Super Bowl: Joel Klatt would be ‘shocked’ if Seahawks lose to Patriots

It’s hard to find people who are picking against the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday’s Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.

And it may be even harder to find someone who is more emphatic in their belief that the Seahawks will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at Levi’s Stadium than FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt.

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“I would be shocked if New England wins this game. Shocked,” Klatt told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Wednesday.

There are a few reasons for Klatt’s belief, some of which are more about the Seahawks, and some of which are more about the Patriots.

Let’s start with his concerns about the Patriots, which have a lot to do with how they played in their 10-7 win in a snowy AFC Championship over a Denver Broncos team down that had to turn to their backup quarterback. Klatt pointed specifically to Broncos coach Sean Payton opting to go for it on fourth down at the Patriots’ 14-yard line in the second quarter rather than kick a field goal that would have put Denver up 10-0 – all before the snow really started impacting the game after halftime.

“They shouldn’t have beaten Jarrett Stidham and Denver. Like, Denver had them,” Klatt said of the Patriots. “And I think Sean Payton largely lost that game with the decision to go for it on fourth down. … It’s not even imminent that you’re going to score the touchdown. You don’t need the touchdown. You just need the two-possession lead. With the weather forecast of the second half, if Denver gets a two-possession lead, they’re (the Seahawks’) opponent this week. Period.”

"I would be shocked if New England wins this game." 👀@joelklatt w/ @BrockHuard & @TheMikeSalk on Seattle Sports. #seahawks pic.twitter.com/UX9nvFkQuZ

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) February 4, 2026

Klatt, a Colorado native who was a three-year starting QB for the Colorado Buffaloes in college, made sure to point out that he wasn’t letting his Broncos fandom color his opinions.

“This, to me, would be a major upset if New England won. I don’t think New England should be there. Denver should have won that game, and not just because I’m a (Broncos) fan. That’s just looking at the way that that game kind of played out.”

As for Klatt’s thoughts on the Seahawks, he sees an advantage in essentially every facet of the game over New England.

“Just defense, offense, special teams, quarterback – you would take the Seahawks in every one of those categories for this week,” he said. “… And Seattle is playing, let’s be honest, during the stretch run – I keep coming back to this aspect that you guys kind of clued me into (that) they’re playing as good a defense as anybody, even back to the Legion of Boom. And now they’re also playing at an elite level offensively because their quarterback (Sam Darnold) has gone to the next level.”

Catch the Seahawks Radio Network broadcast of the Super Bowl beginning with the pregame show at noon Sunday on Seattle Sports 710 AM, KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM, and the Seattle Sports, KIRO Newsradio and official Seahawks apps, which will be the only places you can hear Steve Raible and Dave Wyman call the game.

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