Super Bowl 2026 cheat sheet: Everything to know about Seahawks vs. Patriots

If you’re reading about the Super Bowl, chances are you’re a pretty big football fan and know exactly what to expect tonight.

You know the New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl for the first time since the end of the Tom Brady era, looking to capture their record-setting seventh Super Bowl title. And you know the Seattle Seahawks are back in the Super Bowl for the first time since making back-to-back trips over a decade ago, looking to get revenge for their loss to New England in Super Bowl XLIX.

On the other hand, maybe you don’t know any of that. Maybe you’re just a casual fan whose only engagement with football each year is going to a Super Bowl party and contributing a few words here and there during the commercials.

In that case, we’ve got you covered. This is the eighth annual casual fan’s guide to the Super Bowl, where we’ll teach you everything you need to know to turn yourself from a novice into an expert before the game begins.

Who’s playing in the Super Bowl?

Representing the AFC, we have the New England Patriots. The Pats are making their record-setting 12th trip to the Super Bowl, and their first since the Tom Brady era. If they win, they’ll break a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history, with seven. 

Representing the NFC are the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle is back in the Super Bowl for a fourth time in franchise history and its first since losing to the Patriots following the 2014 season. If they win, it will count as revenge for one of the most dramatic (and traumatic) Super Bowl losses in league history.

What time is the Super Bowl? Where is it? How do I watch?

Date: Sunday, Feb. 8 | Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, California)
TV: NBC | Stream: Peacock
Live updates: CBS Sports App

The Super Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET tonight. The game will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The NFL rotates the Super Bowl location each year to provide a neutral site so neither team has home-field advantage. That has held true in all but two seasons.

NBC will broadcast this year’s game, with streaming available on Peacock. The average Super Bowl broadcast over the past 20 years has run about three and a half hours. That includes a halftime show that typically lasts 20 to 30 minutes.

Who’s performing at halftime?

It’s six-time Grammy Award winner Bad Bunny.

Who are the quarterbacks of the Patriots and Seahawks?

It’s always a good bet the quarterbacks will play a major role in the Super Bowl. After all, a quarterback has won 34 of the previous 59 Super Bowl MVP awards — including 17 of the past 25 since 2000.

The Patriots’ quarterback is Drake Maye (No. 10). Maye is in his second NFL season after being selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He’s considered an inner-circle MVP candidate alongside Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford after leading the NFL in completion percentage, yards per attempt, passer rating, QBR and expected points added per play during the regular season. He has struggled at times as a passer in the playoffs, but his work as a runner has been terrific — especially in the AFC title game against the Denver Broncos.

The Seahawks’ quarterback is Sam Darnold (No. 14). Darnold is also a former No. 3 overall pick, selected by the New York Jets in 2018. He washed out with New York and was traded for a pittance to the Carolina Panthers after his third season. He was quickly benched there as well before becoming a backup with the San Francisco 49ers. Last season, he led the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record, but the Vikings let him walk in free agency to hand the job to J.J. McCarthy. He signed with Seattle and led the Seahawks to another 14-3 mark. The NFC title game against the Rams was arguably the best performance of his career.

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Are there other especially notable players I should know? 

Of course! You don’t get to the Super Bowl without a ton of quality talent on your team. 

Let’s start with the Patriots: 

• Running backs Rhamondre Stevenson (No. 38) and TreVeyon Henderson (No. 32). Stevenson is a fifth-year back who signed a four-year, $36 million contract. He struggled badly to start the season, including having some fumbling issues, but has really come on down the stretch of the season and relegated Henderson to a bit role. Henderson is a rookie who specializes in explosive plays. He filled in as the lead back in place of Stevenson when the latter was hurt during the season, but has since slid back into a secondary role. 
• Wide receiver Stefon Diggs (No. 8). A four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, Diggs signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract with the Patriots this past offseason. He tore his ACL last year but has been fully healthy throughout this season. He’s Maye’s top option in the passing game despite not playing a full complement of snaps.
• Offensive lineman Will Campbell (No. 66) Campbell was the Patriots’ first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, being selected with the No. 4 overall pick. He had a solid rookie year but has occasionally struggled in pass protection, especially with speed around the edge. He also missed time with an injury toward the end of the regular season and hasn’t looked his best since then. 
• Defensive linemen Milton Williams (No. 97), Khyiris Tonga (No. 95) and Christian Barmore (No. 90). Williams signed a monster free-agent deal with the Patriots last offseason and has been fantastic in his role. The New England defense reaches a different level when he’s on the field. Tonga signed a low-cost deal with New England this past offseason and has been a revelation, specifically as a run defender. He also occasionally operates as a fullback when the Pats get into short-yardage situations. Barmore is on a four-year, $84 million contract extension signed back in 2024. He was New England’s second-round pick in 2021, and he’s largely been a very good player since then. He missed most of the 2024 season due to blood clots but returned this year.
• Cornerback Christian Gonzalez (No. 0). Gonzalez is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. He is often charged with “shadowing” the opposing team’s top wide receiver (i.e. following him all over the field, no matter where he lines up) and could be asked to do that in this game with Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba (more on him below). 

