The Latest: Seahawks vs Patriots at Super Bowl 60

By Canadian Press on February 8, 2026.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Super Bowl 60 is almost here, and it’s a rematch: The New England Patriots versus the Seattle Seahawks.

The Patriots could break an NFL record with their seventh Super Bowl victory when they face the Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

But the Seahawks are gunning for their second Lombardi — and redemption: In 2015, the Patriots pulled a 28-24 victory over them after Malcolm Butler intercepted a Russell Wilson pass from the 1-yard line in the final minute.

Green Day brings Bay rock to an MVP parade, including Tom Brady and Peyton Manning

San Francisco Bay Area punk-pop vets Green Day took the pre-game stage and performed a snippet of their song “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” to a parade of former Super Bowl MVPs.

Local heroes Steve Young, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice were among those who walked out during the song meant to celebrate 60 years of Super Bowls. Bay Area native Tom Brady was also there, as was Peyton Manning.

Billie Joe Armstong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool then blasted into the harder and less sentimental stuff, including “Holiday,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “American Idiot.”

What to watch for if you don’t know anything about football

For those who are just joining for the NFL season’s final sprint, here are the fundamentals of the game:

When a team has the ball, they will attempt to either run or throw the football down the 100-yard-long field in hopes of getting it into the end zone, thus scoring a touchdown, which is worth 6 points (a successful extra point kick after the touchdown would make it 7).

The other team will seek to stop their opponent by either tackling the player with the ball, knocking the ball to the ground or intercepting the ball.

Teams have sets of offensive and defensive players. When a team has the ball, their offensive players take the field, pushing forward and protecting the player with the ball.

The team without the ball has its defensive players take the field, attempting to stop their opponents from advancing. The team with the ball has four chances (called “downs”) to move 10 yards down the field.

If they successfully advance 10 yards, the number of downs resets. If they fail, the ball must go to the other team.

Coco Jones delivers ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’

Coco Jones, a 28-year-old singer-songwriter and actor from Columbia, South Carolina, wore a white gown and was backed by a string octet as she performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song that has become known as the unofficial Black national anthem.

Written by James Weldon Johnson, the song has been performed at the Super Bowl each year since 2021, the first Super Bowl after the protests surrounding the killing of George Floyd, when Black Lives Matter sentiment, and the song, became especially prominent.

A good luck kiss from a baking social media star

Drake Maye found time for a pregame smooch on the field with his wife, Ann Michael Maye.

The New England Patriots quarterback met his future wife in middle school, and they have been a couple for a decade, attending the University of North Carolina together. While her husband was the runner-up for NFL MVP in his second season, Ann Michael Maye became a star on social media for her baking videos.

Drake Maye was asked about his wife’s newfound fame at Super Bowl Opening Night.

“Keep being you,” he said. “You’re the better half of me and I love you. It’s such a special moment for me to follow your journey. I know you do it for something bigger than yourself and that’s what makes it special.”

Seahawks QB doesn’t expect oblique injury to affect him tonight

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) speaks during a news conference on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in San Jose, Calif., ahead of Super Bowl 60 between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Sam Darnold has played through an oblique injury during each of the Seahawks’ two playoff wins.

Ahead of Wednesday’s practice, the quarterback said he still feels “really good,” just as he did before the Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 in the NFC championship game.

Darnold has excelled in the playoffs, completing in two games 37 of 53 passes for 470 yards and throwing four touchdown passes with no interceptions.

Seattle’s ‘12s’ are swarming the Super Bowl

In the hours leading up to kickoff at Super Bowl 60, a small airplane dragging a “12s” flag circled around Levi’s Stadium.

The Seahawks’ “12s” flag tradition pays homage to the team’s fan base, and the “12th man” has helped create a difficult environment for visiting teams at Lumen Field’s over the years. Before every Seattle home game, a giant flag raising ceremony takes place in the south end zone.

The No. 12 was the first jersey number retired by the Seahawks in 1984. It is one of only five jersey numbers retired by Seattle, alongside Kenny Easley (45), Walter Jones (71), Steve Largent (80) and Cortez Kennedy (96).

Marshawn Lynch is at the Super Bowl

Seattle’s last trip to the Super Bowl memorably ended with Marshawn Lynch not getting the ball on the 1-yard line.

Lynch was on the sideline with a camera for Seattle’s return to the Super Bowl stage, taking pictures before the Seahawks played the New England Patriots.

Lynch was famously reticent to talk to the media as a player but has become a credentialed photographer in his retirement.

What would you do for Super Bowl tickets? This fan wore another team’s jersey

Brothers Frazier and Curt Hollingsworth came to the Super Bowl standing out in bright orange Denver Broncos jerseys. Frazier wore Von Miller’s 58 and Curt had on a No. 7 John Elway.

