Home Football (NFL)2026 Super Bowl: Why an NFL graphic from Week 1 is sparking controversy

2026 Super Bowl: Why an NFL graphic from Week 1 is sparking controversy

by Marcelo Moreira

It’s official, the Seahawks and Patriots will be meeting in Super Bowl LX in a game that pretty much no one predicted was going to happen before the season. Well, almost no one. It seems that one person knew what the Super Bowl matchup was going to be and that person left a hint for everyone back in Week 1. 

Back on Sept. 4, the NFL celebrated the first day of the season by sharing an interesting image on social media. The image featured one player from all 32 teams and they were standing in front of Levi’s Stadium, which is the building that will be hosting Super Bowl LX. 

When you look at the image above, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything very interesting in there, but when you start zoom in, things get a little crazy: The image features Sam Darnold and Drake Maye standing the closest to both Levi’s Stadium and the Lombardi Trophy, possibly hinting at the fact that they were going to MEET IN THE SUPER BOWL. 

Two years ago, some fans (and Aaron Rodgers) were convinced that the Super Bowl logo was offering a hint of which teams would make the Super Bowl, and now, some fans are convinced that Maye and Darnold were purposely put up front. Basically, some people are now convinced that conspiracy is afoot. 

The conspiracy had spread everywhere by Sunday night. Even NFL PR guy Brian McCarthy took notice and he made sure to let everyone know the league’s official position on whether the 2025 season was scripted to end with the Patriots and Seahawks in the Super Bowl. 

And let me just say, if the NFL is scripted, I definitely didn’t get a copy of the script. I had the 49ers winning the Super Bowl in my preseason predictions. Did I get a tip from the script writers who told me that it would an NFC West team would be in the Super Bowl and I just guessed wrong? Possibly, but you’ll never know. 

The fact that Maye and Darnold are next to each other on the graphic AND facing each other in the Super Bowl might be one of the most bizarre coincidences of all-time, because this game is giving us a battle of Super Bowl long shots. 

Per the CBS Sports research department, this will mark the first time since Super Bowl XVI in 1981 (Bengals vs. 49ers) that both teams had preseason Super Bowl odds of 50-1 or longer. Back in August, Seattle’s odds were at 60-to-1 while the Patriots’ odds were at 80-to-1. 

If the graphic artist who created the image does in fact know who’s getting to the Super bowl before the season starts, then this Cowboys fan has a request for next season. 

The Cowboys haven’t been to the Super Bowl since 1995. 

As for the Seahawks, this will mark their first trip to the big game since 2014 when they lost to, yup, the Patriots. New England beat Seattle, 28-24, in an infamous game that ended with Russell Wilson throwing an interception to Malcolm Butler at the one-yard line with just under 30 seconds left to play. 

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