Chris Pratt holding nothing back as he welcomes the Seattle Seahawks to the field at Levi's Stadium.

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Seattle Seahawks are a year late to join the so-called Year of the Birds (Philadelphia Eagles, Liverpool, Crystal Palace etc).

But this feathered character - otherwise known as an augur buzzard - is here in Santa Clara to see if Seattle can fly to the top of the NFL this evening.

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The New England Patriots already lead the way in the NFL with the most Super Bowl appearances of all time. Most of them have been in recent history too as tonight will mean they've played in 10 of the past 25 Super Bowls!

And either way they'll create more history, as a seventh win would break a tie with the Steelers for the most successful Super Bowl side in the NFL, but defeat would also move them ahead of Denver with the most losses in the big game with six.

So either the greatest winners or biggest losers for New England tonight. Sport eh?

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Seahawks fans will not appreciate this reminder...

Twelve years ago, Seattle met New England in Super Bowl XLIX and marched down the final with seconds remaining.

They lined up a play at the one-yard line to score a game-winning touchdown - and Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler made a sensational interception to ensure the Lombardi Trophy went to New England.

The question of why they didn't run has haunted this corner of the Pacific North West ever since.

Ben Collins
BBC Sport journalist at Levi's Stadium

"Welcome to the Bay", screams Billie Joe Armstrong as local boys Green Bay wrap up the pre-game set.

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23:00 Super Bowl LX opening ceremony, featuring American punk band Green Day. Charlie Puth will sing the American national anthem, 11-time Grammy winner Brandie Carlile deliver 'America the Beautiful' and R&B artist Coco Jones will perform 'Lift Every Voice and Sing'

23:30 Kick-off in Santa Clara

circa 01:15 Half-time show with Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny

Post-game (03:15 maybe?!) Presentation of Lombardi Trophy

Nobody really expected the New England Patriots to be back in the Super Bowl so soon, not after back-to-back 4-13 seasons, but head coach Mike Vrabel has done the trick.

Bill Belichick struggled after Tom Brady left with three losing seasons in four, and it was a matter of time until the great man left New England.

Robert Kraft promoted from within but former player Jerod Mayo had no joy in his first season, and the team moved quickly to send him packing after a year - probably knowing that Vrabel was to be available.

The former Pats linebacker was backed with a huge free agency outlay and he's managed to mold it all together into a team that may just win yet another Lombardi Trophy.

That sounds dreamy.

We thought the empire had crumbled, but suddenly Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel look a lot like Tom Brady and Bill Belichick - and the rest of the NFL is afraid.

After all, if familiarity breeds contempt then no wonder this was described as an 'Evil Empire' as the Patriots appeared in nine of 18 Super Bowls after the turn of the century.

Brady and Belichick left and the Patriots struggled, but now they're back in the blink of an eye - is this the dawn of a new era? Are the Pats back for good?

Read more about how the Patriots empire has been rebuilt so quickly.

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The last Super Bowl to be played at Levi's Stadium saw the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 10 years ago, and a 13-year-old Drake Maye was in the crowd that day. New England's second-year quarterback grew up in North Carolina so was here as a Panthers fan.

"It was special," he said this week. "My dad was fortunate enough to bring me out here. To have a chance to watch a Super Bowl as a young kid and being here now is a full circle moment.

"Thanks to my dad for making a middle school kid's dream come true. Now I get a chance to make my own dream come true."

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Seattle raised a few eyebrows in the off-season by allowing star receiver DK Metcalf to join Pittsburgh, but that opened the door for Jaxon Smith-Njigba to truly establish himself as an elite receiver.

From 1,130 receiving yards in his second year in the NFL, he exploded to 1,793 this season to lead the league and clinch the Offensive Player of the Year award.

"I think it's just opportunity," he said this week. "The coaching staff haven't trusted me to take on that role [previously] and give me those opportunities. I just want to take full advantage of everything that's given me to me."

At 6ft and 89kg, Smith-Njigba isn't as physically imposing as Metcalf but the 23-year-old worked hard to make the most of his assets, developing the knack of finding space to receive the ball out wide and in the slot.

"That was always my mindset, even as a young player, what do I have to do to be well-rounded, especially with the body type that I have," he added.

"I'm not the biggest or the fastest but what can I do to be able to take those deep shots, the short game, the medium routes.

"I've still got some work to do, I feel like my ceiling's high, I just want to go get it."

