Another year of football is over with the Seattle Seahawks defeating the New England Patriots, 29-13, in Super Bowl LX.
Clear skies and cool weather set the stage for both teams. In the biggest sporting event in the country, the Seahawks took advantage of the opportunity. They won in dominant fashion and the game never felt close.
Both teams got off to extremely slow starts, with the first quarter ending in a 3-0 Seahawk lead. The second quarter was more of the same, with the Seahawks kicking two more field goals and the Patriots continued to be shut out, bringing the score to 9-0 at the half.
The third quarter was more of the same, with the only scoring coming from another Seahawks field goal to put the game at 12-0, but then Seattle started turning their fantastic defensive play into turnovers. With almost two minutes left in the third, the defensive line broke through and got to Patriots QB Drake Maye for a strip sack, giving them the ball at the 37-yard line.
Seattle QB Sam Darnold capitalized on this opportunity almost immediately. After a five-play, 37-yard drive, Darnold found tight end A.J. Barner wide open in the corner of the endzone for a touchdown to give the Seahawks a commanding 19-0 lead with 13-and-a-half minutes left in the season.
The Patriots responded almost instantly, with a three-play, 65-yard driving ending in a Drake Maye 35-yard touchdown pass to receiver Mack Hollins to bring the score to 19-7.
The Patriots would get the ball back after holding Seattle to a three-and-out, but the Seahawks defense took over. For the rest of the game, every scoring opportunity happened because of their unit. It started with forcing a Maye interception which resulted in a field goal. The very next drive, the defensive line collapsed on Maye, causing him to wildly throw the ball into Seattle linebacker Uchenna Nwosu’s hands, which he would return for a touchdown, bringing the score to 29-7.
The Patriots scored again, but it was meaningless and too late. The Seahawks got the ball back and ran out the time, becoming Super Bowl LX champions in a 29-13 dominant game.
Running back Kenneth Walker III was named Super Bowl MVP with 161-yards of total offense, but the Seahawks defensive line is what propelled the team to the championship. The unit got constant pressure on Maye, causing him to miss easy throws and turn the ball over during desperation heaves.
Seattle D-line had six sacks, one off the Super Bowl record. The sacks came at crucial times as well, such as on important third downs. The defense also is what ultimately put the nail in the coffin with their late game pick-six when New England was finally getting some momentum.
To say the Patriots came out slow is an understatement. They couldn’t do anything for most of the game. The offense only made three first downs across the first three quarters, and only had 78 yards of offense during that time.
Their scoring just came too late when the game was already out of hand. Second-year QB Maye played one of his worst games of his season, finishing with a 16.3 quarterback rating. The fault doesn’t fall only on him, however, as his offensive line couldn’t block a peewee football team. Maye was pressured on nearly every single one of his drop backs and could not find open receivers quick enough, resulting in either getting sacked, throwing the ball away, or having to make a play with his legs. If the Patriots want to get back to the Super Bowl, they are going to need to address these issues.
The Patriots defense played well for most of the game, holding the Seahawks to five field goals and one touchdown. Standout cornerback Christian Gonzalez made play after play and held Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba to two catches and 26 yards. But, the defense just couldn’t make up for a lack of offensive spark.
The Seahawks will look to retain most of their core, but under head coach Mike Macdonald the defense is still going to be scary next year. Although it is hard to be repeat champions, don’t be surprised if Seattle is here to stay.