Santa Clara, Calif. — Super Bowl LX is finally here and the Patriots are ready to face the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
With the two Patriots defenders carrying questionable designations, captains Robert Spillane and Harold Landry III are officially active. New England's game-day inactives are WR Efton Chism III, OLB Bradyn Swinson, OT Marcus Bryant, CB Kobee Minor, G Caedan Wallace, TE C.J. Dippre and QB Tommy DeVito is the emergency third quarterback. For the most part, the Patriots are at full strength for Super Bowl LX.
Starting on defense, Spillane (ankle) and Landry (knee) are both active on Sunday. Spillane, a key piece in the front seven, injured his ankle two weeks ago in the AFC Championship Game. The Pats linebacker exited the win over the Broncos in the first quarter and didn't return. However, the two weeks between games gave Spillane a chance to play and the captain practiced in a limited capacity during the final two sessions at Stanford University this week.
This season, Spillane leads the Patriots in run stuffs (23) and is the primary communicator on defense. Along with the defense being tied together assignment-wise when he's playing, New England having its best run-stuffing linebacker against a Seahawks offense that likes to run the ball is huge. Seattle led the NFL in rush percentage (48.7%) and ranked 30th in pass rate over expected as a run-first offense led by RB Kenneth Walker, who has 256 total yards and four scores through two playoff games so far this postseason.
The Seahawks feature outside zone runs inside their West Coast offense, so having all hands on deck to stop the run game and get the Seahawks into obvious passing situations is a key to the game. When the Seahawks get into third-and-long situations, Seattle ranks 31st in third-down conversion rate at 16.8%, while the Patriots are the top-ranked defense in getting off the field on third-and-long (15.4%). If the Patriots defense can limit Seattle's run and play-action pass game on early downs, they can get the Seahawks off-schedule and have the upper hand.
Landry is also active after sitting out the AFC Championship Game due to his lingering knee injury. The Pats captain has been managing his knee injury since Week 6, when he had an injury scare in a win over the Saints. Landry sat out the last two regular-season games to rest for the playoffs and then played a limited role (27.4% snap rate) in New England's two playoff wins. As one of head coach Mike Vrabel's key leaders on the team, Landry will suit up for Super Bowl LX, but how much he'll play and how effectively is the question.
Without him last week, the Patriots leaned on edge rushers Anfernee Jennings and Elijah Ponder in Landry's role in the AFC title game. The two defenders combined for six total pressures and three run stuffs vs. the Broncos, rushing opposite top pass-rusher K'Lavon Chaisson. If the Pats captain is limited, New England is in good hands with Jennings and Ponder in Landry's spot for Super Bowl LX.
QB Drake Maye's Supporting Cast vs. Broncos
OL - LT Campbell, LG Wilson, C Bradbury, RG Onwenu, RT Moses, OT3 Munford
WR - Diggs, Boutte, Hollins, Douglas, Williams
TE - Henry, Hooper, Westover (FB), Tonga (short-yardage FB)
RB - Stevenson, Henderson, Johnson
Moving over to the other side of the ball, the Patriots will have their full contingent of contributors on offense around MVP runner-up Drake Maye. None of New England's offensive players carried injury designations into the game, so the Pats offense is a full-go against the Seahawks top-ranked defense. From this perspective, the key to the game offensively is a much-improved Pats O-Line holding up against Seattle's formidable front. Mainly, finding ways to maintain run-pass balance and blocking the Seahawks stunts and blitzes. If they can give Maye time, the improved weather conditions and matchups in the secondary should create some downfield opportunities for the Patriots offense.
On special teams, undrafted rookie Efton Chism III is the odd man out at wide receiver/returner. New England elevated practice-squad RB D'Ernest Johnson for Super Bowl LX, so Johnson and rookie WR Kyle Williams will likely return kickoffs on Sunday. Rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson could also be in the mix on returns. Likely due to only having two healthy backs on the active roster, Henderson hasn't returned kickoffs since Week 8, but the second-rounder is a threat to take it to the house with his game-breaking speed. Given that this is the final game of the 2025 season, win or lose, putting Henderson back on kickoffs could make sense.
After two weeks of lead-up, the Patriots and Seahawks will finally kick off Super Bowl LX at 6:30 p.m. ET, with New England going for an NFL-record seventh Super Bowl championship.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
