For only the sixth time in NFL history, neither Super Bowl team was in the playoffs the previous season.
The Patriots and the Seahawks have returned to NFL relevancy for the first time in a little more than half a decade thanks to new leadership. New England won just 4 games in each of the last two seasons. Seattle won a respectable 10, but not enough to clinch a playoff spot. Entering this season, the Patriots’ last playoff win was over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII in 2019. For Seattle, it was a Wild Card win over the Eagles in 2020.
Both teams moved on from their most accomplished head coaches after the 2023 season, ushering in new leadership as part of rebuilding efforts. Pete Carroll stepped down as Seattle’s head coach on January 10, 2024. The very next day, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick mutually agreed to part ways after 24 years.
Both men finished their tenures as the winningest coaches in their respective franchise’s history. Seattle won a Super Bowl in Caroll’s fourth season, and Belichick won six titles over the course of 24 seasons in New England.
Seattle hired defensive coach Mike Macdonald as Carroll’s successor. In his two seasons as head coach, he’s led Seattle to a 24-10 record. He came from Baltimore, where he spent 9 years serving as a defensive coach; two as the coordinator. He also spent a year as the University of Michigan’s defensive coordinator.
The start of the rebuild didn’t go as smoothly for the Patriots. The team hired former linebacker turned defensive coach Jerod Mayo as Belichick’s successor. It was one-and-done for Mayo, though; he was fired just hours after the 2024 regular season finale. Then the team hired another former linebacker turned coach — Mike Vrabel.
Vrabel spent 2024 in Cleveland as a consultant and coach. Before that, he spent six seasons as the Titans head coach, putting together a 54-45 record.
He got to work quickly in New England, replacing seven defensive starting players, and eight starters on the offensive side of the ball. They also got a new long snapper and kicker. In total, Vrabel and the front office added 31 players to the 53-man roster, and only 22 players returned from previous seasons. A new coach, new players, and a new culture.
The massive roster overhaul in a single offseason is one of the reasons that the Patriots’ current Cinderella run is unprecedented. Another reason is no team in NFL history has made it this far on the heels of back-to-back 4-win seasons.
Vrabel also brought back Josh McDaniels to be the offensive coordinator and help develop quarterback Drake Maye. McDaniels was the play-caller for Tom Brady for the majority of Brady’s time in New England. Sunday will be McDaniel’s ninth Super Bowl appearance.
Up like a carnival - it was perhaps the fastest rebuild ever executed in NFL history. There wasn’t much hope for Patriots fans following the end of the 2024 campaign. The team had the quarterback, but no one could have predicted the leap he’d make in his second season. The offensive line ranked at or near the bottom of the league, so they went out and brought in a veteran center and right tackle to pair with their rookie left side of the line.
Including the playoffs, they went 9-0 in road games, and NFL-first. At one point, they ripped off 10 wins in a row and finished the regular season having won 13 of their previous 14 games.
Much like the Patriots, one of the biggest reasons the Seahawks have made it this far is because of their quarterback. In the offseason, Seattle moved on from Geno Smith and replaced him with another former Jets QB — Sam Darnold. Fresh off career highs in Minnesota, Darnold this season became the first quarterback in NFL history to win 13 games in back-to-back seasons with two different franchises.
Seattle also traded wide receiver DK Metcalf to the Steelers in exchange for a second-round pick. As a result, third-year wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba became Darnold’s number one target and “JSN” put together an All-Pro season, leading the league in receiving yards (1,793). On the defense, Seattle added veteran defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence after 11 years in Dallas.
Both teams share some similarities in terms of how they got to this point. They both cut bait with the best coach in their franchise’s history when things had gotten stale. They also each found a quarterback who could take them to the next level. Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup won’t be an extension of a dynasty, but it could be the start one of one for either team. ,
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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