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Mike Vrabel seemed the obvious choice for New England head coach last summer - he's Patriots through and through and did wonders in charge at Tennessee when almost getting to a Super Bowl.

Things have gone far better than expected in his first season at Foxborough though and he now stands a game away from becoming the first man ever to win the Super Bowl as a player and head coach with the same team.

Only one man has ever played in and been head coach in the Super Bowl for the same team, and maybe there's an omen here as Gary Kubiak never won a ring as a player but led the Broncos to victory as head coach in Super Bowl 50 - held at Levi's Stadium no less.

Vrabel's a three-time champion with the Pats as a tough linebacker and he's a tough, defensive-minded coach who likes to get stuck on, often getting involved in training with his players.

He's also been a superb game manager and in the biggest game of all that could be crucial.

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Seahawks boss Mike Macdonald has gone largely under the radar but his two seasons in Seattle have been outstanding and come after a fine stint as defensive coordinator in Baltimore.

He's a defensive mastermind and will also be calling the plays again tonight on the sideline, that's a lot on his plate in just his second year as a head coach.

At 38 years and 227 days he can become the third-youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl tonight behind only Sean McVay (36 years, 20 days) and Mike Tomlin (36 years, 323).

He can also become the first head coach under 40 to win 17 games in one season, including the playoffs, in the entire history of the NFL.

Macdonald can join one of the most exclusive clubs tonight if he can get Seattle over the line, as he'd become just the third man ever to...

• Be in charge of a top ranked scoring defence as a defensive coordinator
• Be in charge of a top ranked scoring defence as a head coach
• Win a Super Bowl as head coach

Only Hall of Famer Chuck Noll and Bill Belichick (we won't mention the Hall of Fame) have done that before.

Phoebe Schecter and Phil McGeoghan get into a heated debate about who will win Super Bowl 60 on The Whole 10 Yards' preview special.

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Drake Maye has been sacked 15 times in the play-offs so far, the record for one post-season is currently Joe Burrow's 19 sacks in 2021. And since the Patriots offensive line has allowed five sacks in all three games so far then that consistency could give them this unwanted record.

And apart from Denver, Seattle are the last team a struggling O-line wants to see, with a plethora of sack artists in their defensive front containing four players with at least six sacks this season.

The Patriots are also making history by starting two rookies on the offensive line in Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, and how those two hold up could have a big say in who wins the game.

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They say not to worry about the opposition so here's who the Patriots will be relying on to get the job done this evening.

TreVeyon Henderson: The rookie running back has mostly played second fiddle to Rhamondre Stevenson but has shown he can cut loose when given his opportunity, including scoring two 50-yard+ touchdowns in the same game in week 10 against Tampa Bay. Don't give him space to run into!

Stefon Diggs: Drake Maye tends to spread the ball around but his most reliable receiver has been veteran wideout Diggs, who is making his first Super Bowl appearance. He racked up his seventh 1,000+ yard season in his first Patriots campaign.

Milton Williams: In last year's Super Bowl for Philadelphia Eagles, Williams recorded two sacks and a forced fumble in their dominant victory over the Chiefs.Snapped up on free agency last year, he has become an integral part of this Patriots defence.

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We've told you about the quarterbacks but as good as they are, you don't reach a Super Bowl on the strength of one man's arm. Just ask Buffalo Bills star QB Josh Allen.

Here's a selection of players to look out for on both sides of the ball.

Seattle:

Jaxon Smith Njigba: The NFL's leading receiver with 1,793 yards in the regular season. JSN has exploded in his third season, bagging 10 touchdowns in 17 games and another two in the play-offs.

Kenneth Walker: One half of a double-headed monster in the Seahawks backfield, Walker has been unleashed since partner-in-crime Zach Charbonnet went down in the Divisional Round. Four rushing touchdowns in the play-offs make him a major threat this evening.

Ernest Jones: Linebacker Ernest Jones is a tackle machine, racking up 126 in the regular season and a further 14 in the play-offs. He's the game-breaker on defence for Seattle.

Maurice Jones-Drew
Maurice Jones-Drew, former Jacksonville Jaguars running back on ITV

There's a lot of things we don't agree on in America, but the Super Bowl is one thing we can all agree on.

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We're contractually obliged to mention Taylor Swift at least once tonight.

Well, it doesn't look like she is here, but fiance and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has made it.

It's the first time in four years he hasn't been in the locker room.

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JBJ is ready to introduce the Patriots players.

He's joined on the sidelines by Jay-Z, who looks a little cold. Someone pass the guy some gloves.

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