Denver Broncos - Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl XLVIII Rematch: DVOA Says So

The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks are each conference's No. 1 seed, so it's most-likely they'll play one another in Super Bowl LX.

But it's not just seeding saying so.

DVOA and ESPN Football Power Index both are projecting a Broncos - Seahawks Super Bowl XLVIII rematch this year.

DVOA: Broncos - Seahawks Super Bowl loading

According to FTN Fantasy, who tracks DVOA closely, the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks are most-likely to play one another in Super Bowl LX.

Aaron Schatz's simulation, which runs 25,000 times, has the Seahawks making the NFC Championship Game 70.6% of the time and reaching the Super Bowl 48.3%.

Denver's the clear favorite on the AFC side of things: They'll make the AFC Championship Game 60.4% of the time, and make Super Bowl LX in 31.5% of simulations.

In fact, FTN Fantasy has their most-likely Super Bowl matchups listed.

Super Bowl XLVIII Rematch is No. 1, with a 15.4% chance. That's followed by Seattle vs. New England (12.9%), Seattle vs. Jacksonville (8.0%), and the Walmart Bowl—Denver vs. LA Rams—at 7.4%.

What are the Denver Broncos chances of winning Super Bowl LX?

According to DVOA rankings, the Broncos have a 12.0% chance of winning the Super Bowl this year. That's fourth behind the Seahawks (29.9%), LA Rams (15.7%), and New England Patriots (12.8%).

When looking at ESPN Football Power Index rankings, the Broncos have a great shot in those simulations, too. In fact, the numbers are quite similar to the DVOA chances.

Denver has a 54.9% chance of making the AFC Championship Game per ESPN FPI, a 29.5% shot of making Super Bowl LX, and 14.0% chance of winning the team's fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Only Seattle has better odds of making the Super Bowl (34.3%) and winning it (20.0%) than Denver.

Of course, being the No. 1 seed of either conference gives both Seattle and Denver a massive advantage. Not only are they not playing this week and resting their guys, but they only have to win two games, at home, to get to Santa Clara and the Super Bowl.

Plus, both the Mile High City and Emerald City are home to two of the best homefield advantages in the NFL. The 12s in Seattle and Broncos Country at Mile High will be thunderous for their playoff matchups, no matter who the opponents are.

Sean Payton would make NFL history if Denver Broncos get to Super Bowl LX

No coach has ever led two different NFL franchises to the Super Bowl, which is what Sean Payton would do if Denver got to Super Bowl LX. Or, another future Super Bowl.

Payton took the New Orleans Saints to Super Bowl XLIV during the 2009 season, and they beat Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 that day.

Not only that, but Payton's one of only five coaches to lead two different teams to the No. 1 seed.

He joins Andy Reid, Marty Schottenheimer, Tom Coughlin, and Mike Holmgren to accomplish the feat.

“I was unaware of that," Payton said on Sunday after joining their ranks. "I know this, I know there’s never been a Super Bowl won by a coach with two different teams."

If it were Payton and the Broncos vs. the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, it would pit one of the elder statesmen Payton (62) against young and upcoming Mike MacDonald (38). MacDonald is the second-youngest coach in the NFL today to Liam Cohen of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Payton also has a ton of playoff experience.

That matchup would also mean Payton's offensive aptitude against MacDonald's defensive prowess.

Speaking of offense vs. defense: Both the Broncos and Seahawks are two of the best defenses in the NFL this year. Seattle is No. 1 in points allowed (17.2), and 3rd down percentage (32.1%), and No. 5 in the red zone (50%).

Denver is 3rd in scoring defense (18.3 PPG), No. 2 on 3rd downs (33.8%), and No. 1 in the red zone (42.6%). Plus, the Broncos led the league in sacks by a massive margin, with a new franchise-record 68 on the year.

Where the Seahawks would hold a distinct advantage is on the offensive side. They finished No. 3 in points scored (28.4) while Denver is 14th (23.6).

Unlike Super Bowl XLVIII, which was Denver's No. 1 offense of all-time vs. the Legion of Boom, a Broncos - Seahawks Super Bowl this time around would likely be a low-scoring, defensive battle. The Broncos would also have to hope to not let the first snap go over Bo Nix’s head for a safety like it did to Peyton Manning.

But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. If they do indeed match up, we'll have plenty of time to break down their head-to-head stats then.

In the meantime, both Seattle and Denver can sit back and relax as the other 12 playoff teams face one another this weekend.

The AFC side is full of tough opponents, many of whom are on fire entering the playoffs. Meanwhile, Denver's offense has stumbled into the postseason.

But Payton addressed that after the Chargers win, too.

"Yes, we have to clean some things up, and we will. We’ll be ready.”

The Broncos first playoff game will be on Jan. 17 or 18 in the Divisional Round.

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