Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each team at Super Bowl LX

Oddsmakers have installed the Seattle Seahawks as the slight favorite to win Super Bowl LX over the New England Patriots tonight.

However, the game, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, features plenty of intriguing matchups and storylines that might alter those odds.

With the anticipation building and the stakes reaching a fever pitch, DAZN News analyzes the Keys to Victory for Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks and the Drake Maye-led New England Patriots.

Seattle Seahawks’ Keys to Victory

Sam Darnold needs to protect the ball

For the Seahawks to have a chance to win Super Bowl LX, Sam Darnold must protect the ball and refrain from throwing errant, ill-advised passes.

The Seahawks’ quarterback has been turnover-free in these playoffs as opposed to tossing 14 interceptions during the regular season.

In two playoff games, Darnold has completed 37-of-53 passes for 470 yards and four touchdowns without tossing an interception. He needs to keep that turnover-free trend continuing when it counts most — on the grandest stage in football.

Rattle Drake Maye with the pass rush, don’t let QB extend plays

Drake Maye has been rattled during this postseason, resulting in the Patriots’ star quarterback being sacked 15 times and fumbling six times through three games. That bodes well for the Seahawks’ defense, which has the personnel in DeMarcus Lawrence, Byron Murphy II and Boye Mafe, up front to get to Maye.

The Seahawks’ pass rush collapsing the pocket on Maye could force turnovers and also limit the MVP candidate’s knack of extending plays on his feet. Roving linebacker Ernest Jones IV could help with the latter in hunting Maye down when the quarterback scrambles.

Design explosive plays for Rashid Shaheed

The matchup between NFL Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez might be the most intriguing aspect of Super Bowl LX as both stars are dynamic in their own right. As much as fans and critics alike will find out quickly who has the edge in that matchup, the Seahawks could have big-play potential with another wide receiver too — Rashid Shaheed.

Darnold aired out a 51-yard deep ball to the fourth-year wideout during the NFC Championship and Shaheed could be a vertical threat against the Patriots in Super Bowl LX as well. The Patriots’ other cornerback, Carlton Davis III, is solid but there is no denying Shaheed’s explosiveness.

With the Patriots likely placing plenty of attention on stifling Smith-Njigba, it would be wise for the Seahawks to design specific plays for Shaheed. The fact that the wideout is also a touchdown threat on special teams only adds to Shaheed being a major key for Seattle.

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New England Patriots’ Keys to Victory

Protect Drake Maye

Drake Maye ranked fourth in passing yards (4,394) and third in touchdowns thrown (31) during the regular season where his offensive line gave him protection and the 23-year-old quarterback produced a breakout year.

But that protection has suffered some cracks during these playoffs where Maye has been sacked five times in each of the Patriots’ three games and fumbled a total of six times.

The Patriots’ O-line protecting Maye is imperative. It does not happen and the Seahawks have the kind of dominating defense to make this Super Bowl LX ugly.

Feature one-two running back punch with Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson

One way for the Patriots to combat the Seahawks’ aggressive pass rush is by utilizing their running back tandem of Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson as receivers out of the backfield.

Deploying Stevenson and Henderson in quick outs and screen passes will help the Patriots to chew up the clock, keeping Jaxon Smith-Njigba off the field over those durations.

Plus, their ability to extend drives could afford Maye the opportunity to surprise an unsuspecting Seahawks’ defense with a big pass to Stefon Diggs.

Exploit potential mismatch with Hunter Henry

The Seahawks’ defense ranked first in points allowed during the regular season, giving up just 17.2 points per game.

That said, Seattle does not defend well against opposing tight ends and the Patriots feature a capable one in Hunter Henry. The veteran hauled in 60 receptions for 768 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season, but has been relatively quiet in these playoffs aside from three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown in the Wild Card game.

He could be due for a big outing at Super Bowl LX. It might behoove Mike Vrabel and the Patriots to increase Henry’s targets, amplifying his presence and impact toward strengthening New England’s chances of hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy by the night’s end.