Eleven years ago, the Patriots and Seahawks clashed in the Super Bowl.

Just 16 months ago, they played again.

Since both games, a lot has changed.

After missing the playoffs last year, Seattle reached Super Bowl LX as perhaps the only great team in the NFL this season, now ranked second in scoring offense and first in scoring defense. The Seahawks went 14-3 and never lost by more than four points, including a season-opening defeat at the hands of a 49ers team they just throttled by 35 in the divisional round of the playoffs. Last Sunday in the NFC championship game, Seattle won a 31-27 rubber match with the Rams, who also beat them earlier this year, but then allowed 30-plus points to Sam Darnold and Co. in both ensuing meetings.

Years removed from his disastrous tenure with the Jets, Darnold is now among the most accurate passers in football. He’s become one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks on deep and intermediate throws by touchdown passes, completion percentage and Pro Football Focus grades. However, with 14 interceptions and a dozen fumbles, Darnold remains a turnover machine relative to other quality starters across the league.

Overall, Darnold completed 67.7% of his throws for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions during the regular season. He was the most high-profile change to the Seahawks’ starting lineup, which had roughly 50% turnover last offseason under second-year coach Mike MacDonald. Seattle also changed offensive coordinators, hiring ex-Saints play-caller Klint Kubiak, who received head-coaching interest this offseason.

Much of the Seahawks’ passing success is a credit to Darnold, Kubiak and arguably the best receiver in football: Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The man they call “JSN” piled up 119 receptions for a league-high 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns over the regular season. He hasn’t slowed down in the playoffs, either, going for 10 catches, 153 yards and a touchdown in last Sunday’s NFC title game. Seattle primarily aligns the 6-foot, 198-pounder out wide, though Smith-Njigba will also see time in the slot and even a couple snaps in the backfield to stress defenses.

Smith-Njigba’s matchup with Patriots All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez may be the best head-to-head battle of the Super Bowl. But the Pats must also keep an eye on veteran slot receiver Cooper Kupp, who had 593 receiving yards this year, and speed demon Rashid Shaheed. Acquired at the trade deadline from New Orleans for a third-round pick, Shaheed is a threat to score as a return man on special teams and deep balls as a receiver. He only saw 26 targets in Seattle, but averaged more than 12 yards per catch.

The other offensive weapons of note are running back Kenneth Walker, a 1,000-yard rusher this season, and tight end AJ Barner. Walker is a bowling ball of a back who averages more than three yards per rush after contact, per PFF. Barner is a top red-zone target at 6-foot-6 and 251 pounds. His 52 targets were second-most on the team overall, as were his six receiving touchdowns. Seattle will also put Barner under center to convert in short-yardage on “tush push” plays.

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Up front, veteran offensive tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas form one of the better bookend duos in the league. Inside, right guard Anthony Bradford is a liability next to young center Jalen Sundell and first-round rookie left guard Grey Zabel.

Defensively, the Seahawks are as stout as they come. They rank first against the run and pass by the opponent-and-situation-adjusted metric DVOA. MacDonald’s scheme is designed to cap an opponents’ ability to throw deep, yet nonetheless generates a lot of pressure thanks to his pass-rushing personnel and clever blitz packages. Bottom line: the combination of his sharp coaching and defensive tackles like Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II put the best passing offenses in a bind.

Like Williams and Lawrence, edge rushers DeMarcus Lawrence and Uchenna Nwosu have more than 50 pressures this season, per PFF, and all four of them have at least six sacks. Backup edge rushers Derick Hall and Boye Mafe are close behind that quartet with 47 and 41 pressures, respectively. At the second level, inside linebacker Ernest Jones calls the signals and made the All-Pro second team after posting team highs with 126 tackles and five interceptions.

And yet the strength of this defense lies in the secondary. Devon Witherspoon ranks among the best cornerbacks in football, and made the All-Pro second team while roving between outside corner and nickelback. Fellow corners Tariq Woolen and Josh Jobe have 24 combined pass breakups between them, while Coby Bryant had four interceptions at safety, rookie safety Nick Emmanowri is a chess piece for MacDonald as one of the most athletic players in football, who collected 81 tackles, 2.5 sacks, an interception and 11 pass breakups during the regular season.

And Seattle’s special teams? Second-best in the league by DVOA.

So if there was any wonder why the Patriots are underdogs heading into Super Sunday, there you go.