seahawks attempt second Super Bowl victory
The Seahawks, with a 16-3 record on the season, will be appearing in the Super Bowl for the fourth time and can earn the second Super Bowl victory in franchise history, having won Super Bowl XLVIII following the 2013 season, when they defeated the Denver Broncos 43-8.
New England and Seattle are the 10th pair of teams to meet in multiple Super Bowls, having faced each other in Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona following the 2014 season, with the Patriots winning 28-24 on that occasion.
Head coaches: Vrabel vs. Macdonald
Mike Vrabel, in his first season as head coach of the Patriots, can become the first head coach to win 18 games, including the playoffs, in his first season with a team in NFL history. He can also become the fifth person in NFL history to win the Super Bowl as a player and head coach, joining Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy and Tom Flores as well as Doug Pederson. As a player, Vrabel won three Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX) with New England.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald can become the third youngest head coach, at 38 years and 227 days, to win the Super Bowl if he succeeds tonight.
Quarterbacks: Maye vs. Darnold
New England quarterback Drake Maye could become the youngest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl. He can also become the fifth quarterback to win the Super Bowl in his first or second season.
Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold is aiming to become the fourth quarterback to win the Super Bowl in his first season with a team, joining Tom Brady (Super Bowl LV with Tampa Bay), Trent Dilfer (Super Bowl XXXV with Baltimore) and Matthew Stafford (Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams).
Players to watch
Seattle receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba can become the fourth player (fifth occurrence) to lead the NFL in receiving yards during the regular season and win the Super Bowl in the same year. If he achieves the feat, he will join Drew Pearson (1977) and Jerry Rice (1989 and 1994) and Cooper Kupp (2021).
Including the playoffs, Smith-Njigba has 1,965 receiving yards – the most receiving yards by a player under the age of 24 in NFL history – and can become the third player with at least 2,000 receiving yards in a season, including the playoffs. He can also become the second player with 90 or more receiving yards in 15 games in a season, including the playoffs.
Seattle receiver Cooper Kupp, who was named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams, can become the eighth receiver on the active roster and win the Super Bowl with two different teams.
Seattle linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence, who had a sack and a forced fumble in the Seahawks’ two playoff victories, can become the first player since 2000 with a sack and a forced fumble in three consecutive playoff games in the same postseason.
Back-to-back Super Bowl wins for Milton Williams?
New England defensive tackle Milton Williams, who won Super Bowl LIX last season with Philadelphia, can become the sixth player on the active roster and win Super Bowls in consecutive seasons with different teams.
If successful, he will join LeGarrette Blount (2016 with New England, 2017 with Philadelphia), Chris Long (2016 with New England, 2017 with Philadelphia), LeSean McCoy (2019 with Kansas City, 2020 with Tampa Bay), Ken Norton (1993 with Dallas, 1994 with San Francisco) and Deion Sanders (1994 with San Francisco, 1995 with Dallas).
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