It’s only fitting that in a season of improbable happenings, Super Bowl LX features such an improbable pairing. The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, led by journeyman Sam Darnold and sophomore Drake Maye, outperformed, outlasted and out-lucked everybody else to make the promised land. Who could have seen this coming?

*ENHANCE*

Huh. Moving on.

At this point, it might as well be called “The New England Patriots Present: The Super Bowl,” since the Pats have now been to the title game 12 times, four more than any other team. This will be Seattle’s fourth trip, and its first since 2014, when they also played the Patriots in a game that … ended poorly.

The Patriots are being spotted 4.5 to 5 points, making them Super Bowl underdogs for the first time since 2002. They won that game, upsetting the Rams and kicking off a dynastic run in which they were favored in eight straight Super Bowl appearances. The 2001 Patriots opened the season at +6000 to win it all, and no team with odds that long has won the title since.

Until now!

As of Sept. 4, the Seahawks’ championship odds were +6000, and New England sat at +8000. Whoever wins will be the longest long shot since the start of the Brady/Belichick epoch (this year’s Pats actually slipped to +12500 in both Week 2 and Week 4 this year, so if you timed it right, congrats on your new island).

The good news for New England is that underdogs have not only covered the spread in the past five Super Bowls, they’ve outright won the last three. The bad news is their current performance has them in pretty thin company.

They’ve scored 54 points in three games, the lowest total of any team that played three games before making the Super Bowl. They scored 10 points Sunday, which is the second-fewest by a team that won a conference championship game (the 1979 Rams scored nine).

In fairness, that game was played in a blizzard, but Maye has struggled all postseason. New England’s passing success rate in the playoffs is 35 percent, making them just the second team ever to post that low a number and make it this far. The 2015 Broncos are the other, which is not a team you want to be associated with offensively. Maye’s 65 net passing yards Sunday are the second-fewest for a winning quarterback in the playoffs this century.

But Maye, who will become the second-youngest quarterback ever to start a Super Bowl (Dan Marino was 35 days younger for Super Bowl XIX), also faced three teams ranked in the top five for total defense. Until the 23-year-old’s current run, no quarterback had ever beaten three top-five defenses to make the Super Bowl.

Maye can also take solace in the fact that, though the Rams lost, they averaged 8.3 yards per play against the Seahawks, and Seattle allowed a 62 percent pass success rate.

Specifically, they allowed 226 yards on deep passes, the third most in any NFL game in the last 10 years. Since the stat was tracked, the Seahawks are the only team to allow more than 200 yards on deep balls in a playoff game and win. This season, Maye posted an EPA per dropback of 1.31 on deep passes, .5 more than the next quarterback.

That next quarterback? Sam Darnold, whose two-man deep game with Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been Seattle’s knockout punch all year. The play-action pass attack, which takes a few seconds to develop, does run the risk of inviting pressure, but New England is 29th in the league at getting to the quarterback on long dropbacks (over three seconds). Darnold’s average time to throw sits at 3.3 seconds on bombs.

But the Patriots have eight takeaways this postseason, and have gained the third-most EPA off turnovers of any team in the last 20 years. Only the Bengals lost more EPA to turnovers than the Seahawks this season, and that trend, combined with Maye’s slip in production, likely contributes to the final number: 46.

That’s the over-under for Super Bowl LX, the lowest for any Super Bowl in a decade. The last time the mark was this low is also the last time the Super Bowl was in Santa Clara. Denver and Carolina had a 43.5-point mark, and the under comfortably hit in the Broncos’ 24-10 win.

