On Sunday, February 8, there is a Bad Bunny concert with a football game included. The game will be the culmination of the two teams’ long journey to Super Bowl LX. Here is your guide to the different strengths that each team will bring to the big game in Santa Clara. 

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

TOP OFFENSIVE STRENGTHS OF THE SEAHAWKS

The Seahawks had the 3rd highest scoring offense in the league in the regular season and the highest scoring offense in the playoffs.

The Receiving Room:

• Jaxon Smith-Njigba took a big jump in his third season, leading the league in receiving yards, and has been one of the best receivers in the league. Pro Football Focus (PFF) rates Jaxon Smith-Njiba the 2nd best receiver in the league. Klint Kubiak will probably move him around the lineup in the backfield to try to get open. 

Speed of Shaheed:

• Rashid Shaheed ended the season with Seattle after being traded from the Saints. He returned the opening play in the division round for a touchdown, and the 49ers couldn’t recover. He is a big vertical threat.

  

Cooper Kupp:

• Cooper Kupp, in his first season not with the Rams, is returning to the Super Bowl. Kupp may no longer be WR1, but he is a smart veteran player who will make the smart 9. He will have experience for the biggest stage and is the second on the team in targets. 

Feed K9:

• Due to Charbonnet’s injury, Kenneth Walker III is now getting more touches inside the 10, where Charbonnet used to get them. Walker is one of the best backs in the league, running for over 1000 yards in the regular season. While playing against the 49ers in the playoffs, he ran for over 100 yards and scored a touchdown in the championship game against the Rams. PFF rates him the second-best RB grade in the league 

TOP DEFENSIVE STRENGTHS OF THE SEAHAWKS

Defense wins championships. The Seahawks defense has held opponents to 17.2 ppg, best in the league, and also 16.5 ppg, the third best in the playoffs. 

Devon Witherspoon:

• This game will have some of the best at the corner position with Witherspoon and Gonzales, and Witherspoon is elite in coverage, and when Drake Maye has faced elite defenses in the Texans and Broncos, he has struggled. 

Julian Love and Nick Emmanwori:

• This tandem has been the best safety tandem in the league this season. Both grade out in the Top 20 on PFF.

CONCERNS FOR THE SEAHAWKS

• Sam Darnold has been playing with an oblique injury all playoffs.
• Tarik Woolen, after the Defense forced a 4 & 12 against the Rams, got flagged for taunting, which gave the Rams a first down. They scored on the next play, with Woolen getting outplayed in coverage.
• Anthony Bradford can’t block.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

TOP OFFENSIVE STRENGTHS OF THE PATRIOTS

This team has the 2nd best Offensive Points per game (PPG) in regular season and the 11/14 best in the playoffs. 

Maybe the MVP, Drake “Drake Maye” Maye:

• 4th most passing yards in the league with over 4300 yards.
• 3rd most passing Touchdowns with 31.
• Best quarterback rating (QBR) in the league.
• Has made a big jump in his second season and didn’t turn the ball over against the Broncos on the road.

Running Back Committee:

• Rhamondre Stevenson & TreVeyon Henderson.
• Stevenson didn’t put up the greatest of numbers in the regular season but has been the better back in the playoffs and has looked better.
• Henderson almost rushed for 1000 yards during the season in a similar amount of touches as Stevenson. 

Main Targets for Maye:

• Stefon Diggs & Kayshon Boutte. 
• Diggs, after 1K receiving yards for six years in a row, struggled last year in Houston. However this year, Diggs has brought leadership and experience and has been the best receiver this season for the Pats. He led the team in targets in the regular season and still is in the playoffs but the production hasn’t been as good.
• Boutte on the other hand has been the best Receiver in the playoffs and has been reliable in the first 2 rounds, making up for the Diggs struggle. 
• Hunter Henry was Maye’s second favorite target in the regular season where he put up solid numbers with a career high in receiving yards.

DEFENSIVE STRENGTHS OF THE PATRIOTS

The Patriots have held opponents to 18.8 Ppg, 4th best in the league and 8.7 points in the playoffs  

DBs:

• Christian Gonzalez had the game sealing interception against the Broncos and has been one of the best corners in the league despite not being as good as last year. When it’s humming he is an island with no escape. Expect him to cover JSN for most of the snaps. 
• Carlton Davis is the other DB. He is good when healthy but in his career he has struggled to be healthy. This is a reason why people questioned the contract he received when he signed with the Patriots in the offseason.     

CONCERNS FOR THE PATRIOTS:

• Turnovers: Pats have struggled to protect the football in these playoffs. 
• The left side of the Pats o-line is young. As a result, they have struggled to protect Maye; he has been sacked 15 times.
• Offensive struggles against great defenses. The Pats escaped against the Texans with the win due to the Texans offense’s incompetence, and even before the weather turned horrible against Denver they weren’t really moving the ball. 
• Weak schedule in regular season and playoffs. 
• They played a Backup QB in the last round. Before that, an injured Texans team with any form of competence would’ve won.

FINAL PREDICTION:

Seahawks will have the game wrapped up before Bad Bunny takes the stage.