Frazier, a Broncos fan from Colorado, bought the tickets. He offered one to Curt, a Patriots fan — but only on the condition he wore the Elway top.

“He made me wear this ridiculous jersey,” cracked Curt, eight years younger.

Curt represented New England by sporting red and white argyle socks and a navy blue and white striped sweater under the jersey. Before the game, the siblings chose not to sit in their $3,200 seats in the southwest corner in favor of standing room behind a standing bar top on the main concourse near midfield. Frazier also attended Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium 10 years ago.

Checking in on Super Bowl concession prices

The Halftime Show Margarita will cost Super Bowl fans $23 — and $36 for a double. Jeanine Minton and her co-workers at Levi’s Stadium had sold three singles and a couple of doubles already some 2 1/2 hours ahead of kickoff.

All concessions are going for a pretty penny. A premium draft peer is running patrons $22.50 while a souvenir popcorn and soda combo is $25. Thirsty fans looking to hydrate with water can snag an Aquafina bottle for $8.

Most other snacks and drinks are a tad more affordable, though. Jack Link’s beef jerky, coffee and hot chocolate can all be purchased for $6. Perhaps the least expensive concession item in the main concourse is a bag of mixed nuts, which costs $4.

Reggaeton and Medalla as San Juan gets ready for Bad Bunny

Reggaeton boomed near a popular beach in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Sunday evening as hundreds of Bad Bunny fans lined up to enter an exclusive outdoor watch party after being selected via an online lottery system.

Some had never watched a Super Bowl and didn’t even know what teams were playing. All they cared about was watching Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, the island’s beloved superstar.

“He has brought honor to Puerto Rico,” said Sheila Aponte, 53, of Bayamón, where Bad Bunny was born. “We Boricuas are so proud of him.”

Aponte was not lucky enough to get an invitation, but she and her partner toured the premises out of curiosity as he sipped a Medalla, the local beer.

It’s a new era for both teams

New England’s season has a Cinderella-like feel to it, but the belief and trust that Vrabel’s players have in him is very real. They feel like they are taking the field with a guy who gets what they’ve gone through.

And that could be the thing that gets this Patriots team over the hump.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, dominated this season in a way that they expected of themselves. En route to rattling off the most regular-season wins in franchise history, Seattle nicknamed its defense the “Dark Side.”

The confidence this group exudes is abundantly clear, whether it be in practices, games or media availabilities.

For Seattle, this Super Bowl is not merely a shot at redemption for 11 years ago but a chance to separate itself as one of the best teams in franchise history.

When the Seahawks have the ball

Seattle’s offense, which ranked fifth in the NFL in points per game, is a multidimensional unit, even though it is led by the league’s leading receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has put a system in place that brings out the best in its players, both in the run and passing games.

Quarterback Sam Darnold is fresh off his second Pro Bowl season and has shown that he’s not afraid of slinging the ball downfield or even making a few mistakes.

The Seahawks’ run game is surging, too, led by running back Kenneth Walker III, who is in a contract year. He has a penchant for running outside the tackles and busting runs around the right and left sides of the offensive line.

And then there’s veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who continues to lead on and off the field in his first season with the Seahawks after eight standout ones with the Los Angeles Rams.

When the Patriots have the ball

New England wouldn’t be here without the play of Drake Maye. But he’ll have to find a way to put points on the board against a Seattle defense that finished in the top seven in the league in sacks and interceptions.

It doesn’t seem impossible: Maye is the first quarterback in history to win three games against top-five defenses in a single playoffs — the Chargers (No. 5), Texans (No. 1) and Broncos (No. 2). The Seahawks are No. 6.

The Patriots also are in a good position because of a defense that finished the regular season ranked in the top 10 in total defense, rush defense, pass defense and points allowed.

New England’s defense has allowed just two touchdowns this postseason.

That’s helped silence voices from the outside that were critical of the Patriots’ regular-season schedule, which ranked as the easiest in the NFL, with opponents finishing with a combined 113-176 record.

Mack Hollins wears Mike Vrabel’s high school jersey for warmups

New England receiver Mack Hollins is honoring coach Mike Vrabel by wearing the former linebacker’s Walsh Jesuit (OH) High School Warriors No. 84 jersey.

It’s on theme for Hollins and the Patriots this season after Vrabel arranged for a team viewing of the 1979 movie “The Warriors.” The coach has referred to his players as “Road Warriors” throughout the season, when they’ve gone 9-0 away from Massachusetts.

After an AFC championship game win at Denver, Vrabel harkened back to the movie, screaming, “Warriors! Come out to play!”

Hollins walked into the stadium that day barefoot and clanging two bottles together, repeating the line by one of the movie’s characters.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The Associated Press

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