With just two games to break down, I'm going to take a slightly different approach to this week's 'The Wrap' column now that we know the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will meet in Super Bowl 60.
Here are five storylines that are going to be talked about a lot between now and the first football being kicked into the air in Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Sunday February 8.
Darnold's Fairytale
Sam Darnold was thrown on the NFL scrapheap on more than one occasion, but he didn't read the memo which said he should give up on his pro football dream. Instead, he kept fighting and he can now write a fairytale ending to what has – at times – seemed more like a horror movie.
Darnold was chased out of New York by the Jets and no longer wanted by the Carolina Panthers. At the time, those were two of the worst teams in the league. He spent a season on the bench in San Francisco and was only meant to be the backup in Minnesota, before proving his worth subbing for the injured JJ McCarthy.
He is only 28 years old and already on his fifth team. But now Darnold has the Seahawks in the Super Bowl after playing the game of his life in Sunday's 31-27 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Despite coming under some fierce pressure at times, the former first-round draft pick (the first from the Class of 2018 that featured Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson to reach the Super Bowl) threw for 374 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Darnold never buckled on the big stage and his career redemption story is going to make a lot of headlines over the next two weeks.
Maye emulates the great TB12
History is repeating itself in New England and does that mean another dynastic run is coming for the Patriots? In 2001, the Patriots were led to the Super Bowl by a second-year quarterback by the name of Tom Brady. And that success came one season after the AFC East club went 5-11.
This time around, second-year quarterback Drake Maye has New England in the Super Bowl for a record 12th time and it comes one year after the club went 4-13 and fired first-year head coach Jerod Mayo. New England were one result – in Week 18 last season – away from owning the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Maye did what Brady often did in times of peril. He found a different way to win. During Sunday's 10-7 victory over the Denver Broncos – which was played in fierce wintry conditions in the second half – Maye threw for just 86 yards. But the 65 yards he picked up on the ground were crucial, including a keeper on third down that broke Denver hearts and ended the contest. And now he will become the second-youngest quarterback to play in a Super Bowl at the age of 23. Let the Brady comparisons commence.
Coaching matters
Mike Vrabel's fingerprints were all over New England's win in the Denver snow and now he gets the chance to become the first man in NFL history to achieve Super Bowl glory with the same team as both a player and a head coach.
With the game tied at seven apiece in the third quarter, Vrabel opted for a short Andy Borregales field goal. With the weather worsening by the minute and Denver being led by a backup quarterback in Jarrett Stidham, Vrabel expected that 10-7 lead to stand up. And he was right!
Time and again, New England ran the football, punted and played old-school defense in the slush and laying snow. It was a formula that would not work every weekend, but it was perfect for this game and this moment. And it was a reminder why Vrabel is one of the most highly-regarded coaches in the league.
And what a job Mike Macdonald has done in leading Seattle to the Super Bowl in his second season in charge. He has instilled a feisty, chippy attitude into what is arguably the most physical team in the league. When asked after the game how he felt seeing off Rams and San Francisco 49ers teams that might have looked down their noses at Seattle in the preseason, the head coach delivered an iconic reply… "We… did… not… care. It's about us, it's always been about us."
It's going to be quite the Super Bowl chess match between these two leaders.
Defenses with roles to play
The Seahawks boast the NFL's top scoring defense, allowing just 17 points per game during the regular season. And while they did give up 27 to the Rams on Sunday night, they still came up with a series of game-changing plays that ultimately carried Seattle over the line and into Super Bowl 60.
This is a fast, aggressive, supremely confident unit. They can pressure the quarterback, they hit hard in the secondary, and they make decisive moments count - none bigger than the fourth-down breakup of Matthew Stafford's pass in the end zone with under five minutes remaining, a play that would have handed the Rams the late lead.
The Patriots, meanwhile, arrive with defensive numbers that are just as eye-catching, though the context matters. New England have benefited from some poor weather conditions over the past two weeks that helped keep opposing offenses in check, but this is still an excellent group, marshalled superbly by Mike Vrabel. Across three playoff wins, the Patriots have conceded just 26 points - three against the Chargers, 16 versus the Texans (a game in which they forced five CJ Stroud turnovers), and just seven against the Broncos. You can argue there's been an element of good fortune along the way, but the production is undeniable.
One of our own in the big game
It's going to be something truly special to watch the Seattle defense, led by British defensive coordinator Aden Durde, on Super Bowl Sunday. Adam's fingerprints are all over the international growth of American football - from helping shape the NFL Academy and the NFL's International Player Pathway Programme to charting his own inspirational journey through the NFL coaching ranks.
I know for a fact that there are other international coaches who look at what he has achieved and think, 'Why not me?' That's a powerful message and one that will shape the next generation of international coaches and their careers.
Aden has even been interviewing for head coach positions with the Cleveland Browns and the Atlanta Falcons. For him, it's really a case of when, not if. He's an outstanding leader, a fantastic person, and a perfect role model for NFL UK, NFL International, and coaches across the globe. Watching him do his thing in Santa Clara is going to be something very special.
