The funny connection between a new pope and the Super Bowl

As energy rises for Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, a funny coincidence is going viral.

Every time a new pope has been elected in the 21st century — in 2005, 2013, and 2025 — the Seattle Seahawks have reached the Super Bowl the following winter. Often they’ve won 13 games during those seasons and entered the Super Bowl as the number-one seed. 

This pattern continued with the 2025 election of Pope Leo XIV. Sure enough, the Seahawks will be in Super Bowl LX this year. 

Here’s the full breakdown of the connection:

This trend has led to widespread amusement and discussion regarding the “divine” connection between the Vatican and the Seattle Seahawks’ success. 

The coincidence isn’t seen as a guarantee of Seahawk victory, however, as they only won one of the previous two Super Bowl appearances.

The fun coincidence between the Seahawks and the Church getting a new pope may be especially significant for the team’s Catholic players.

Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Abraham “Abe” Lucas is a self-described “hard-core Catholic” who is known for attending weekly Mass, praying the Rosary, and viewing football as a ministry. 

This is my job now … and I love what I do and I’m thankful for it. But if I had to pick between God and football, I would pick God 10 times out of 10. It’s not that hard of a decision to make. Some people don’t understand that because not everybody has faith.

Perhaps our new Pope will watch this year’s Super Bowl, as he is the first (north) American to occupy the Chair of St. Peter, and thus more likely to be a football fan than his predecessors. 

The game promises to be a fun watch — whether watching it from Rome or from the U.S., and whether rooting for the Patriots or the Seahawks.

And next time there’s a papal election, you know who to look for in the following Super Bowl!