Welcome to the two-week build-up for Super Bowl 60.
While there will be plenty of ways to break down the epic game matchup between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, including in-depth picks and predictions from AllSportsPeople, there are plenty of fun, fast facts you need to know before having a proper casual conversation about the game.
If you're looking to absorb some cool information about the game, the quarterbacks, the coaches and other players, you've come to the right place. This handy-dandy easy-read guide will make you an instant expert on some of the Super Bowl history at stake well before the Patriots and Seahawks take the field the following Sunday, Feb. 8 (6:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock) at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.:
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26 fast facts you need to know about Super Bowl 2026
The game
The Seahawks and Patriots are the latest of 10 Super Bowl team rematches. The Seahawks and Patriots played a 27-24 thriller in Super Bowl 49 in Arizona, with the Patriots denying the Seahawks a repeat ring. The Steelers-Cowboys have met in a record three Super Bowls. The other previous repeats are Dolphins-Washington, 49ers-Bengals, Cowboys-Bills, Patriots-Giants, Patriots-Eagles, Patriots-Rams, Chiefs-49ers and Chiefs-Eagles.
The Seahawks and Patriots are still a very fresh Super Bowl matchup. Neither team has players left on rosters from Super Bowl 49 11 seasons ago. This is also the first time that neither coach-starting quarterback combination for both teams — Patriots' Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye nor the Seahawks' Mike Macdonald and Sam Darnold — since Super Bowl 47, with it was the Ravens (John Harbaugh-Joe Flacco) beating the 49ers (Jim Harbaugh-Colin Kaepernick) in Super Bowl 47.
The Patriots are better at winning odd-numbered Super Bowls than even ones. T he Patriots can't love playing in Super Bowl 60, given they lost 20, 42, 46, 52. They are 2-4 when the Super Bowl is even coming off an odd regular season. They are 4-1 in previous odd Super Bowls, only losing 31 to the Packers but winning 39, 49, 51, 53. The Seahawks are hoping things will "even" out and they can improve to 1-1 against the Patriots in Super Bowls.
This is the third Super Bowl the 49ers have hosted. Their current home of Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., also hosted the Broncos' win over the Panthers in Super Bowl 50, Peyton Manning's last NFL game. But the Bay Area also hosted Super Bowl 19, when Joe Montana led the 49ers over the Dolphins to victory at Stanford Stadium.
California will be hosting its 14th Super Bowl. Other than the Bay Area's trio, Los Angeles, San Diego, Pasadena and Inglewood have hosted a combined 11 Super Bowls out of 60. Super Bowl 61 will make that number 15, with the Rams and Chargers hosting only five years after the Rams won Super Bowl 56 at SoFi Stadium.
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The quarterbacks
This is Sam Darnold's s econd Super Bowl. If you're keeping score, it would be Darnold 2, and the rest of the vaunted 2018 quarterback draft class — Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson 0. Darnold was the backup to Brock Purdy during the 49ers' overtime loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 58.
This is Drake Maye's second Super Bowl, too. If you count going as a fan at 13 years old to see his Charlotte hometown Carolina Panthers play the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50, then the answer would be yes. That game was also played in Levi's Stadium.
Darnold is 0-4 against the Patriots. That includes three times seeing ghosts as a Jets No. 3 overall draft pick in his three seasons with New York. He also went 0-1 facing the Patriots as the Panthers' starting QB in 2021. He lost to Tom Brady twice and then Cam Newton and Mac Jones once each, so this is his first time dueling Maye.
Darnold's passing numbers are terrible combined when facing New England's defense: a TD to 9 interceptions, 52.0 completion percentage, 9 sacks, 5.4 yards per attempt, and a 41.2 rating. He is a much different QB, however, in the last two seasons with Minnesota and Seattle.
Drake Maye is the second-youngest QB to start a Super Bowl. Dan Marino, who led the Dolphins to Super Bowl 19 vs. The 49ers as NFL MVP in 1984, was 23 years and 127 days old. Maye is next now, set for 23 years and 162 days old. Now Maye is trying to beat out Ben Roethlisberger, 23 years and 340 days old in Super Bowl 40, as the youngest starting QB to win the Super Bowl. Brady and Patrick Mahomes didn't win their first Super Bowls until they were 24.
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Maye (2024) and Darnold ('19) were both No. 3 overall picks in their drafts. They are the first QBs drafted in that spot to play in a Super Bowl since Falcons league MVP Matt Ryan, who lost in Super Bowl 51 when Brady and the Patriots made their epic comeback from 28-3 down.
Maye is trying to become the fifth second-year starting QB to win a Super Bowl. In order since 1999, the four who did it before were Kurt Warner, Brady, Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson. Wilson did it most recently for the Seahawks in Super Bowl 48.
Darnold is trying to become the second eighth-year starting QB to win a Super Bowl. The other was the Giants' Eli Manning, who won his second ring with the Giants after the 2011 season.
