A Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl gives rebuilding teams hope
Nobody could have forecasted this Super Bowl matchup when the 2025 season got underway.
Part of the shock is that the football world had primarily grown accustomed to seeing the same few teams on the biggest stage. The Kansas City Chiefs were the AFC representative in a staggering five of the last six years, while the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers combined for four appearances on the NFC side over that same stretch. Suffice to say, the end of Tom Brady's reign wasn't nearly enough to kickstart a new era of parity.
The Chiefs and Eagles falling off a cliff this season has, at least temporarily, opened the door for some new blood at the top, but still, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots? The real reason this matchup feels so far out of left field is that these clubs were in the early stages of rebuilding under new leadership. As it turns out, timelines get accelerated when you knock a head coaching hire out of the park. The example set by this year's final two should provide hope for the 10 teams - nearly one-third of the NFL - making changes in that all-important spot this offseason.
Mike Macdonald's first year on the job in 2024 was largely successful, with a 10-7 record marking the Seahawks' best finish since 2020. Most notably, he laid the foundation for an elite defense. Seattle ranked third in EPA/play from Week 9 through the end of that regular season that year, according to TruMedia.
The offense was a different story. Macdonald's decision to hand the keys to Ryan Grubb, a career college assistant, proved to be a mistake. The unit often appeared disjointed throughout the 2024 campaign, ranking 19th in EPA/play while giving up 54 sacks, tied for third-most in the league and the second-worst total in franchise history. Although Macdonald probably could've justified staying the course after narrowly missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker that decided the NFC West, a change became imperative if he wanted to build a championship-caliber team. His swift pivot to replace Grubb with Klint Kubiak immediately accelerated the Seahawks' progress beyond expectations.
General manager John Schneider also deserves credit for the bold move to swap out Geno Smith for Sam Darnold. Still, it wouldn't matter who was at quarterback unless the offense had a system that put players in position to succeed. Kubiak has been a dream addition on that front, installing one of the NFL's most explosive scoring attacks. Seattle finished the 2025 regular season with the third-highest rate of passing plays gaining 16-plus yards (16.9%).
Just like that, Macdonald had an ideal complement on the other side of the ball. And with his defense taking another meaningful step forward - resembling the 2022 and '23 Baltimore Ravens units that made Macdonald a rising star in the industry - Seattle emerged as the most complete team in football. Not bad for the second season under a first-time head coach.
Then there's the Patriots. The future was undeniably bright with Mike Vrabel returning to the organization where he won three Super Bowls as a player. Given that he consistently helped the Tennessee Titans play above their talent level over six years as their head coach, it seemed only a matter of time before he'd have New England back in the playoff mix. But after inheriting a team coming off a disastrous 4-13 season, patience was expected as the rebuild took shape.
Every button Vrabel has pushed since taking the job in January has been a stroke of genius. First, he brought back Josh McDaniels as the offensive coordinator to oversee Drake Maye's development. Then came the free-agent spending spree to turn over the roster. Dishing out a series of big-money contracts isn't typically a wise team-building strategy, but the Patriots evidently had a clear vision for each player they targeted. Milton Williams, Stefon Diggs, Carlton Davis, Morgan Moses, Harold Landry III, and Robert Spillane all delivered significant value right out of the gate. An excellent draft class - focused on bolstering Maye's supporting cast with the club's first four picks - was the cherry on top of an outstanding offseason.
Though the roster was far from perfect, the wholesale changes and Vrabel's ability to maximize talent were enough to produce a record-tying 10-win improvement from 2024. And it wasn't a fluke. By finding a different formula for success in the playoffs, New England dispelled any narrative that it benefited from a soft schedule.
To that point, it's been Vrabel's defense leading the team's Super Bowl run. A struggling offensive line has limited Maye's postseason production, but a new, ultra-aggressive approach on the other side of the ball is making life just as difficult for opposing quarterbacks. The Patriots blitzed at a 39.8% clip over the last three games, up from 27.2% in the regular season. The result has been a 51.9% pressure rate and eight turnovers, both tops among all playoff teams. An upset win over the Seahawks is absolutely on the table if those trends hold for one more contest.
Of course, there are only so many coaches who can swing an organization's fate as Macdonald and Vrabel have in such a short period. While some teams could benefit from a little more patience, you can also understand why many are quick to make a change as soon as it becomes clear that the head coach in place isn't a true game-changer. Why not keep taking swings until you find a superstar leader of your own?
Among those involved in the coaching carousel this year, the Ravens would appear to be the closest comparison to the Seahawks. Jesse Minter comes from the same Baltimore-Michigan pipeline as Macdonald, and his track record over the last two years with the Los Angeles Chargers suggests it may not be long before the Ravens are again dominating on the defensive side. Pairing that kind of unit with a Lamar Jackson-led offense could produce an even faster turnaround than the two-year project we've seen in Seattle.
As for a long-shot Patriots parallel, why not the Titans under Robert Saleh? Cam Ward, like Maye, is a supremely talented quarterback coming off a promising debut season. His development should benefit from the addition of Brian Daboll, another former head coach, as offensive coordinator. And say what you will about Saleh's first stint in a lead job, but it sure didn't take him long to build one of the NFL's best defenses with the New York Jets, of all teams. The No. 4 overall pick and upwards of $100 million in cap space - the same resources New England used to perfection last offseason - give Tennessee a real opportunity to get Saleh all the talent he needs in short order.
Vrabel and Macdonald immediately putting their organizations on the cusp of Super Bowl glory is indeed more of an exception than a rule. Most clubs making a change this offseason will be right back in the same spot a few years from now. But the Patriots and Seahawks getting to the big stage is also an important reminder of what's possible with the right leaders in place. Until proven otherwise, each team embarking on a new era this offseason has reason to believe it could be next.
Dan Wilkins is theScore's senior NFL writer.