Almost immediately after the Seattle Seahawks defeated the LA Rams in the NFC Championship to face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, they were favored to win the next Lombardi Trophy by a mile, not only in the eyes of bettors, but also NFL analysts and fans outside Foxborough.
The Patriots are already 4.5-point underdogs just under two weeks until the big game, and initial picks by some of the biggest names in NFL media have universally decided that they have no shot at winning their seventh championship on February 8.
That is now being echoed across the networks this week, with guys like First Take's Stephen A. Smith screaming from the rooftops that the Patriots are going to get stomped in Santa Clara.
While some, including Smith, do give Mike Vrabel and Co. credit for what they accomplished this year, especially since nobody anticipated they'd be in this position, they continue to regurgitate the boring talking point about their schedule and Drake Maye's unexciting performance in the playoffs so far, giving the Patriots even more bulletin board material and raising the stakes even higher for Seattle.
The problem, however, is that a take like this from Smith and more will surely only become more common the closer the game becomes.
Stephen A. Smith speaks for a lot of non-Patriots fans regarding their chances in Super Bowl LX
After listening to former cornerback Jason McCourty hype up the Patriots, Smith went on a rant about how they have almost no chance of walking out as champions next month.
This comes just days after an entire panel of 11 ESPN analysts chose the Seahawks to win the next Lombardi Trophy, becoming the latest chapter in the book of those who refuse to give the Patriots credit when it's rightfully due.
It also puts even more pressure on the Seahawks, who are the landslide favorites to win the game. And if they don't, it appears they'll disappoint a lot of people. That can't be something fans are too thrilled about going into the game.
"I'm snoring. ... [The Patriots] aren't winning the Super Bowl."@stephenasmith tells @JasonMcCourty the Patriots had a nice run, but the Seahawks will be champs 😯 pic.twitter.com/ojKyNSRYl7
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 27, 2026
Looking at the Patriots' and Seahawks' 2025 seasons on paper, it's easy to see why most would be more impressed with what the NFC West Champions did, given that they faced a tougher schedule and earned the No. 1 seed in a very talented conference.
However, the Patriots came off back-to-back 4-13 seasons and managed to win 14 games, steal the AFC East from the Bills, and go through three top-5 defenses as the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.
Their stats might not be the flashiest, particularly Maye's, but at the end of the day, that's not what matters. Getting the win is what counts, no matter how pretty or not it was to get there.
Maye did enough to move on and bring the team to the Super Bowl, and the hope is that it will be the case against the Seahawks, too. It won't be easy, but to suggest they have no chance simply because their opponent is hot right now is silly.
We've seen time and time again that anything can happen on Sunday, and the Patriots are not new to shocking the league. You'd think they would have learned that by now.
We've also seen how teams can flounder under pressure, so because the Seahawks are only expected to become an even bigger favorite by the game, they will have to overcome the high expectations that they will get the job done.
So, as great as the confidence from the NFL world is, it can also work against them, which no Seahawks fan wants.