There has been a real buzz in the Bay Area this week ahead of Super Bowl LX (60, for those of you not familiar with Roman numerals).
The defending champions - the Philadelphia Eagles - aren't here, neither are the dominant franchise of the past decade (the Kansas City Chiefs). It has been a refreshing NFL season, delivering an unexpected pairing to boot.
On Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks are back and, whisper it, the Patriots could be back for the long haul too.
Sam Darnold’s resurgence
What a difference a year makes.
After a comeback regular season last year for Darnold, his play-off performance against the Los Angeles Rams left a lot to be desired.
Taking nine sacks and looking flustered all game, many wondered if the three-year, $100million contract Seahawk would end up being the biggest regret of the off-season.
Darnold, though, has proven everyone wrong; after a strong regular season where he threw for over 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns, he has reached a new level in this play-off run.
A controlled performance against the 49ers in their 41-6 win was only the opening act ahead of the NFC championship game, where Darnold threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers against the Rams, outduelling newly-crowned NFL MVP Matthew Stafford in the process.
Now, a Super Bowl awaits.
He won't be alone in attack with offensive player of the year finalist, Jackson Smith-Njigba, his number one target at wide receiver; former Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp providing help in the slot; and of course, star running back Kenneth Walker III, who has seen even more touches with the season-ending injury to Zach Charbonnet.
The former second overall pick has been in the Super Bowl before but as backup to Brock Purdy for the 49ers two years ago. Now, he will lead his Seahawks out on to the field he once called home. He comes back redeemed and stripped of the 'bust' label and will look to leave as a Super Bowl champion.
Can he deliver on the biggest stage of them all?
Patriots' new era
If you had a euro for each time the Patriots made the Super Bowl with a second-year quarterback after beating an AFC West team in the snow with the help of a controversial referee call and played an NFC West team looking for their second title, you would now have two euros.
It's almost outrageous in the modern era that it could happen twice, so quickly after Tom Brady left New England.
Having been led by the Brady-Belichick tandem for over 20 years, many thought their departures would finally lead to the fall of the NFL’s greatest modern dynasty. Now, after only three seasons, the Patriots have climbed not only back into the play-offs but also back to the Super Bowl.
After going 4-13 the previous two seasons, the Patriots have flipped their fortunes, going 14-3, and will play for the Lombardi trophy for the 12th time in team history.
The real shift for the Patriots came this past off-season when they hired Mike Vrabel to be their next head coach.
Immediately he backed second-year quarterback Drake Maye, brought in Tom Brady's former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and spent more than any other team in free agency to solidify the offensive and defensive lines.
The goal was to get better. They are now one game away from being the best.
Without many true superstars, the Patriots are more than the sum of their parts and in one year have shifted the narrative from 'if the dynasty would return' to 'when' - and this was solidified on Thursday night when Vrabel was awarded the NFL Coach of the Year accolade.
If he can get the Patriots to the promised land on Sunday, it will not only be a job well done, but an incredible achievement in such a short period of time.
Maye on the cusp
In only his second year, Patriots' quarterback Drake Maye has finished inside the top five in touchdowns, passing yards and completion percentage.
Now, the former North Carolina product is just one win away from putting his name amongst the greats of the game.
After a stellar first year, Maye has looked assured all season long, making big plays in each play-off game throughout January.
Even in the snowy elements at Denver, he showed his athleticism, running for a touchdown and the first down that secured the win.
That being said, it’s not all rosy ahead of the Super Bowl.
The slight concern for Maye comes in his inexperience, in particular against top defences like Seattle.
Without an explosive run game to work with, Maye has been left exposed at times in the Pats' play-off run, throwing an interception in two of his three play-off games to date.
Seattle boasts the best defence in the NFL and will be looking to make things as difficult as possible for the Patriots' playcaller.
Should he win, he would be the youngest starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl, overtaking Ben Roethlisberger, and is set to be the second youngest starter in Super Bowl history, only behind Dan Marino in 1984 – not bad company for Maye to be amongst so early in his career.
Durde’s Defence
There will always be some international interest in any Super Bowl, and this year it comes from Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde.
On Sunday, he will become the first British coach to appear in a Super Bowl.
The Middlesex man started his playing career in the UK before making the leap to the NFL, playing linebacker for Carolina Panthers and the Chiefs.
Following his playing career, Durde would pursue coaching, really making a name for himself as the defensive line coach with the Dallas Cowboys, coaching some of the league's best players like Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, who he has since been reunited with in Seattle.
This year's Seahawks defence is reminiscent of the last time they won the Super Bowl with the 'Legion of Boom’; now they have returned with a new name, ‘The Black Hole’.
Twelve years on from their first win, again their defence is the best in the NFL, allowing less than 12 points per game, forcing the sixth most turnovers and being among the league's best at stopping both the run and the pass.
While playcalling duty is handled by head coach Mike MacDonald, Durde is seen as one of the brightest coaches in the NFL.
Defensive lineman Byron Murphy is joined by Pro Bowlers Leonard Williams and Demarcus Lawrence, who all had six or more sacks this season.
While young corner-backs Tariq Woollen and Devon Witherspoon will have a tough time against Patriots receivers Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte, they are among the best corners in the NFL.
The real man to look out for, though, is Nick Emmanwori.
A finalist for Rookie Of The Season and arguably the man who makes this defence tick, the safety from South Carolina has been a revelation in the Seattle defence, being able to play nearly every position needed of him.
He has had an injury scare this week, but will play regardless. His fitness could be crucial for the Seahawks' chances.
Having already shut down two of the NFL’s best attacks this play-off run, they will try to right the wrongs of their previous Super Bowl meeting with the Patriots 11 years ago.
Offensive lines
If there was anything teams took away from last year's Super Bowl, it was that offensive lines really matter. It proved to be the tipping point as the Eagles' line held tough while the Chiefs capitulated
It doesn't look like either side will have that problem this year.
For the Patriots, like most things, it's a complete turnaround. A mix of experience and youth makes up their offensive line. The left side is taken up by rookie first-and third-rounders Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, making this the first time a rookie tandem has appeared on the same O-line in a Super Bowl.
The rest of the line is made up of multi-year veterans Garrett Bradbury, Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses. Offensive lines thrive best when there is consistency and chemistry, making their great play even more of an outlier when you consider that Onwenu only joined the team before the last off-season.
The Seahawks have also had a rebuild of their own, drafting and developing all five of their offensive linemen.
One of which is rookie Grey Zabel, a first-round pick in last year's draft.
Zabel has started every game this season and impressed from the start, helping the Seahawks run the ball 52% of the time, the most in the NFL. The other key figure is Charles Cross, who has been a revelation this term, with the crowning moment being his dominant performance against the Rams' star pass rusher Jared Verse in their play-off win.
Efficient offensive line play from both teams will be one of the key determining factors of the game. If the defence dominates, the erosion on both will be crucial towards the latter stages of the contest.
One thing is for sure - while the Seahawks are favoured going into this, the game is not played on paper.
Anything can happen when Darnold and Maye take to the field at Levi’s Stadium.
This is the biggest game of the year and one team is 60 minutes away from immortality.
Enjoy it, because we will have to wait another seven months for a game after this, folks.
Prediction: Patriots 27-24 Seahawks, Drake Maye MVP
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