Buffalo Bills fans are expressing mixed reactions to the New England Patriots winning the AFC Championship Sunday.
Yes, the Patriots defeated the team that knocked the Bills out of the postseason the week before – the Denver Broncos – but the Patriots win also means that either New England or Kansas City has represented the AFC in the Super Bowl seven straight seasons and 15 times since the year 2000.
That stat has Bills fans realizing even more that the Josh Allen window to keep producing MVP calibre seasons is closing every so slightly.
When the Patriots and Seahawks meet on February 8 in Santa Clara, California it will be 11 years since the two teams met in Super Bowl 49. In that game New England prevailed 28-24.
Seattle has opened as a 3.5 to 5.0 point favorite here in 2026.
Both teams enter the sport’s biggest game with identical (14-3) records overall.
Seattle has been impressive on both sides of the ball. Its offense has been efficient, with the third-most points and the eighth-most yards in the NFL. Sam Darnold, in his first season with the Seahawks, led the team to the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Darnold connected with receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for an NFL-best 1,793 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Seahawks have allowed the fewest points in the NFL.
On the other side of the field, New England had a remarkable turnaround.
After posting a (4-13) record last season, first year head coach (and NFL coach of the year favorite) Mike Vrabel led the Patriots to an AFC East crown over the heavily favored, aforementioned, Buffalo Bills.
Second year quarterback Drake Maye, who is nominated for NFL Most Valuable Player, led the league in completion-percentage (72-percent) passer rating (113.5) and yards per attempt (8.93)
So the Seahawks feature the best rush defense in the NFL, while the Patriots feature the best pass offense.
Who will prevail?
Most so-called experts and pundits feel Seattle’s defense will be the difference in the Super Bowl. And apparently the odds makers agree.
However, keep this in mind, underdogs are (5-0) against the spread and 4-1 outright in the past five Super Bowls, including three straight outright wins.
This will be the first Super Bowl in over 50 years between two teams that entered the season with at least 60 to 1 odds to win the Super Bowl.
And Mike Vrabel (-400) and Mike Macdonald (+450) were the two favorites to win Coach of the Year in the closing odds on some sportsbooks. No one has won Coach of the Year and the Super Bowl in the same season since Bill Belichick in 2003.
Super Bowl LX: Seahawks vs. Patriots
When: Sunday, Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara (Home of the San Francisco 49ers)
Opening line: SEA -3.5 (O/U 46.5)
Rod Mawhood is a lifelong Niagara native who has had the pleasure of working in all three mediums – Radio, Print and TV – for over 20 years. His first announcing gig was with the then St. Catharines Stompers. Since then he’s worked in radio and TV in Toronto, and currently is the announcer for the Niagara IceDogs and Niagara River Lions.
Rod also covers the Buffalo Bills for FOX Sports and the Buffalo Sabres for NBC Sports.
