Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike McDonald hold the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
I would call it nothing short of a small miracle that the Seattle Seahawks did not tie the Super Bowl record for sacks in a game. It was very impressive to watch two 14-3 football teams play, and one make the other look like the Cleveland Browns on offense. There are a lot of reasons why Seattle won on Sunday, with the largest of them being that they were the better team. But there is one that reigns supreme as the most important matchup of the night…
I’m not sure the phrase “bad day at the office” does their performance justice, because it was much worse than that. It almost felt like they would get into the huddle and ask the other who’s turn it was to blow their assignment. Unfortunately for the two rookies, their pressures would have flown a bit more under the radar had Drake Maye been able to deliver when he was given time to throw. It was clear, though, that Maye did not have time and sped up his process in an attempt to accommodate that. That belief that he had to go quickly led Maye to miss some easy throws and be way off in his anticipation on multiple occasions. They set history as the first pair of rookies to start a Super Bowl playing on the same side of the line together, and as I stated earlier, they were extremely lucky that was the only history they made yesterday.
Seattle’s “Dark Side” Defense
I really do not know which part of Seattle’s defense was more impressive: their pass rush or their play in the secondary. Both parts of their passing defense felt like they were in perfect sync. D-line doesn’t get home? It doesn’t matter because on the back end, they would lock up. Is there a bust in the coverage? (see Drake Maye’s miss to Austin Hooper) Probably won’t matter either because the pressure will get home.
While some of it was schematic, there are some things that Seattle was able to do defensively that can pretty much guarantee you a win. The pressure that they were consistently able to get while only bringing a four-man rush was so good that it really could cover up most missteps on the backend. I think the best way to know that you’re applying good pressure to the quarterback is when it is lasting. There were multiple occasions where Drake Maye wasn’t being pressured but had the feeling that he was. It made him miss some throws that he otherwise wouldn’t.
The Difference between Darnold and Maye
One had a run game, and the other didn’t. It seems pretty plain and obvious. I think listening to the broadcast last night, Chris Collinsworth also made a good point, talking about how much better Darnold maneuvered in the pocket than Maye. But when you go to the box score, this was something that I was worried about going into this game: New England couldn’t run the ball. The Seahawks, on the other hand, had their running back win Super Bowl MVP. It is said a lot, but the best way to slow down a pass rush is with a good ground game.
Also, one more note on the quarterbacks. I love Sam Darnold’s story, but can we make sure that we stop blurring the lines between a good story and a good performance? Great guy, and I’m happy that he was able to get here after the career he has had. But it felt like people were singing his praises after a 50% completion percentage, 202 passing yards, and a passing touchdown. Was it a bad game? No, but I do feel like it is being propped up as more than it was, based on the story that goes with it.
Last, but most certainly not least, the MVP
I think there are some good arguments for others winning Super Bowl MVP. Jason Myers kicked five field goals and two extra points, accounting for 17 of the Seahawks’ 29 points. If they could’ve, they probably would’ve given the award to the Seahawks’ defense as a whole.
But they got it right.
The importance of Kenneth Walker goes beyond his 161 scrimmage yards. He allowed Seattle and Mike McDonald to play the brand of football that this team was built for. Walker was their game plan. He was able to keep the offense going when Sam Darnold didn’t get off to the best start. More than once, he single-handedly got them into field goal range. So Jason Myers was fantastic, but he doesn’t get those opportunities without Kenneth Walker. The Seahawks defense deserves all the credit in the world, but their performance could’ve looked similar to New England’s if Walker had not provided the offense to build the lead.
The only player who might have played to the same level as Walker individually throughout that game was Christian Gonzalez.
