In not the most entertaining Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13.
As they have been all season, the Seahawks were led by their historically great defense. Seattle’s defense had the Patriots’ offense in hell all game long. How did they do it?
The pass rush for the Seahawks gave Drake Maye major trouble all game long. They recorded six sacks and Maye was under constant duress.
With 16 seconds left in the third quarter, Maye stepped up in the pocket and was met by linebacker Derrick Hall, who forced the ball loose. Defensive tackle Byron Murphy II fell on top of it, and the Seahawks took over possession.
Maye was hit hard throughout the whole game; Seattle tallied 11 QB hits, which marks the second most ever in a Super Bowl since 2006.
Dealing with a great pass rush was a constant problem for New England through their whole playoff run. Over the course of four playoff games, Maye was sacked 21 times, a staggering amount. Maye didn’t do a good job handling the pressure as he tends to hold onto the ball longer than the average NFL quarterback.
Across 17 regular-season games, Maye had a 2.97-second time-to-throw average, which ranked seventh among all starting quarterbacks. Maye holds onto the ball longer than most because of his ability to push the ball downfield. He is often looking for explosive plays and that worked in the regular season.
The Patriots had one of the easiest schedules in NFL history, so Maye got away with holding the ball longer than he should and, as a result, the Patriots’ offense was at the top of the NFL. In the playoffs, this weakness of Maye was exposed as he went against four elite defenses in the Chargers, Texans, Broncos and, most recently, the Seahawks.
With all that being said, the Patriots’ offensive line was still horrific. The left side of the offensive line was dominated by the Seahawks. Rookie left tackle Will Campbell and rookie left guard Jared Wilson combined to allow 14 pressures. The offensive line is definitely an issue the Patriots will have to address in this upcoming offseason.
The Seahawks’ offense did not have to do much to get across the finish line. Quarterback Sam Darnold had a mediocre performance, but he did an excellent job avoiding sacks all day. He was sacked only one time despite being pressured a ton, and that was key to keeping Seattle’s offense on schedule.
The Super Bowl MVP deservingly went to Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III. Walker rushed for 135 yards on 27 carries. Walker was the Seahawks’ best offensive player during their three postseason games. Over three playoff games, Walker ran for 313 yards and scored four touchdowns.
Entering the offseason, Walker is a free agent, and plenty of teams will be making a bid for his services. There is a solid chance that Walker has played his final game as a Seahawk, and if he did, he went out on the highest of notes.
In two seasons as the Seahawks’ head coach, Mike Macdonald has turned this club into a powerhouse. The defense is suffocating, and they can beat you in a plethora of different ways.
I’d be a fool not to mention the architect of this amazing roster, John Schneider. In 16 seasons as Seattle’s general manager, Schneider has won two Lombardi Trophies and has amassed a record of 161-99-1. It can be argued that Schneider is the best GM in the league. The Seahawks are set up to maybe be just as good next season, and this might be the start of a dynasty.
