By Chris Robinson
The Seattle Seahawks captured their second Lombardi Trophy by defeating the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX this past Sunday evening at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The game also served as a rematch to Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, which the Patriots won 28-24. But this year’s encounter proved far different.
The game was highlighted by Seattle’s stellar defense, which shut down Patriots quarterback Drake Maye for much of the game.
The first half was relatively slow, as Seattle built up a 9-0 lead off of three field goals from kicker Jason Myers of 33, 39, and 41 yards.
In the second half, Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold led a 10-play, 69-yard drive that included a 20-yard pass to Kenneth Walker III and 16-yard passes to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed; the drive ended with Myers kicking his fourth field goal from 41 yards to give the Seahawks a 12–0 lead.
The Patriots continued to struggle, as Maye was later strip-sacked by Derick Hall, which was recovered by Byron Murphy II at the New England’s 37-yard line.
After the crucial turnover, Darnold threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to AJ Barner, extending Seattle’s lead to a commanding 19–0.
The Patriots were able to finally gain some momentum on their next drive, as they went 65 yards on three plays, capped by a 35-yard touchdown pass to Mack Hollins to cut Seattle’s lead to 19–7.
Seattle added to their lead with another field goal from Myers to make the score 22-7 with 5:35 left.
This is when Seattle’s defense again came through. After Devon Witherspoon pressured Maye on a cornerback blitz play, it led to an interception for a touchdown by linebacker Uchenna Nwosu for 45 yards.
This saw Seattle’s lead grow to 29–7 with 4:27 left, effectively clinching a victory for them.
Walker was named the game’s MVP, as he finished with 135 rushing yards on 27 carries, while also adding 26 receiving yards on two catches to become the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP since Denver’s Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII following the 1997 season. Walker’s 135 rushing yards were also the most by a player in a Super Bowl since Davis.
Darnold finished 19/38 for 202 yards with one touchdown, and played a tight, composed game without making costly mistakes.
It was also noticeable to see former Los Angeles Rams and Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp come through with a solid game, grabbing 6 catches for 61 yards.
Maye was 27/43 for 252 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions after a very slow first half. He also had five carries for 37 yards.
Seattle Coach Mike Macdonald (38) became the third-youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl, behind Sean McVay and Mike Tomlin.
Chris Robinson can be reached at crobinson@hustleboss.com