We don’t have to tell you that the performances of quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Drake Maye are pivotal to their team’s hopes in the Super Bowl on Sunday night.
Or that the Seattle Seahawks need running back Kenneth Walker III to carry a sizable load with his productive backfield partner Zach Charbonnet lost to injury, and for star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba to do JSN things.
Nor is there any need to state the obvious importance of the Seahawks’ defensive headliners (DTs Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II, LB Ernest Jones IV, CB Devon Witherspoon or nickel Nick Emmanwori).
Ditto New England’s tone-setting defensive line with the likes of Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Harold Landry and fellow edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson. Or that the Patriots’ offensive line, anchored by rookie first-round draft pick left tackle Will Campbell, needs to do better protecting Maye after he’s been sacked 5 times in all three playoff games.
But there are some lower-profile players who could also have a pronounced impact on the outcome Sunday night.
Here are five more under-the-radar potential X-factors for Super Bowl LX.
RELATED: Read all of our coverage leading up to Super Bowl LX
Seahawks WR/Return Specialist Rashid Shaheed
Seattle made an understated but impactful mid-season move to trade 2026 fourth- and fifth-round picks to New Orleans for Shaheed, and while his impact hasn’t been in volume it’s been significant all the same.
Shaheed was a much bigger part of the offense with the Saints, catching 44 passes for 492 yards and 2 TDs in nine games before the trade. With the Seahawks, he had just 15 catches for 188 yards in nine regular-season games.
But he delivered big on special teams with both punt and kickoff return touchdowns and did it again in the divisional round of the playoffs with a 95-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff vs. San Francisco.
In the NFC championship game, he again played the role of tone-setter with a 51-yard reception on the third play of the game to set up an early Seahawks TD.
With two weeks to gameplan for the Super Bowl, it would be a surprise if the Seahawks and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak haven’t put in a fresh wrinkle or two to get the speedy Shaheed the ball in space. Also, with Seattle’s running back depth diminished, don’t be surprised if he gets a couple carries.
Seahawks TE AJ Barner
Barner, a fourth-round draft pick out of Michigan in 2024, had a bit of a breakout second season with 52 receptions for 519 yards and 6 TDs — the second-most receiving TDs on the team.
But he’s been totally forgotten in the passing game this postseason with just 2 catches on 3 targets for 13 yards.
That could well change in a key moment.
Even if Barner isn’t a major part of the passing game Sunday night, though, he will still leave his imprint on the game regardless as he’s a huge piece of Seattle’s rushing attack as an elite run-blocker.
Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte
Veteran Stefon Diggs, with the seventh 1,000-yard receiving season of his career in his Patriots debut, gets most of the attention among New England’s pass catchers.
Well, and also eccentric veteran WR Mack Hollins for reasons that often go beyond the field.
But Diggs will get a ton of attention in Seattle’s gameplan, likely having to see a lot of smothering second-team All-Pro star cornerback Devon Witherspoon, meaning Maye is going to need his supporting cast to step up.
If the Patriots pull of the upset Sunday night, don’t be surprised if Boutte has a big part in it.
The third-year receiver out of LSU has returned great value as a sixth-round draft pick with back-to-back seasons of at least 500 yards and a career-high 6 TDs in 2025. He’s also been a factor so far in the playoffs with 4 catches for 66 yards vs. the Chargers and 3 catches for 75 yards and a TD vs. the Texans.
Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson
Henderson should absolutely not be ineligible to be part of any “under-the-radar” lists after a rookie season in which he rushed for 911 yards and 9 TDs on 5.1 YPC and caught 35 passes for 221 yards and a score.
We fully acknowledge this feels like cheating.
But …
You wouldn’t know any of that by Henderson’s usage this postseason!
He has just 24 carries for 57 yards and 2 catches for 7 yards in three playoff games so far and was a complete afterthought in the AFC championship game with just 3 carries for 5 yards vs. Denver.
Patriots fans have been frustrated throughout the season by Henderson’s usage as the No. 38 overall pick out of Ohio State didn’t breakout until late October, but then he reeled off a stretch of seven straight games in which he averaged 104.7 combined rushing/receiving yards with 7 TDs.
Coach Mike Vrabel has opted to trust the veteran Rhamondre Stevenson more in the playoffs as he’s totaled 51 carries for 194 yards and 7 catches for 86 yards despite having lesser production than Henderson in the regular season.
New England is going to need all the offensive firepower it has against this stout Seattle defense, and Henderson is a much more dynamic running back and big-play threat.
Surely, the Patriots plan to unleash him finally.
Seahawks P Michael Dickson
Dickson was a fifth-round draft pick — high for a punter — out of Texas in 2018 and has been one of the league’s steadier weapons at the position since then.
He earned second-team All-Pro recognition this season and has had an excellent postseason already.
Field position is always pivotal the bigger the stakes a game has, so Dickson’s potential impact can’t be understated.
Heck, his punting prowess even has legitimate newspapers writing stories like this …
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