Super Bowl LX is now less than six hours away, and we are so close to crowning the NFL’s 60th Super Bowl champion. Can the New England Patriots complete the one-year rebuild and win their NFL record seventh Super Bowl? Or will the Seattle Seahawks win their second championship in franchise history in year two under Mike Macdonald?

It should be a close, entertaining battle between these two teams. The Seahawks are favored by 4.5 points and have arguably the best defense in the league, but the Patriots have faced three top-five defenses in the postseason alone, and they’ve come out on top every time.

Here are the EssentiallySports NFL staff’s picks and predictions for Super Bowl LX.

Staff Picks & Predictions

Reubyn Coutinho, NFL Lead Editor: The Patriots only faced weak schedule accusations for no fault of their own. You’ve got to beat whoever is in front of you, and that’s what New England did. The Seahawks? Well, look at their run. Two wins over the depleted 49ers and a win over the lucky Rams. Can they do it against the Patriots? I’m not thinking that it’s as straightforward as my colleagues make it out to be. 

I’m actually backing New England to win the number seven, as this team has shown that it can hold its nerve in a close game. Seattle has only done so against the Rams and Uncle Rivers. 

New England 20, Seattle 17

Luke Hubbard, Senior NFL Writer: For the first time in a decade, we have two defensive-minded head coaches facing off in the Super Bowl. Mike Vrabel and Mike Macdonald have worked wonders in their first and second years with their teams, respectively, and now they’re both one win away from capturing their first Super Bowl as head coaches.

The defenses are going to play a crucial role in this game, and Seattle’s took a big blow with Nick Emmanwori suffering an ankle injury in practice. He seems good to go, though, but we’ll see how limited he is. He’s a huge part of the Seahawks’ defense. For New England, they’re heading into this game pretty healthy. Pretty much all of their key defenders will be on the field Sunday night.

This game will ultimately come down to the quarterbacks. Sam Darnold has played out of his mind this season, while Drake Maye is an MVP finalist. But the two have taken two different paths during the playoffs. Darnold has 470 yards and four touchdowns in two games, but Maye has struggled a bit with 533 yards, four touchdowns, and two picks with 15 sacks. 

I think both guys will struggle a bit, considering both of these defenses are great, and this is the biggest game of their careers. I expect a low-scoring game, but I just trust Seattle a little bit more.

Seahawks 21, Patriots 17

Tim Wood, NFL Content Chief: 

I think I see where this prediction train is headed, and hey, I get it. 

When you put up the kind of year Maye has (what deserves to win him the MVP), there is an expectation for continued brilliance. We forget he’s 23, hadn’t played in a playoff game. And yet, he’s survived some subpar play and outright bonehead mistakes to lead his team to the Super Bowl against two top-rated defenses in Houston and Denver.

The Patriots’ defense has played the best among any playoff teams, giving up 209.7 yards per game and just shy of nine points per game. Meanwhile, the Seahawks have given up 357.5 yards per game and 16.5 points per game, including 27 to the Rams.

It’s fair to question both of the quarterbacks. If I weren’t a Patriots fan, I’d be rooting for Darnold here to put all the ghost narratives to sleep once and for all. 

The idea that this is setting up to be a blowout, it’s a lazy narrative. The soft schedule is lazy at this point as well, folks. They have survived the gauntlet in front of them, period. 

Defense leading to offense is going to be important here. Right now, I believe in the Patriots’ defense more to create those opportunities. And I believe Maye and Josh McDaniels will cash those opportunities into TDs instead of field goals. 

The moment looked too big for Maye for most of the AFC Championship, but yet, with the game on the line and given his chance to end it, he pulled off a brilliant first-down scramble in the snow. 

There can be no slow starts here for New England. I believe there is more pressure on Seattle in this game, and I think their defense is beat up and vulnerable. But they know how to protect leads (they are 10-0 when scoring first). 

I believe it’s going to be a close game. Ultimately, I think Vrabel, having been there many times, knows how to cancel out the noise of the two weeks leading up to this game. That’s going to be a difference maker. I’m rooting for both QBs to own the moment, but objectively, I think this is going to be more about the defenses and the one QB that makes a clutch play at the end. 

And I have to stick with Maye and the Pats to get that done.

Patriots 23, Seahawks 21

Ryan Ward, Senior NBA & NFL Analyst: This battle between the Seahawks and Patriots for the Lombardi Trophy will come down to the quarterbacks. Drake Maye is a star on the rise and an MVP candidate, but I think he’ll struggle in this game against a stout Seattle defense.

Sam Darnold, however, is ready for the moment after going through disappointing playoff moments in the past. It’s his time to shine, and I believe he’ll lead the Seahawks to victory while also being named Super Bowl MVP.

Seahawks 28, Patriots 14