The stage is set for Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (6:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock), where the New England Patriots will clash with the Seattle Seahawks in a showdown that promises high drama and unforgettable plays.
Quarterbacks Drake Maye (Patriots) and Sam Darnold (Seahawks) have steered their teams to the sport’s biggest stage, but even the best signal-callers need a supporting cast that can make history.
Here are the 10 best non-QBs in the game, ranked in reverse order:
10. Patriots right guard Mike Onwenu
Onwenu will face one of his biggest tests in the Super Bowl. The Seahawks’ formidable pass-rush tied for seventh in the league in sacks (47) during the regular season. He should be up for the challenge.
Per Pro Football Focus, Onwenu allowed just two sacks on 648 pass-block snaps in the regular season. PFF also noted he was the only O-lineman to allow zero pressures in the AFC and NFC title. New England, of course, beat the Denver Broncos 10-7 in the AFC Championship Game.
9. Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III
At Super Bowl media row on Wednesday, former Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander told NFL Network that “[Walker] looks like a smaller version of [himself].”
Walker (5-foot-9, 211 pounds) is powering the Seahawks ground attack, just as Alexander (5-foot-11, 225 pounds) did when he won 2005 NFL MVP after rushing for a franchise-record 1,880 yards in 16 regular-season games.
Walker ranks third in the postseason in rushing yards (178) and first in rushing TDs (four). The fourth-year RB ran for 1,027 yards in 17 regular-season games, the second-best mark of his career.
8. Patriots DE Milton Williams
As of Friday, DraftKings Sportsbook lists Seattle as a 4.5-point favorite over New England in Super Bowl LX. Williams clearly doesn’t mind being the underdog.
“It really don’t matter who they pick, who they like. We’ve got to go out there and play. And, you know, we go out there and win the game, we’ll see how much they got to say,” he said Wednesday (h/t Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston).
Williams — who helped the Philadelphia Eagles win their second Super Bowl last season — could back up that claim. Sports Info Solutions credited the fifth-year DE with an average tackle depth of 0.9 yards, a career best. (Average tackle depth measures the average distance a defender makes a tackle behind the line of scrimmage.)
7. Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori
Emmanwori (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) almost looks like someone out of science fiction. San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner told ESPN’s Mina Kimes the rookie safety reminds him of “an Avatar,” the blue characters from director James Cameron’s blockbuster films.
Emmanwori’s combination of size and athleticism makes the 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year finalist a defensive cornerstone for Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald. During the regular season, he ranked third on the team in tackles (81) and passes defended (11).
The former South Carolina Gamecocks star injured his right ankle during Wednesday’s practice. However, he said he plans to play Sunday.
6. Seahawks LB Ernest Jones IV
Jones hoisted the Lombardi Trophy during his rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. But his second trip to the Super Bowl is more meaningful. He’s dedicating it to his father, Ernest Jones Jr., who died of cancer in July 2024.
“It enhances it a lot,” Jones said Tuesday, per John Boyle of the Seahawks’ website. “It’s super emotional when I think about him. But this game, I’m doing what he wanted me to do. He’s always proud of me, he loves to see me play football, so I’m going to go give it everything I’ve got.”
Playing to honor his father has helped fuel a career year for Ernest Jones IV. He tied for second in the NFL in interceptions (five) and 18th in tackles (126), earning a second-team All-Pro nod.
5. Seahawks DE Leonard Williams
Surprisingly, Williams is an avid player of “Magic: The Gathering,” the popular trading card game. Seahawks fans would say his play has been magic for the team’s defense this season.
Williams totaled seven sacks in 17 regular-season games, earning a second-team All-Pro nod. Pro Football Focus credits him with 66 pressures (including playoffs), the third-best mark among interior D-linemen.
4. Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez
Gonzalez has one interception this season (including playoffs), but don’t let that fool you. He remains a stellar cover corner. Per Sports Info Solutions, he allowed just 26 completions and two TD catches on 61 targets in 14 regular-season games.
Perhaps he’ll grab another key pick on Sunday. On Jan. 29, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said the CB has been impacting the game on a “greater level” throughout the postseason.
3. Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon
Macdonald indicated Witherspoon was the most important player on Seattle’s defense — No. 1 in the league in points allowed (17.1) entering Super Bowl LX — on Thursday.
“He’s part of the engine that makes the whole thing go,” the coach said (h/t Ari Horton of the team website). “He’s probably the sparkplug behind the whole thing.”
Witherspoon allowed just one TD catch on 33 targets during the regular season (via Sports Info Solutions), earning a second-team All-Pro nod.
2. Patriots WR Stefon Diggs
On Wednesday, Diggs revealed he considered signing with the Broncos in free agency instead of the Patriots because of his relationship with Davis Webb, who was recently promoted from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator. He played with the former backup QB when still with the Buffalo Bills in 2021. Denver wishes the WR had chosen differently after the AFC Championship Game loss to New England.
The Patriots gave Diggs a three-year, $63.5M contract in free agency, even though an ACL tear in his right knee limited him to eight games with the Houston Texans in 2024. That risk has paid off for New England.
Diggs tallied 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four TD catches in 17 regular-season games. He was named a 2025 Comeback Player of the Year finalist.
1. Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Macdonald is thankful 2025 Offensive Player of the Year Smith-Njigba plays for him.
“Can you put three guys on him?” the coach joked when asked how he would stop the wideout during his Tuesday news conference.
Even that may not slow the star wideout. During the regular season, he led the NFL in receiving yards (1,793) and tied for sixth in TD catches (10). As of Friday, FanDuel Sportsbook gives him the third-best Super Bowl LX MVP odds (+550), behind Maye (+230) and Darnold (+115).
