The Seattle Seahawks are favorites to win Super Bowl LX
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We don't want to jinx it, but national pundits are overwhelmingly picking the Seattle Seahawks as favorites to win Super Bowl LX this weekend.
The big picture: Out of 57 experts polled by ESPN, 47 of them think the Seahawks will defeat the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Zoom in: More than two-thirds of those pundits — which include reporters and sports betting analysts — also predict that a Seahawk will be named the game's most valuable player.
- About 39% picked quarterback Sam Darnold to become Super Bowl MVP, while about 33% predicted the honor will go to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
By the numbers: As of Thursday, DraftKings Sportsbook favored Seattle to win by 4.5 points.
Stunning stat: The Seahawks defense allowed only 17.2 points per game this season — the lowest in the NFL, per ESPN.
What they're saying: Seattle has "been the most consistent team in the NFL this season," wrote USA Today NFL reporter Tyler Dragon.
- While the Seahawks defense has been getting much of the attention, the Hawks are the "better team in all three phrases" — offense, defense and special teams, Dragon says.
Yes, but: Unexpected events — say, an interception at the 1-yard line with less than 30 seconds to go — can reverse a Super Bowl team's fortunes in an instant.
- One potential concern: Safety Nick Emmanwori, a key piece of the Seahawks defense, injured his ankle at practice on Wednesday and was seen limping in videos on social media.
- He's expected to play Sunday, but is being monitored closely before kickoff.
The bottom line: We're optimistic, but still holding our breath.