Seahawks defense dominates in 29-13 Super Bowl LX win

The Seattle Seahawks defense showed up and showed out while the offense did what it had to do in the Seahawks’ 29-13 Super Bowl LX win over the New England Patriots. Give credit to Jason Myers for booting five goals that set a Super Bowl record. Ken Walker rushed for 135 yards on 27 carries and won the MVp Trophy. Sam Darnold was an efficient 19/38 for 202 yards and a touchdown.

 The Seattle Seahawks’ and New England Patriots’ stifling defenses dominated the first half of the Super Bowl. Mike Macdonald dialed up two defensive blitzes against the Patriots’ offense. A  Derick Hall sack was followed up with  Devon Witherspoon‘s blitz that forced a incomplete pass on third and twenty after Hall’s ten-yard sack.

EDGE BLITZES AFFECT PATRIOTS’ OFFENSE

Another blitz from the edge stymied the Patriots’ next offensive series. And yes, it was Witherspoon from the edge. The Nickelbacks’ lightning-quick speed pounced on Drake Maye for a ten-yard sack, resulting in another Patriots punt. Patriots coach Mike Vabrel turned the tables on his counterpart when he dialed up a blitz on the third and fifteen, which forced an incomplete Sam Darnold pass and a punt on the next play.

SEAHAWKS RUN GAME IS THE DIFFERENCE

The one constant for the Seahawks, aside from Stella’s defensive play, was the run game. Ken Walker finished the first half with 94 rushing yards on 14 carries. The Seahawks’ ability to move the ball downfield resulted in three first-half field goals by Jason Myers. The 33, 39, and 41-yard field goals saw the Seahawks leave the field with a 9-0 lead.

CONTINUED DOMINANCE

The Patriots had the ball to start the second half, and it was their best chance to get back into the game. A touchdown or a field goal would bring hope to a second-half comeback. Neither of those things happened. The Seahawks defense continued its dominance over the Patriots’ offense, which punted the ball back to the Seahawks after a three-and-out. A 10-play, 69-yard drive by the Seahawks’ offense ended in a 41-yard field goal by Myers.

Myers’s fourth field goal of the game extended the Seahawks’ lead to 12-0. Both defenses bowed their heads, and the game saw back-to-back-to-back-to-back three-and-outs by the offenses.

DEFENSE  GIVES THE SEAHAWKS OFFENSE A BOOST.

With the offense struggling, the Seahawks’ defense forced the issue when Derick Hall forced a Maye fumble, which Byron Murphy recovered at the Patriots’ 16-yard line.    The play was among the several game-changing plays Hall made.

“I’m incredibly happy for him. He’s played great football for us all year. Just plays the right way, man. Just plays so violently, relentlessly,’ said Mike Macdonald after the game.” I mean, even like the sack was on a counter, you know? And then got the ball out, which was something we needed to do to win the game.”

Hall finished the game with two sacks and a forced fumble, while Murphy also recorded two sacks and the recovered fumble.

INSPIRED PLAY

With inspired play by the defense and a short field to work with after the fumble, Darnold directed the Seahawks to their first offensive touchdown of the game. After an errand pass to Cooper Kupp, Darnold completed two consecutive passes: one to Kupp and a 16-yard strike to AJ Barner, for what looked like an insurmountable lead at 19-0 with 13:24 left in the game.

PATRIOTS FIND SOME LIFE

With their game slipping away, Maye went to an uptempo cadence that caught the Seahawks defense off guard. Maye engineered a three-play 65-yard drive that ended with a spectacular catch by Mack Holli, who wrestled the ball from the outstretched hands of Riq Woolen. The score narrowed the Seahawks’ lead to 19-7 and gave the Patriots hope. Hope turned to will and determination after the Patriots’ defense forced a Seattle punt.

DEFENSE RISES TO THE OCCASION

The Seahawks defense gathered itself on the Patriots’ next offensive possession. Julian Love picked off an errant pass by Maye, and the Seahawks offense called on Myers for his fifth field goal of the game. Myers’s 33-yard field goal set a Super Bowl record for most field goals in a game and increased the Seahawks’ lead to 22-7 with 5:38 left in the game. The Seahawks defense made one last defiant stand and sealed it on the Patriots’ next offensive possession.

Pressure  Witherspoon forced  Maye to hurry his intended pass for Kayshon  Boutte, which was intercepted in midair by Uchenna Nwosu for the pick-six. The play gave the Seahawks their largest lead of the game, 29-7, with just over four minutes left. The Patriots scored a late touchdown, but it was too little, too late as the Seahawks won their second Super Bowl in Franchise history with an impressive 29-13 win.

“We were talking about a run game at the beginning of the season, but we just stuck to it, kept attacking the details. Takeaways are something, how you affect the court, it’s always something, right,’ said Macdonald. “There’s always some part of your team that you’re trying to attack and improve on. But if you stick to the process and the process is right, then the results will get to where you want.

But I think what you saw today is just the end point of a team that has been dedicated to becoming this team since we walked in the door in April. And it started with our offseason program. It started, then it went to training camp and how they handled the off season, and we just did it week by week.”

PHOTO CREDIT GEORGE WHIPPLE

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