Super Bowl XL is a big deal. The Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, who played each other in Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, will be going head to head at Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8.
In 2015, Tom Brady’s arm and Malcom Butler’s legendary interception sealed the deal for the Patriots’ 28-24 victory. This year, the Patriots’ young quarterback Drake Maye, in his second year, will face off against the Seahawks’ Sam Darnold and their powerhouse defense.
At Point Loma Nazarene University, Christian Kuiper, a third-year business management major, and Isabella VanderYacht, a third-year marketing and business management double major, will be at odds this Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Isabella VanderYacht.
The two met in their first semester at PLNU in a communication class and have been dating for over two years. They usually love spending Sundays watching football together; however, VanderYacht, a Washington native, is a lifelong Seahawks fan, and Kuiper is not.
The Point asked them five questions in a text message interview to get their thoughts about the game.
The Point: Which team are you rooting for and why?
Kuiper: I am rooting for the Pats. I grew up a Pats fan and got a lot of family in Boston, so I was raised to be one.
VanderYacht: I am rooting for the Seahawks. Growing up in Washington, being a Hawks fan has been engrained into my life, and I can’t complain.
TP: What would a Super Bowl win mean to you as a fan?
Kuiper: It would mean a lot. I mean, it would put us at the top when it comes to Super Bowl wins as a franchise, and we haven’t done it in a while. Also, nobody believes in us, so it would be nice to prove some people wrong.
VanderYacht: If you know anything about Seattle football, a Super Bowl is something we’ve been hungry for since the interception at the one-yard line 10 years ago, to no other team than the Patriots. Winning a Super Bowl is huge for our fan base, especially against the Pats.
Photo courtesy of Isabella VanderYacht.
TP: What is the best part about your team or its fan base?
Kuiper: I would say engaged, Boston sports fans are always some of the most die hard fans. No matter how the season is going, we’re always gonna show up and watch every week.
VanderYacht: The best part about Hawks fans is the commitment — we’ve always been a pretty average team; a couple stand out years and legacies, but overall, we’re OK. It speaks numbers that there is such a big fan base regardless of our record. I think Hawks fans take everything personally, as if they hired the coaches or drafted the players, which is honestly super entertaining and fun to be a part of.
TP: Can you say one positive thing about the other team?
Kuiper: Seahawks have a killer defense and always have, that is going to be tough to dice up.
VanderYacht: They’ve put in some good work to get where they are this year.
TP: Why do you believe your team is going to win?
Photo courtesy of Christian Kuiper.
Kuiper: One, I think we match up pretty well with them in skill positions. We have a top five corner on a top five wide receiver, we have a quarterback that is in the running for MVP, and we have a pass rush that can get past their offensive line. Even though they do as well … I trust Drake Maye a lot more than Sam Darnold. So even though they might have a little better defense or wide receiver core, I think we still have the biggest advantage, which is the QB … What these two teams are going to come down to is two great defenses facing off against solid quarterbacks and weapons.
VanderYacht: Our defense, again, if you’ve followed football this year, you’ve seen our inconsistency within our offense, especially at QB. However, our defense has been on fire basically all year, tons of fans saying it’s continuing the legacy of the Legion of Boom from our last Super Bowl appearance.
Cade Michaelson