Welcome to “Mac’s Picks for the Super Bowl”
Seattle Seahawks (14-3) vs New England Patriots (14-3)
Sunday 6:30p NBC/Peacock
Drake Maye has taken the road less traveled to get to the Super Bowl. In just his second season after being drafted by the New England Patriots in 2024, he’s led them to 17 victories in 20 games.
The MVP runner-up is one of 11 quarterbacks who started this post-season to have only played for one team in the NFL career — joining Josh Allen (Buffalo), Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers), Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia), Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville), Jordan Love (Green Bay), Bo Nix (Denver), Brock Purdy (San Francisco), CJ Stroud (Houston), Bryce Young (Carolina), and Caleb Williams (Chicago).
MVP Matthew Stafford played for two teams — starting his career in Detroit before winning a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay, New York Jets, and Pittsburgh Steelers) and Jarrett Stidham (New England, Las Vegas, Denver) played for three teams each.
Sam Darnold’s journey to the “Big Game” has them all beat. Like Maye, he was also drafted third-overall, albeit six years earlier by the New York Jets. The eight-year veteran has played in 100 regular season games for five different franchises.
- New York Jets (2018-20) 38 games
- Carolina Panthers (2021-22) 18 games
- San Francisco 49ers ((2023) 10 games
- Minnesota Vikings (2024) 17 games
- Seattle Seahawks (2025) 17 games.
Darnold, somehow only 28, has already experienced the ups and downs of a grizzled veteran. He was anointed in New York, then traded away. He was unable to gain any traction in Carolina. He gained confidence under Kyle Shanahan while playing behind Purdy in San Francisco.
In Minnesota, he flourished under Kevin O’Connell — until he closed with ineffective performances against Detroit in the regular season and the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card Round.
In 2025, it all came together. While Seattle’s defense deservedly gets a lot of the credit for the Seahawks success, Darnold finished fifth in the NFL in total passing yards. Just 346 less than Maye. Plus, he’s been outstanding the playoffs completing 69.8% of his passes with 4 touchdowns against zero interceptions.
If all NFL GMs were giving the choice of building their team around Darnold or Maye, I would be shocked if Darnold received a single vote. Doesn’t matter.
He’s about to be rewarded for his resilience.
Seattle Seahawks 31 New England Patriots 27
Mac’s Pick — Patriots (+4 ½)
MAC’S PICKS PLAYOFF RECORD
Versus the point spread: 6-6
On the moneyline: 7-5
Best bets: 0-1
MAC’S PICKS FINAL 2025 REGULAR SEASON RECORD
Versus the point spread: 14-20
On the moneyline: 21-13
Bonus picks: 1-1
MAC’S PICKS DISCLAIMER
Mac’s Picks is written for entertainment purposes only. While “Mac” comes from gambling lineage, he knows he can’t actually predict the future. Therefore, use this information at your own risk.