The Seattle Seahawks defense propelled them to their second Super Bowl victory in a 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots.
The Seahawks defense forced issues for the Patriots offense all night long, as they forced three turnovers, eight punts and sacked Patriots quarterback Drake Maye six times.
“That group up front, they knew they had to play the most unselfish game they’ve ever played,” Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde said in an interview with ESPN. “Someone was going to get a sack, and it didn’t matter who.”
Both defenses controlled the pace of the game as neither team found the end zone in the first three quarters. Seahawks kicker Jason Myers put Seattle up 12-0 entering the fourth quarter with his fourth field goal.
The Seahawks found the end zone early in the fourth quarter as quarterback Sam Darnold found tight end AJ Barner for a 16-yard touchdown.
New England responded and got on the board with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Maye to wide receiver Mack Hollins to make the score 19-7.
Myers kicked another field goal to extend Seattle’s lead. On the Patriots’ next drive, Maye was hit by cornerback Devon Witherspoon mid-throw, which allowed linebacker Uchenna Nwosu to intercept the pass and return it 45 yards for a touchdown.
The Seahawks held Maye, who was one vote shy of winning this year’s MVP, to 27-43 and 295 yards with an interception and two lost fumbles.
“Just from watching film and studying, we kind of knew how their tackles were going to set in pass protection, and we know they were kind of struggling this postseason,” Witherspoon said in an interview. “So, we were going to attack them.”
The Patriots would score one more time as Maye found running back Rhamondre Stevenson for a five-yard touchdown with just over two minutes remaining.
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III was the Super Bowl MVP as he rushed for 135 yards on 27 carries, while adding two catches for 26 yards.
“K-9 [Walker’s nickname] is special, man!” safety Julian Love said in an interview. “Seeing how hard he works and the time he puts in, and to see him win Super Bowl MVP, that’s just crazy.”
In just his second season as the head coach of the Seahawks, Mike Macdonald has hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for Seattle. Macdonald is the third-youngest head coach in the NFL at 38 years old. He set a record for the most wins in a season, including in the playoffs.
The Patriots will head back to the drawing board for next season with a lot of promise for the future. This was head coach Mike Vrabel’s first season manning the helm for the Patriots.
Maye will also return next year after only his second year in the NFL, a season in which he nearly won both the regular season MVP and made a Super Bowl appearance, at only 23-years old.
For now, though, the road to the Lombardi Trophy runs through the Seattle Seahawks and head coach Macdonald.
