Key Lessons Lions Can Learn From Patriots, Seahawks

How Lions can reach contender status based on this year's blueprint.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10). | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The matchup for Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, California is set.

On Feb. 8, the New England Patriots will square off against the Seattle Seahawks with the Lombardi Trophy on the line. It's a rematch of Super Bowl 49, in which the Patriots knocked off the Seahawks in a thrilling matchup.

The Detroit Lions are once again out of the field, having missed the postseason for the first time since 2022. The team is looking to get back into contention in 2026, and has plenty to learn as it looks to return into the mix next season.

Here are four lessons the Lions can learn from the two teams that reached the sport's biggest game this season.

Dominant run games

Both the Seahawks and the Patriots are complementary teams with playmakers all over the field, but their success in the run game has been one of their defining traits. In Seattle, Kenneth Walker had another big year rushing for 1,027 yards, while Zach Charbonnet was a solid second option with over 700 rushing yards before suffering a season-ending injury.

In New England, meanwhile, the tandem of Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson has ignited the offense. A rookie, Henderson led the team with 911 yards while Stevenson had 603. One area where the two teams are different is the fact that Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is a more active participant in the run game, as Maye rushed for 450 yards and four touchdowns this year.

The Lions are not far off in this aspect of the game, as they have a solid run game headlined by one of the most electric players in the league in Jahmyr Gibbs. David Montgomery has also been a solid player, but his workload diminished throughout the year and the Lions were more one-dimensional than in years past.

Seattle and New England both use the run game to open up the pass, and are rooted in physical identities set by their head coach. Detroit is cut from a similar cloth, but lacked the consistency and the firepower to keep pace in 2025.

Quarterback consistency in key moments

One of the most unique things about this Super Bowl matchup will be the difference in journeys between the two quarterbacks. Maye is in just his second NFL season, while Darnold is in year eight with his fifth team and playing the best ball of his career.

Maye is an exciting young prospect who has flourished backed by a solid defense and the weapons around him. He has put up big numbers and is an MVP finalist after throwing for 4,394 yards completing a league-best 72 percent of his passes.

Darnold, meanwhile, looked like a bust as the fourth overall pick of the New York Jets in 2018. However, after rehabilitating his career as a backup, he earned a big contract from the Seahawks with a solid year in Minnesota last year, and has continued to play at a high level.

Another thing that both teams, and quarterbacks, have in common is their consistency in key moments. Darnold has struggled with turnovers, throwing 14 picks this year, but has had some huge moments such as leading a late rally against the Rams in the regular season and a 346-yard, three-touchdown performance to fuel the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.

Maye has had his share of big moments too, and has been calm under pressure. He made a huge conversion to win the game against Denver Sunday, running for the first down on a bootleg to cement the team's trip to the big game.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff had one of his best statistical seasons, but did have some costly mistakes that inhibited Detroit's playoff chances. None was more painstaking than his five turnover game against the Vikings in Week 17, which officially ended the team's playoff hopes.

Opportunistic defense

Both Mike MacDonald and Mike Vrabel have defensive backgrounds, and their teams have taken on these identities in full. Both groups have stifling, physical defenses that make teams suffer offensively more often than not.

Seattle ranks third in scoring and first in points allowed, while ranking first in opposing third-down conversions and fifth in opposing red-zone touchdown percentage. New England, meanwhile, is fourth in opponent scoring and 12th in opponent third-down conversion percentage.

As far as the pass-rush goes, the Lions finished above both teams in sacks. However, the Seahawks and Patriots both got well-rounded production, including generating more pressures from the interior as the Lions' production was more EDGE-oriented.

Another aspect of the game that both defense have been solid in is creating takeaways. Seattle finished sixth in the regular season in turnovers created, and while the Patriots finished tied-for-19th, they've created eight takeaways in three postseason games.

Special teams power

Special teams is the phase of the game that most often goes overlooked, but both of these teams have been boosted in the postseason by big plays in this area. Seattle opened its Divisional Round thumping of San Francisco with a kick-return touchdown by Rashid Shaheed, while New England blocked what would've been a game-tying field goal in the fourth quarter on Sunday.

Seattle traded for Shaheed at the deadline this year, and what was at the time considered a small move has turned out to be a massive one. Because of the acquisition, the Seahawks strike fear into opponents with the threat of the former Saints receiver.

Meanwhile, the Patriots have three return touchdowns this season. Marcus Jones has returned two punts for scores, while Antonio Gibson has a kick return touchdown to his tally.

Detroit popped one punt return for a touchdown this year, but struggled to get consistency in its kick return game outside of a small spark provided by Tom Kennedy.