Super Bowl 60 score predictions

Seahawks 27, Patriots 17: I’m a bit more bullish on Seattle’s chances than the betting odds. The Seahawks just beat a better team in the Rams (granted, in a one-score game at home) and are more well-rounded than New England. — Dan Santaromita

Seahawks 24, Patriots 10: Yes, the Patriots’ trail to Santa Clara blazed through the Chargers, Texans and Broncos — three of the top defenses in the NFL — but there are notable qualifiers. L.A.’s offensive line and Justin Herbert were ailing, C..J. Stroud was convinced the Patriots’ defenders played for Houston and Jarrett Stidham should have gotten an assist for New England’s loan TD in the AFC Championship Game after his two-handed chest pass went backwards. The Pats will need to turn over Darnold and the Seahawks to come out on top, and — I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but — I don’t quite see that happening with how composed Darnold looked against the Rams and his nemesis, defensive coordinator Chris Shula. — Mike Hume

Seahawks: 24, Patriots: 17: I love that we’ll be watching two well-coached teams in the Super Bowl, but I think Seattle has the talent advantage on offense and defense. The Seahawks had a much more difficult road to the championship and ranked in the top five in defensive scoring during the regular season. Smith-Njigba is the best receiver among the two teams, and his chemistry with Darnold, who’s having another career year, is undeniable. — Jess Bryant

Seahawks 28, Patriots 19: A tale of two Mikes! An unpredicted Super Bowl feels thrilling in this day and age, and these two coaches — Vrabel and Macdonald — deserve to be here. The Patriots have had some perhaps undeserved doubt about the path they overcame on the way, but they earned this and I think they’ll put up a good resistance to the rolling Seahawks. But just not enough. The Seahawks are a juggernaut, and they’ve come through better teams to get here. — Hannah Vanbiber

Seahawks 24, Patriots 21: I’m terrified for this Patriots offensive line to go up against this Seahawks defensive front. In a game that I think could be lower scoring, paired with the league’s best defense, a big game from a defensive lineman would be the narrative to get rewarded with Super Bowl MVP…. (See my MVP pick below.) — Austin Mock

Seahawks 28, Patriots 20: I would’ve picked the Rams if they won, so it’s clear how I perceive Seattle heading up against New England. It really comes down to me thinking the Seahawks are superior on both sides of the ball. Nothing fancy. — Larry Holder

Seahawks 27, Patriots 19: I just don’t think Drake Maye has been good enough in these playoffs to believe he’s going to be able to keep pace while trying to navigate a Seattle defense that has bite at every level. Mike Vrabel has done a masterful coaching job to pull this team to the Super Bowl, but New England’s offense won’t be enough in this game. — Nick Kosmider

Super Bowl MVP picks

Sam Darnold (+135): I love a comeback arc and anything that proves what we already knew about the Jets’ inability to develop a QB. Give me Darnold for the narrative and because he has played exceptionally well in the postseason with 0.38 EPA/DB and a 122.4 passer rating. If the Hawks win, he’s the MVP. — Jess Bryant

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (+500): It’s really hard to go against the Darnold narrative, but JSN has been stellar all year, and I’m having flashbacks to his 347-yard showing in the Rose Bowl four years ago. — Dan Santaromita

DeMarcus Lawrence (+12500): There are plenty of Seahawks to pick from, but I’ll settle on Lawrence being disruptive on the field edge leading to enough sacks and forced fumbles to give him the MVP. — Austin Mock

Smith-Njigba: Darnold is the obvious pick, so I’m going with Smith-Njigba for fun and because he is having a career year and seems to rise to the occasion on a big stage like this. Also, his vibes are immaculate. (Do the kids say this anymore?) — Hannah Vanbiber

Darnold: He seemed so much more in control against the Rams in the NFC Championship game than I thought he would be. New England will present a tougher challenge defensively, but it feels like Darnold can handle just about anything. — Larry Holder

Darnold: (Man, this Kool-Aid is strong!) I can’t see the award going to anyone else unless the Super Bowl becomes a turnover fest, and I’m already wagering against that outcome. Plus, the Darnold redemption arc is the feel-good Super Bowl story we need right now. — Mike Hume

Smith-Njigba: There have only been two wide receivers to be named Super Bowl MVP in the past 16 years. The position has a difficult path to the award because if a receiver is putting up big numbers, so is the quarterback throwing him the ball. But Smith-Njigba has been undeniable this season, and if he catches a pair of touchdown passes — like current teammate Cooper Kupp did for the Rams while winning Super Bowl MVP in 2022 — and adds 100-plus yards, it would be easy to see him be recognized for his performance in the game and the season that led him to that moment. — Nick Kosmider