Photo Credit: NFL.com

It’s finally almost here. After the two-week-long buildup, it’s almost Super Bowl Sunday.

This year’s Super Bowl is between two teams you would have been called crazy for picking to be here back in the summer. The Seattle Seahawks, following a 14–3 season under Sam Darnold and second-year head coach Mike Macdonald, ride in with one of the league’s best defenses. They’ll face the New England Patriots, who also finished 14–3, led by second-year quarterback Drake Maye.

This is a rematch of the infamous Super Bowl 49. A lot has changed in the 11 years between Super Bowls, but some things are still the same. All year long, people have referred to this as a throwback NFL season, so it’s only fitting that the Super Bowl is a rematch of one of the craziest Super Bowls ever.

The Seahawks have one of the top defenses in the league, while the Patriots have a star quarterback. Both teams’ stories heading into the big game have been quite different.

The Seahawks made their way out of the gauntlet that was the NFC this season,particularly the NFC West, having to keep pace with the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams all year, two 12-plus-win teams. They then defeated both of them in the playoffs to get here.

Meanwhile, the Patriots started the season 1–2, with losses to the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers. They began to make noise around the league after beating the Buffalo Bills on the road in Week 5 and continued their heater for the rest of the season. People have questioned the Patriots all year, mainly because of their easy schedule, but nonetheless, they made it to the Super Bowl. With Mike Vrabel taking over as head coach and an underrated defense, the Patriots are back on the big stage.

For the Seahawks, however, they’ve had a similar story in some ways. They flew under everyone’s radar during the first half of the season, but they’ve been consistent all year. They beat the 49ers for the NFC’s No. 1 seed and carried that momentum all the way here. The Seahawks are the most battle-tested team in the NFL, and that showed in the NFC Championship Game against the Rams, as they came away with a 31–27 win.

Seattle faced six playoff teams during the regular season and won in multiple different ways. All year, the Seahawks have played good football, it just took a while for the rest of the league to notice. Even while dealing with injuries, other players stepped up in big moments to contribute. Seattle dealt with another injury scare this week, with Nick Emmanwori suffering a low ankle sprain at practice, but he is still expected to play.

It’s been 11 years since the Seahawks made it back to the Super Bowl, and it’s against the team they lost to. They now have a chance to avenge the old Seahawks team that was unable to get the job done.

Here are my three keys to how the Seahawks can win their second Super Bowl.

Pressure Drake Maye

Drake Maye has been sacked 15 times this postseason. That’s more than twice as many as the second-most-sacked quarterback. The Patriots have struggled with pass protection at multiple points this year, but Maye’s mobility has helped mask those issues. The Seahawks need to get to Maye especially on third down and prevent him from extending drives and keep the Patriots backed up. Seattle only sacked Matthew Stafford once in the NFC Championship Game, so you know they’ll be hungry to get after Maye like this defense has done all season.

Run the Ball Effectively

The Seahawks’ run game really came alive near the end of the season, and that has continued into the playoffs. Even after losing Zach Charbonnet, Kenneth Walker has handled the lone starting role incredibly well. He had a huge game against the 49ers, rushing for 116 yards and three touchdowns, and followed that up with another 100-plus-yard performance against the Rams while adding another score.

The Patriots have allowed the fewest rushing yards per game in the playoffs, at just 71.4 per game. There aren’t many big names on their defense, but Vrabel has them playing well as a unit. The Seahawks will need to run the ball effectively against the Patriots’ defense, something other teams have struggled to do this postseason.

Score in the Red Zone

A large reason for the Seahawks’ playoff success has been their ability to cash in on opportunities, especially in the red zone. This was a challenge for Seattle during the regular season, but lately it has become a strength. Credit Klint Kubiak here, despite losing Zach Charbonnet, who was primarily used in red-zone situations, the Seahawks have still found ways to score. They’ll need to continue that on Sunday against the Patriots.

Score Prediction Seattle Seahawks 28, New England Patriots 24

I think this will be a close game, with each team’s defense keeping them in it, but I believe Sam Darnold and the Seahawks’ offense get it done.

Kickoff: Sunday at 3:30 p.m. in Santa Clara, California.