#PostPulpit Mailbag: What’s the game plan to win Super Bowl 60?

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 19: Christian Barmore #90 and Milton Williams #97 of the New England Patriots celebrate a sack during the second half of the game at Nissan Stadium on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The chaos of Super Bowl week is in the rearview mirror and attention now fully turns to Sunday for the New England Patriots - where they'll look to cap off a special season with the franchise's seventh Lombardi Trophy.

So before kickoff, let's get into this week's #PostPulpit Mailbag.

Would like to know what is their game plan to beat the Seahawks. I know that is a team secret and that won't be posted here publicly, but anyways we'll find out Sunday. - mikes128

From our vantage point, it starts with stopping Kenneth Walker for the Patriots defense. While Sam Darnold played one of his best games of the season to get Seattle to the Super Bowl, the Seahawks offense has been one of the worst in the league in third-and-longs (7+ yards) this season. The Patriots defense, however, has been the best in football in those situations.

If the Patriots can continue to protect the edges in the run game and stop their play-action pass game, they should be able to dominate the early downs and get Seattle behind the chains. From that point on, red-hot pass rush should be able to negatively effect Darnold with a weaker offensive line.

Offensively, there's not many weaknesses to exploit against a defense that ranks No. 1 in scoring defense, No. 1 in EPA, and No. 1 in DVOA. However, the Rams were able to generate a handful of explosives down field attacking Seattle's split-safety zones in the NFC Championship Game, as Matthew Stafford threw for 226 deep passing yards and a touchdown.

New England's offense has lacked those X plays this postseason and Maye unlocking his deep ball again would be key on Sunday. Maye should also have plenty of opportunities to burn Seattle with his legs, as their defensive front - that features mostly four man rushes with aggressive line games - will open up rushing lanes. The Seahawks have also allowed the most out of structure passing yards to opposing QBs this season.

Try to remain a passer for as long as I can," Maye said. On film, it's tough to pinpoint, Hey, I can maybe use my legs this week.' It's kind of something that just comes naturally. That's the biggest thing for me when I'm back there in the pocket. If I feel like something's there, I go try to take it and try to play instinctive."

Does Seattle have the OL to keep the Patriots from disrupting Darnold? - ghosthaus

The Seahawks offensive line is one of the storylines flying under the radar from this point of view. New England's edge rushers match up well against Seattle's tackles - especially with how K'Lavon Chaisson has been playing in a matchup against Charles Cross, who struggles with power. Seattle's interior is then a weak unit as right guard Anthony Bradford has struggled this year and Grey Zabel is a rookie. Those should be advantageous matchups for Christian Barmore and Milton Williams, respectively.

A dominant pass rush that has increased their blitz percentage to roughly 40 percent should make their mark on this game again, which could force Sam Darnold to into a key turnover or two.

What is the best way for the Patriots to get their running game going against a strong Seattle D-line? The run game in the last couple of games has been short of explosiveness. - Matt Monitto

Running the football will be a challenge on Sunday. The Seahawks ended the year first in rush EPA allowed while their front ranked third in run-stop win rate. All that comes with them playing light boxes at the second-highest rate in football (only behind the 49ers).

The one potential path for New England is back to their six o-line package that has been successful for them down the stretch. Due to star rookie safety Nick Emmanwori, who suffered an ankle injury on Wednesday, the Seahawks play the majority of their defensive snaps in nickel leading to those light boxes. A six o-lineman vs. nickel safety would be advantage Patritos on paper (and in terms of physics), but the talent Seattle has elsewhere would still make it a likely uphill battle.

Robert Spillane, Harold Landry, and Mack Hollins should be close to 100% healthy and play in the Super Bowl? - For Pats Sake

While Mack Hollins made it through the AFC Championship in his return from an abdomen injury, the extra week will have him again ready for Sunday as he was removed from this week's injury report.

Meanwhile, Robert Spillane shared he is 100 percent" confident he'll play and was upgraded to a limited participant on Thursday. While Spillane might suit up, the question is how much and how effective will he be, as he does not seem 100 percent healthy.

Harold Landry, on the other hand, is nowhere near 100 percent and hasn't been since suffering the knee injury back in Week 6. Landry has missed his fair share of games due to the injury but has attempted to power through for most of the season, and it'd be surprising if he doesn't give it one last effort in the final game of the season. Again, how effective he will be and how many snaps he plays will be the question.

Brian, how many of the final week's practices are in full pads ? - BriGuy301

Unfortunately reporters do not get to watch the beginning of practice during Super Bowl week or be in the locker room to get a feel for practices and attire. But, players forwarded that Wednesday's session was in full pads and the group enjoyed being in the warm weather.

Feels like everyone's picking the Seahawks-does that match what you're hearing from media and league folks in SF? What are the most common reasons they're favored? And in your view, which of those reasons are the most legitimate... and which are overblown? - Maye The Force Be With You

The general consensus around San Francisco (not including 49ers fans) has sided with Seattle. There still seems to be a general lack of belief in the Patriots and plenty of belief in a No. 1 ranked Seahawks defense. Seattle's defense deserves all the respect in the world, but it's time New England's defense is talked about as well while Drake Maye should be the league's MVP for a reason.

Any chatter about how this year's (unexpected) success may affect roster building for 2026? Run it back with the same guys? Try to go all in for the next 3 years of Maye's rookie contract? It seems inevitable that the ownership/fans will expect sustained success just like the past even though there are some unique circumstances of this year's run with schedule, opponent injuries, weather, etc. - spyponder90

One thing I will continue to say throughout the offseason is that the Patriots need to remain aggressive in adding talent regardless of the outcome on Sunday. Going back to the 2022 offseason, New England did not make any majors upgrades after a positive 2021 season that saw them reach the playoffs. They then regressed and eventually bottomed out.

While this year's team is better and has a higher long-term outlook (largely due to the skill at quarterback), the talent can still improve and they have the resources to do so.

I have one question.....who wins this? - Patriotpower

Following the Championship Games, my immediate thought was the Seahawks. As I've dived deeper into the matchup a think the Patriots have a strong chance with the way they're matched up. I'm going with New England, and Nick Emmanwori's recent ankle sprain only helps their case.

That's all for this week's #PostPulpit mailbag. If you have questions you'd liked to be answered next week, submit them online in our weekly submission post or on Twitter using #PostPulpit. Make sure to be following@iambrianhinesand@PatsPulpitas well.