The NFC’s top seed, the Seattle Seahawks, will take on the AFC’s No. 2 seed, the New England Patriots, in the 2026 Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 8. It’s Seattle’s fourth trip to the big game and their first appearance since the 2014 season, when they fell to New England 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX. New England returns to the Super Bowl for the 12th time; their most recent title came after the 2018 season, when they beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII. Both clubs finished the regular season 14-3, with Seattle winning the NFC West and New England taking the AFC East. Against the spread this season Seattle is 14-5, while New England is 13-6-1.
Kickoff at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET. Historically, Seattle holds an 11-9 series edge over New England and has won each of the last three meetings. Current betting lines list Seattle as a 4.5-point favorite with a 45.5-point total. Latest odds show Seattle -230 on the money line and New England +190. For expert picks, SportsLine’s Bruce Marshall has released his Super Bowl projections.
Marshall, long associated with the Gold Sheet betting newsletter, joined TGS in 1981 after working in college sports media and serving under Mort Olshan; he spent many years as editor-in-chief there. He now contributes NFL and college basketball analysis to SportsLine and has strong long-term results on spread picks — going 59-38-2 on his last 99 NFL selections, with a reported +1689 return.
Marshall is finalizing his Seahawks-Patriots selections; his full breakdown and picks are available at SportsLine. Key betting lines include: Seattle -4.5 (-115 on DraftKings), total 45.5 points, and the money line at Seattle -230/New England +190. Streaming options list Fubo (with a free trial).
Why Seattle could cover
Seattle arrives having won nine straight and with a defense that consistently kept opponents in check, surrendering a league-low 17.2 points per game in the 2025-26 season. The Seahawks held teams to 16 points or fewer nine times and finished sixth in total offense allowed (285.6 yards per game), including a third-best 91.9 rushing yards given up — the best mark in the NFC. The under has hit in two of Seattle’s last four games, and the team is 7-3 ATS over its last 10. Seattle is 4-1-1 across its last six matchups with New England. Quarterback Sam Darnold has averaged 286.4 passing yards per game across his past five outings versus teams with winning records and top-three defenses, and he’s thrown two or more touchdowns in nine games this season, postseason included.
Why New England could cover
New England also comes in hot, riding a six-game win streak and an incredible run after a 1-2 start — winning 16 of 17 games overall, including the postseason. The Patriots have relied on a stout defense that ranks eighth in yards allowed (295.2 per game) and fourth-fewest in scoring allowed (18.8 points per game), dropping to just 8.7 points per game across three playoff contests. Offensively the Patriots are among the league’s most productive units, third overall and first in the AFC with 379.4 yards per game; they averaged 28.8 points in the regular season, second only to the Rams’ 30.5. New England is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games, with the over hitting 6-4 in that span. Quarterback Drake Maye has been a central piece, throwing for 4,426 yards, 31 touchdowns and only eight interceptions this season.
How Marshall is approaching the game
Bruce Marshall has dissected this matchup from every angle, focusing on totals and identifying an X-factor that he believes justifies backing one side of the spread; his final picks are being published exclusively on SportsLine.
Fan Take: This matchup matters because it pits two top defenses and high-powered offenses with contrasting styles, offering a potential chess match that could define coaching and roster strategies for years to come. For NFL fans, the game isn’t just about a championship — it’s a showcase of trends (defensive dominance vs. explosive passing) that could influence how teams are built moving forward.
