The football season is officially over and its end result is as glorious as ever, the Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl champions. The Seahawks’ matchup against the New England Patriots in Santa Clara may have served as a revenge tour for fans who remember Super Bowl LXIX, where the Patriots beat the Seahawks 28-24 when cornerback Malcom Butler intercepted quarterback Russel Wilson’s pass on the goal line to seal the game. The players must have also remembered what happened last time the Patriots played the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, as the game felt more like a blowout with the final score being 29-13.
Singer and songwriter Charlie Puth started with the national anthem, after which the Patriots won the coin toss and elected to defer their choice to the second half. For the opening kickoff, Patriots kicker Andy Borregales kicked the ball into the endzone, and the Seattle Seahawks began the first quarter on their own 35-yard line. The offense marched down the field, with a 23-yard pass from quarterback Sam Darnold to newly acquired wide receiver Cooper Kupp set the team up on New England’s 17-yard line, but they were only able to manage a 33-yard field goal by kicker Jason Myers after an incompletion on third and seven to make the score 3-0 with 11 minutes and 58 seconds left in the first quarter. The Patriots’ first drive of the game was lackluster to say the least, being forced to punt after quarterback Drake Maye was sacked by the linebacker Derick Hall for 10 yards on New England’s 45-yard line.
The Patriots and Seattle’s offense were unable to produce gains, as a series of punts ensued well into the second quarter until running back Kenneth Walker made two 30-yard breakthrough runs to set up the Seahawks on New England’s 19-yard line. The offense was unable to capitalize on the great field position, as Myers settled for a successful 39-yard field goal to make the score 6-0 with 11 minutes and 16 seconds left in the second quarter. The two teams continued to exchange punts with little result in yards until late into the second quarter, until Myers kicked another 41-yard field goal to make the game 9-0 with just 11 seconds left in the second quarter.
Myers kicked off the second half, with New England starting on their own 32-yard line. New England was unable to produce momentum and was forced to punt on fourth and three. After several first-down receptions from Rashid Shaheed, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Kenneth Walker, the Seahawks offense stalled out on New England’s 22-yard line, with Myers settling for a successful 41-yard field goal to make the score 12-0 with 9:12 left in the third quarter. After four consecutive drives ended in punts, Maye was strip-sacked by Hall, with defensive tackle Byron Murphy II scooping up the ball, allowing the Seahawks to start their drive on the Patriots’ 37-yard line.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Darnold found tight end AJ Barner for a 16-yard touchdown pass, with a successful point-after by Myers, making the score 19-0 with 13:24 left in the fourth quarter. The Patriots would get the ball back and begin on their own 35-yard line. Following a six-yard scramble from Maye, he would throw to wide receiver Mack Hollins for a 26-yard completion, setting the Patriots up on Seattle’s 35-yard line. Maye would find Hollins deep left for a 35-yard touchdown pass, making the score 7-19 following a successful point-after from Borregales with 12 minutes and 27 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks’ next drive ended with a punt by Michael Dickson that was downed at New England’s 4-yard line by Velus Jones Jr. On the next drive, Maye would throw an interception to safety Julian Love, who would return the ball 35-yards, setting the Seahawks up on New England’s 38-yard line. A 14 and 10-yard run from Kenneth Walker on the next two plays set the Seahawks up on New England’s 14-yard line, though they were unable to gain another down, forcing Myers to kick a successful 26-yard field goal to make the score 29-7 following a successful point after from Myers with 5 minutes and 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Maye would throw his second interception of the game, intended for wide receiver Keyshon Boutte, to linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, who returned it 45-yards for a touchdown, making the score 29-7 after a successful point-after from Myers with 4 minutes and 27 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Patriots’ only touchdown of the game would come after Maye’s pick-six drive, with the Patriots’ offense eventually finding themselves in the endzone, allowing Maye to find runningback Rhamondre Stevenson for a 7-yard touchdown pass, though a failed two-point conversion made the score 29-13 with 2 minutes and 21 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The Patriots’ defense forced the Seahawks to punt, though New England did little with the football as time expired.
If you prefer watching defenses to watching paint dry, this game was for you. Both offenses only showed up in the last quarter of play, with the first touchdown play coming from Sam Darnold to AJ Barner. Despite both teams scoring the same number of touchdowns, the only outlier to this game not being closer was kicker Jason Myers’ five field goals, the most field goals of any kicker in Super Bowl history, making him deserving of the Super MVP award for most outstanding performance. However, running back Kenneth Walker III ended up winning MVP for his consistent rushing production in this game, with 27 carries, 135 yards and five yards per carry. Regardless of offensive performance, Coach Mike Macdonald and his defense-rich Seahawks were able to hoist the Lombardi trophy and call themselves Super Bowl champions.