Maye and Darnold can both thank Josh McCown for helping them develop into Super Bowl quarterbacks. Maye, in his 2019 junior year at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, had McCown as his quarterbacks coach. Darnold was backed up by McCown during his 2018 rookie season with the Jets. McCown became the quarterbacks coach of the Vikings in 2024 and was.a big reason Darnold landed in Minnesota to have his delayed breakout season.
Maye (North Carolina) and Darnold (Southern California) are the first QBs to start a Super Bowl from their respective colleges. Maye is the first from UNC, the alma mater of Giants Super Bowl legend Lawrence Taylor. Darnold is the first from USC, who have four Super Bowl rings each from Ronnie Lott and Lynn Swann.
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The coaches
Mike Macdonald worked longest for John Harbaugh but also had one season with Jim Harbaugh. From coaching intern in 2014 to defensive coordinator in 2022-'23, McDonald spent nine spread-out seasons with the Ravens under John before becoming the Seahawkss' head coach in 2024. Macdonald was Jim's defensive coordinator at Michigan in 2021, three seasons before they won with Jesse Minnter at DC in '24. Minter replaced John as the Ravens' head coach in '26.
Klint Kubiak is trying to win a Super Bowl as an offensive coordinator where his dad won as a head coach. Gary Kubiak led the Broncos to Super Bowl 50 victory over the Panthers 10 years ago at Levi's Stadium. His brother Klay Kubiak is looking for his first ring as 49ers' offensive coordinator, while his other brother Klein works as a Cowboys' personnel scout.
Josh McDaniels is going for his seventh Super Bowl ring. McDaniels was an offensive assistant for Bill Belichick from 2001-2005 for his first three Patriots Super Bowl victories. He was Brady's offensive coordinator for the second trio of Patriots' rings, including the most recent win, over the Rams in Super Bowl 53. Now he can be the most decorated Patriot, other than owner Robert Kraft.
Mike Vrabel is trying to win his fourth Super Bowl ring. Vrabel won his three Super Bowls in the first half of the Patriots' dynasty with Brady and Belichick, serving as star linebacker and occasional red zone tight end.
Mike Vrabel would be the first person to win a Super Bowl as a player and coach for the same team. Mike Ditka, Tom Flores, Tony Dungy, and Doug Pederson all have won Super Bowls as players and coaches, but did it for two teams. Vrabel can make history by leading his former team to victory. John Elway is the only person to win a Super Bowl with his team as a player and general manager.
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The other players
Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Sam Darnold are trying for the rare Rose Bowl and Super Bowl MVP double. Only the Raiders and Stanford legend Jim Plunkett has pulled that off in both Pasadena and the Super Bowl. Christian McCaffrey fell just short of winning a Super Bowl with the 49ers, while Drew Brees would have done it had Purdue not to lost to Washington in his Rose Bowl.
Smith-Njigba is trying to become the NFL's fifth reigning regular-season receiving yards leader to win the Super Bowl. The last to do this was JSN's teammate with the Rams, Cooper Kupp, after the 2021 season in Super Bowl 56. Before then, it was 49ers GOAT Jerry Rice twice and Cowboys Hall of Famer Drew Pearson once.
Kupp is trying to join the club of players to win Super Bowls with multiple teams. There have been 34 offensive players to win the Super Bowl with at least two teams and 64 overall, the latest being former Patriots and Chiefs guard Joe Thuney. The other wide receivers to do it are Billy Davis, Ed McCaffrey, Marcus Nash, Ricky Proehl and Torrey Smith. Linebacker Matt Millen is the only player to win Super Bowls with three teams.
Kupp is only one of four Seahawks with previous Super Bowl experience. Darnold and linebacker Ernest Jones, Kupp's fellow former Rams teammate, are two of the others. New running back Cam Akers rounds out the list, who was injured during the Rams' winning Super Bowl 56 run.
Milton Williams is trying to win the Super Bowl with two teams in two years. He won a ring as an Eagles defensive tackle in Super Bowl 59 and is trying to do it as a Patriot in Super Bowl 60. Only eight previous players have done this: Ken Norton Jr., Deion Sanders, Brandon Browner, Derrick Martin, Chris Long, LeGarrette Blount, LeSean McCoy and Kendall Blanton. Long and Blount went from winning Super Bowl 51 with the Patriots to winning Super Bowl 52 with the Eagles. Williams is going for the flip-flop of that accomplishment.
The Patriots have five players with previous Super Bowl experience. Williams won Super Bowl 59 with the Eagles, while Hollins joined Long and Blount on the Super Bowl 52 champions. Cornerback Carlton Davis won Super Bowl 55 with the Buccaneers. Linebacker Christian Ellis was on the Eagles team that lost Super Bowl 56. Hooper was a tight end for Ryan when the Falcons lost to the Patriots in Super 51.
Stefon Diggs is making his first Super Bowl after 80 career playoff receptions. He is No. 12 all-time in that category. Everyone ahead of him has played in a Super Bowl, with the exception of the Rams' Davante Adams (83 catches, No. 11), whose team lost to the Seahawks in the NFC championship game. Eight of the top 10 players ahead of both receivers have won Super Bowls, with Wes Welker (7th) and Andre Reed (10th) being the two exceptions.