Students at Skyline were buzzing with predictions and excitement throughout the week leading up to Super Bowl Sunday. Now that the game is over, we revisited some of those predictions to see which held up and which didn’t.
Coming into the game, many thought the Seattle Seahawks were clear favorites over the New England Patriots and would win by a big margin.
“The Seahawks will win big, like by 10 or more,” said Seahawks fan Owen Peterson (‘26). “I don’t think the Patriots are that good a team, and [the Seahawks] haven’t struggled against any other team other than the Rams this season.”
Other fans argued in favor of the Patriots, led by Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel and regular-season MVP runner-up Drake Maye. The Patriots had found a way to get it done against some of the best defenses in the league in the first few rounds of the playoffs, and they were set to face off against one of the best defenses in the NFL again in the Super Bowl.
“Patriots will win 24-21, in a defensive battle,” Patriots fan Marco Rogers (‘26) said. “As long as [Drake] Maye has protection, I think we can push it downfield to [Stefon] Diggs and [Kayshon] Boutte, especially with [Nick] Emmanwori possibly out.”
Beyond the final score, which ended up 29-13 in favor of the Seahawks, students were paying attention to matchups between key players, such as Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, against Christian Gonzalez and a tough Patriots secondary.
“JSN [Jaxon Smith-Njigba] will win the MVP,” Peterson (‘26) said. “Even though it’s a difficult matchup for him facing the Patriots, I don’t see the offensive player of the year not having a good game on the biggest stage.”
Smith-Njigba ended up leaving the game in the third quarter to be evaluated for a concussion, and Peterson’s prediction was off. Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker ended up winning MVP of the game with 135 rushing yards.
The Seahawks’ defensive line also gave the Patriots’ offensive line trouble throughout the game, sacking Drake Maye six times. This matchup was one of Rogers’ concerns and something he thought the Patriots needed to succeed at to win the game.
Coming into the Super Bowl, there were many concerns about the Patriots’ offensive line, which had given up 15 sacks in the three playoff games leading up to the Super Bowl. Their offensive line was very young, with Left Tackle Will Campbell, who had struggled this year protecting the quarterback. With the Seahawks coming out on top, many fans are already looking forward to next season, wondering if the Seahawks and Patriots will have the same success or if another team like the Lions will make improvements and take the next step toward the Super Bowl.
Skyline students may not have been completely accurate in their Super Bowl predictions; however, many were very invested and excited about the game and the debate around it. Although the game may not have been the most entertaining part for casual viewers, the halftime show and commercials drew significant attention.
