Early ESPN Super Bowl Preview Includes Stunning, Unanimous Prediction

A completed commemorative football with the Super Bowl LX logo is pictured at the Wilson Sporting Goods factory in Ada, Ohio, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

An early batch of Super Bowl LX predictions from ESPN writers revealed that none of them are giving the New England Patriots a chance against the Seattle Seahawks.

This past Sunday, the Patriots and the Seahawks won their respective conference championships to punch their tickets to the Super Bowl. The teams actually have prior history in the game, with the Tom Brady-led Patriots beating Russell Wilson’s Seahawks thanks to a goal-line interception by former Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler. The play remains the hotly-debated one, as many still believe the Seahawks should have elected to hand the ball off to running back Marshawn Lynch instead.

Eleven years later, the teams are back with entirely new rosters. The Patriots, led by second-year quarterback Drake Maye, shocked the league with their unexpected run after finishing 4-13 in each of the last two seasons. The Seahawks, led by QB Sam Darnold, had the NFL’s best defense and earned the NFC’s top seed.

According to an early preview of the game, many in ESPN believe the Seahawks’ defense will simply be too much to overcome. Writer Dan Graziano predicted that it would be a tough day for Maye.

“They’ve been the best team all season, hiding in plain sight,” he said, “and they’ll make life brutally tough on Maye, who has already been sacked 15 times this postseason.”

Jeremy Fowler shared a similar sentiment, calling “the most complete team in the league” that can “win in several different styles.”

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, a regular on the company’s various TV programs, kept his reasoning simple.

“The Patriots’ offense isn’t good enough to beat this Seattle defense,” Orlovsky said.

Analyst Field Yates gave the Patriots credit for facing multiple tough defenses in the postseason, but he believes the Seahawks are a step above those previous opponents.

“The Patriots have faced an extremely difficult string of defenses this postseason, finding ways to overcome the field in the AFC,” Yates said. “But Seattle’s roster is superior to the rosters of its first three foes, and I believe Seattle will take home the franchise’s second Lombardi Trophy.”

In total, all 11 writers included in the preview took the Seahawks to win it all.

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