3) Patriots OL must deal with tenacious Seattle rush
There are several individual matchups we could highlight, but Demarcus Lawrence, Byron Murphy II and Co. versus the left side of the Patriots’ line feels like a potential trouble spot for New England. Patriots rookies Will Campbell and Jared Wilson returned from injuries late in the season to return to the starting lineup, and each has struggled at times — especially Campbell and especially in pass protection. Drake Maye has been sacked five times in each of the three playoff games, and the Seahawks are one of the league’s best pass rush outfits. Lawrence leads a four-man edge rotation that helped generate the fourth-highest pressure rate in 2025 despite blitzing at the eighth-lowest rate, per Next Gen Stats. Don’t forget Murphy in that equation; he was second on the Seahawks in pressures this season with 46, one of five of their defenders to have at least 40. New England will counter with heavy sets, using extra fullbacks, tight ends and offensive linemen, but that also limits the number of receivers running routes. The Patriots are likely to stick with the run-game duo of Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, even though they have been held in relative check in the postseason. Campbell has been good in the run-blocking department, and he had two massive fumble recoveries against the Texans, but it would be shocking if the Seahawks didn’t try to exploit him in passing situations on Sunday. The rookie will be in the crosshairs, and there’s only so much Maye and Josh McDaniels can do to shield him from the fire.
4) Elite vs. elite could match up when Seahawks have ball
The 2023 NFL Draft produced two big hits in Round 1 for the Super Bowl teams, with the Patriots drafting cornerback Christian Gonzalez 17th overall and the Seahawks selecting Jaxon Smith-Njigba three picks later. Now they’re two of the very best at their respective crafts, and the football-watching world can’t wait for them to lock horns. But how much will Gonzalez and Smith-Njigba face off? In their one NFL meeting, during the 2024 season, Gonzalez only shadowed JSN on two routes (zero targets), mostly following DK Metcalf around in that game. Metcalf is gone, it’s a different coaching staff, and the Seahawks don’t really have another receiver of his ilk, so it’s possible Gonzalez is asked to follow Smith-Njigba more than he did a year-plus ago. In that last matchup, JSN torched the Patriots for 112 yards, with nickel back Marcus Jones mostly assigned to him. Jones allowed him to catch four passes for 42 yards on seven targets in 19 matchups. Chances are, it will have to be group duty for New England, with Gonzalez, Jones and Carlton Davis all getting cracks against the NFL’s receiving yards leader. The safeties also figure to be playing heavily over the top to prevent the big plays. The Patriots also must contend with Rashid Shaheed and Cooper Kupp, who have each made big catches in the playoffs. But none instill fear in opponents the way Smith-Njigba does.