The Patriots are underdogs for the first time in a long time.
Throughout the playoffs, some sports broadcasting personalities went with the New England Patriots; others never really saw them getting this far.
The sports broadcast titan, ESPN, seems to have gone against Mike Vrabel and his squad every time this year in the postseason. So much so that on an episode of NFL Live prior to the divisional round game against the Houston Texans, everyone on the show picked the Texans to put a hurting on the Pats.
The Texans' defense did show up that day, but the Patriots did prevail in the end, and rapper Cardi B (Stefon Diggs' girlfriend) let the panel of analysts at ESPN know just how she felt in a viral video she posted.
Now we shift our focus to Super Bowl LX. Ever since the final whistle blew on the NFC Championship game, many have expressed their takes on how they feel the Seattle Seahawks are just a more well-oiled machine than the Patriots are.
The Patriots will be walking into Levi's Stadium on February 8th as underdogs by 4.5 to 5 points. The last time the Patriots entered the Super Bowl in a position like this, it was in February 2002, in Super Bowl XXXVI, when the Patriots' dynasty was born against the (St. Louis) Rams.
ESPN personalities seem to all be in agreement that the Seahawks are walking away with the Vince Lombardi trophy, too.
11 of their on-air analysts have all made early predictions that Seattle will be the winner. Names like Dan Orlovsky stick out on the list above, as he has very much shown a lot of support for Drake Maye all season.
Let's not get too ahead of ourselves, though: 11 names going against the Patriots is small compared to their 100-plus roster of names in front of a camera. There are some names at ESPN that cover hockey and baseball, but not the NFL.
On Tuesday this week, ESPN's most prolific and most well-known opinion-stater, Stephen A. Smith, shared his thoughts on the Patriots.
"I'm snoring... (The Patriots) are not winning the Super Bowl," he said on the air to former Patriots defensive back Jason McCourty.
If ever there was a time for the Patriots to really frustrate the vast audience of football fans, it is now. It would be right now. Over the better part of the last twenty-five years, no team has ever played better with its back against the wall. A dynasty began with a huge upset 24 years ago at the Super Bowl. What if it happened again?
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