Super Bowl Trivia: Facts to know about Seahawks-Patriots

Here's a look at some interesting pieces of trivia related to the Super Bowl 60 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.

BY SEATTLESPORTS.COM STAFF

Feb 7, 2026, 8:43 PM

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There are no shortage of storylines heading into Super Bowl 60 on Sunday between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.

25 numbers that sum up the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run

There also are no shortage of interesting facts and tidbits related to the matchup.

So, if you’re going to a Super Bowl party and want to impress others with some football trivia, look no further than the list below.

They meet again

• As Seahawks fans know all too well, this will be the second time Seattle and New England have squared off in the Super Bowl. That makes this the 10th repeat Super Bowl matchup pairing. The previous nine were: Steelers-Cowboys (1976, 1979, 1996), Dolphins-Washington (1973, 1983), 49ers-Bengals (1982, 1989), Cowboys-Bills (1993, 1994), Patriots-Giants (2008, 2012), Patriots-Eagles (2005, 2018), Patriots-Rams (2002, 2019), Chiefs-49ers (2020, 2024) and Chiefs-Eagles (2023, 2025).

A matchup few predicted

• This marks the first time in 23 years that both Super Bowl teams missed the playoffs the previous season. The Seahawks went 10-7 last year and missed the playoffs by virtue of losing a strength of victory tiebreaker with the division rival Los Angeles Rams. The Patriots went 4-13 last season. The last time this occurred was in Super Bowl 38 between the Patriots and Carolina Panthers.

• This also is the first Super Bowl matchup between teams that both lost their season opener. The Seahawks fell to the San Francisco 49ers 17-13 in Week 1, while the Patriots opened with a 20-13 loss to the lowly Las Vegas Raiders.

Divine intervention?

• Each of the past three times a new Pope has been elected, the Seahawks have followed suit by reaching the Super Bowl. In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI was elected and the Seahawks reached Super Bowl 40. In 2013, Pope Francis was elected and the Seahawks won Super Bowl 48. And sure enough, after Pope Leo XIV was elected in 2025, the Seahawks are back in the Super Bowl.

Macdonald on the verge of history

• Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is seeking to become the first head coach to win a Super Bowl as his team’s defensive play caller.

• Macdonald, 38, also is seeking to become the third-youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl. Rams coach Sean McVay (Super Bowl 56) and former longtime Steelers coach Mike Tomlin (Super Bowl 43) both won Lombardi Trophies at age 36.

Mike vs. Mike

• With Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald squaring off against Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, this will be the third Super Bowl matchup between head coaches who share the same first name. The other two instances were also a battle of Mikes. Mike Shanahan’s Denver Broncos beat Mike Holmgren’s Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl 32, while Mike McCarthy’s Green Bay Packers beat Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl 45.

The QB matchup

• This will be the first Super Bowl matchup in NFL history between starting quarterbacks who are both under age 30 and who were both top-five draft picks. Sam Darnold, 28, was the No. 3 overall pick in 2018. Drake Maye, 23, was the No. 3 overall pick in 2024.

A pair of surprising firsts

• Sam Darnold is the first quarterback from the 2018 NFL Draft class to reach the Super Bowl as a starter. The 2018 QB class includes two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen and two-time Pro Bowler Baker Mayfield.

• USC has had 26 quarterbacks selected in the NFL Draft, the most of any program. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold will be the first of those 26 Trojans to start a Super Bowl. USC’s other notable former NFL quarterbacks include Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez, Todd Marinovich and Caleb Williams.

It’s happened before

• Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold committed a league-high 20 turnovers in the regular season. He’s the first quarterback to lead the NFL in turnovers and reach the Super Bowl in the same season since New York Giants signal caller Eli Manning in 2007. Manning’s Giants upset the previously undefeated Patriots in that Super Bowl.

Good omens?

• Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the fourth player in NFL history to lead the league in receiving yards and reach the Super Bowl in the same season. Jerry Rice achieved the feat twice (1989, 1994), while Cooper Kupp (2021) and Drew Pearson (1977) each did so once. All four times, they won the Super Bowl.

• Seattle’s top-ranked scoring defense is squaring off against Patriots quarterback and second-team All-Pro Drake Maye. That makes this the seventh time that the NFL’s No. 1 scoring defense has faced an All-Pro QB in the Super Bowl. The No. 1 defenses went 5-1 in the previous six matchups.

The GM connection

• Seahawks general manger John Schneider and Patriots general manager Eliot Wolf spent six seasons working together in the Green Bay Packers’ front office from 2004-09 under then-GM Ted Thompson. Schneider was Green Bay’s director of football operations from 2008-09, a role Wolf took over from 2016-17.