And what about the Seahawks?

• Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (No. 11). JSN had one of the best wide receiver seasons in recent memory, catching 119 passes for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is by far the top target for Darnold in the passing game, lining up all over the formation and breaking opponents down with his silky-smooth route running and soft-but-strong hands. 
• Running back Kenneth Walker III (No. 9). Walker is the Seahawks’ feature back in the wake of an injury to co-starter Zach Charbonnet. Known for his explosive runs, Walker isn’t the most consistent runner on a down-to-down basis but he is a threat to score any time he touches the ball. 
• Defensive linemen Leonard Williams (No. 99), Demarcus Lawrence (No. 0), Uchenna Nwosu (No. 7) and Byron Murphy (No. 91). Seattle’s defensive front is one of the best in all of football, if not the best. These guys are absolute game-wreckers who destroy opposing offensive lines both in the run game and when rushing the passer. If there is any area in this game where the Seahawks have a big advantage, it is with this group against New England’s so-so-at-best offensive line in front of Maye. 
• Defensive backs Devon Witherspoon (No. 21) and Nick Emmanwori (No. 3). Witherspoon and Emmanwori are key to making head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense work. Witherspoon is an elite cornerback who splits his time between lining up outside and in the slot. Emmanwori is nominally a safety but spends much of his time operating as a slot corner or passing-down linebacker, and he’s been fantastic in the dual role during his rookie season.
• Wide receiver/Returner Rashid Shaheed (No. 22). The Seahawks traded for Shaheed during the season, acquiring him from the New Orleans Saints in exchange for fourth- and fifth-round picks. He has mostly made his impact in the return game but also operates as a complementary receiver alongside Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp.

There are obviously more notable players, but this list is a good start.  

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Who are the coaches of the Patriots and Seahawks? 

The head coach of the Patriots is Mike Vrabel. A former longtime Patriots linebacker who won three Super Bowls with the franchise in 2001, 2003 and 2004, Vrabel is a CEO-style coach (i.e. he does not call plays on either side of the ball) who leans toward the defensive side of the ball. He is the former head coach of the Tennessee Titans, having gone 54-45 in six seasons with Tennessee while also leading the Titans to one AFC title game. He was fired by Tennessee amid a power struggle with the front office and sat out the 2024 season before landing the Patriots’ coaching job last offseason. He led one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in league history, taking the Patriots from 4-13 to 14-3 in just one year. 

The head coach of the Seahawks is Mike Macdonald. Macdonald is widely considered one of the best defensive minds in the NFL. A longtime assistant and former defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, Macdonald landed the Seattle job as part of the 2024 head coaching cycle. He quickly built one of the league’s best defenses, which took off down the stretch of the 2024 campaign and remained elite throughout this season. Macdonald fired former offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after his initial season as the head coach, hiring Klint Kubiak (more on him below) in his place, which helped the offense take another step forward and lead the Seahawks to a 14-3 record during the regular season. 

The Patriots and Seahawks also both have several well-known assistant coaches.

• New England’s offensive coordinator is Josh McDaniels. McDaniels was the longtime offensive coordinator for the Patriots during the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady era. He has been a head coach twice in his career but each stint was extremely unsuccessful, so he is back in New England under Vrabel, who brought him in to elevate Maye’s career. 
• The Patriots’ defensive coordinator is Terrell Williams. Williams has been dealing with a cancer diagnosis throughout this season and has been away from the team, but he is expected to travel to the Bay Area for the game. Inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr has been calling the defensive plays in Williams’ place and should be expected to do so again during the Super Bowl.
• The Seahawks’ offensive coordinator is Klint Kubiak. One of the hottest head coaching candidates on the market this offseason, Kubiak is a highly respected offensive mind. A member of the famed Shanahan coaching tree, he runs an offense that emphasizes the run game and play-action passing. He’s considered a front-runner for the open Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job.
• Seattle’s defensive coordinator is Aden Durde. A former defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys, Durde hails from London, England, which is quite unusual for an NFL coach. He doesn’t call the defensive plays, as that responsibility lies with Macdonald. 

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What’s a good talking point to bring up with fans of each team? 

• Patriots fans: We’re back on top! (The Patriots were the winningest franchise in the NFL during the Tom Brady era.)
• Seahawks fans: Revenge! (The Seahawks lost to the Patriots in traumatic fashion in Super Bowl XLIX.)