Super Bowl LX predictions: Picking winner, MVP, more

Super Bowl LX kicks off Sunday and our football editors have submitted their predictions for this year's epic clash between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.

Super Bowl LX winner

The Patriots are vying to become the first NFL franchise to win seven Super Bowls, which would break their tie of six with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Six of our eight editors picked Seattle to secure the franchise's second Lombardi Trophy. The Seahawks have secured four takeaways and haven't turned the ball over during their run to the big game.

Leading passer

It's slightly shocking to see Darnold garner a majority of votes here after Maye nearly won the MVP award. However, the Seahawks quarterback has more than held his own recently, passing for 346 yards and three touchdowns in a high-scoring conference title game with the Los Angeles Rams. Maye's 86 passing yards in the AFC championship left some of our staffers pessimistic about his potential on a much bigger stage.

Leading rusher

Walker is averaging 4.5 yards per carry and has emerged as the workhorse after Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL in the NFC divisional round. Stevenson enters Sunday leading all rushers with 194 yards and is averaging 64.7 yards this postseason. Henderson remains a home-run threat after finishing the regular season seventh in yards per carry with 5.1. Wilkins isn't sleeping on Maye, who's rushed for more than 60 yards twice this postseason.

Leading receiver

Few teams have figured out how to slow down Smith-Njigba. The electric wideout earned six selections from our panel after posting nine 100-yard games during the regular season. The Offensive Player of the Year also hauled in 10 receptions for 153 yards in the NFC Championship Game.

Best defensive performance

The common thread among our picks is siding with the Seahawks, who surrendered the fewest points in the league (17.2) and ranked top 10 in both rushing (91.9) and passing (193.9) yards allowed this season. Five editors are convinced Sunday's standout defender will come from the Seahawks' defensive line. Two voters are confident that Williams will deliver a game-breaking performance in his second consecutive Super Bowl.

Super Bowl LX MVP

The MVP race, like any other, appears to favor the quarterbacks. Unlike Maye, Darnold didn't receive any attention for the regular-season equivalent of this award. Chippin believes that Nwosu will be the first defender to earn the honor since Von Miller accomplished the feat in Super Bowl 50. The last non-QB to take home the award was the Seahawks' very own Cooper Kupp in Super Bowl LVI, though he earned it as a member of the Rams.

Most likely to score a TD

Our editors' predictions for touchdown scorers are pretty consistent. Walker hit pay dirt in Seattle's past two playoff contests. Oshtry predicts that Stevenson will snap his dry spell after failing to find the end zone in the Patriots' past three games. Maye is a true dual threat and rushed for New England's only touchdown in a low-scoring AFC title game.

Favorite player prop (via theScore Bet)

🏈 Check out all of the Super Bowl player props available at theScore Bet here

Each of our editors is looking to make you money - just don't ask them to reach a consensus. Henry finding the end zone against Seattle at +225 is among the odds that Miari feels are too savory to pass up. If you're looking for a big payout, then you might want to join Valente, who's backing Shaheed to find the end zone.

X-factor of the game

Defenders, coaches, and pass-catchers make up the panel's picks for Sunday's biggest difference-makers. Emmanwori, a rookie, has been a staple of an opportunistic Seattle secondary, though he's now working through an ankle injury picked up at practice. The Seahawks' respect for Gonzalez could result in few, if any, passes being thrown in the Pro Bowl cornerback's direction. After besting Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels stands in the way of Macdonald's epic run to a Lombardi Trophy as Seattle's defensive play-caller.

Bold prediction

The Patriots coughing up the ball multiple times, Seattle scoring on defense and/or special teams, and Darnold throwing a back-breaking goal-line interception are among our spiciest predictions. A Nwosu MVP campaign has long odds but stranger things have happened. Patterson is forecasting a downright miserable outing for Maye and New England's offense.

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