Seahawks’ instant impressions after win vs. Patriots | Super Bowl 60
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – For the second time in franchise history, the Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl champions. Here are three instant impressions after the Seahawks beat the Patriots 29-13 on Sunday:
This one came out of nowhere
When the Seahawks celebrated on the turf at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 12 years ago, it felt like the coronation of a four-year build. Then-coach Pete Carroll arrived, tore almost everything down to the studs, and over the course of four seasons constructed a new team and a new identity that ultimately resulted in the first title for the franchise.
It was a process, filled with some tough learning moments and young sters who evolved over time and eventually turned into stars. It was like one of those old college recruiting classes that showed up as freshmen and won a title as seniors.
With this championship, it’s almost like the new world of college sports is the better comparison. College programs can go out and buy success within the span of a couple of seasons. And though the Seahawks didn’t go out and use a ton of free-agency money to buy their way to this title, the swift change from missing the playoffs each of the previous two seasons to winning the second Super Bowl in franchise history has a similar feel.
This wasn’t a slow burn. This was a wildfire that was sparked by the decision to hire coach Mike Macdonald and fueled by some great draft picks, a handful of smart signings in free agency and three key in-season trades that paid off handsomely.
If the expectation comes true that Jody Allen and the Allen estate choose to put the team up for sale after the season, there is no better final bookmark to the era of that family owning the team. Paul Allen saved the franchise from being moved to Southern California in the mid-1990s, and his sister as chair of the organization potentially closed a nearly 30-year chapter by holding the Lombardi Trophy just like her brother did 12 years ago.
This is one of the great defenses of all-time
This is a great all-time defense and should be regarded as such even if the hope of posting the first shutout in Super Bowl history vanished over the course of a couple of throws by Drake Maye early in the fourth quarter. The raw numbers said so. The advanced metrics said so. The final scoreboard at Levi’s Stadium said so.
What made this group special and so different from what the Seahawks did the last time they played for a championship was the instant improvement and the instant gratification to go from pretty good a year ago to in consideration for one of the best of this generation of the NFL.
The Super Bowl was a perfect encapsulation of what made this defense so special. Derick Hall was in consideration for MVP of the game. Then it was Devin Witherspoon. But don’t forget Byron Murphy II’s sack and fumble recovery or Julian Love’s interception or Josh Jobe’s feistiness. Maye almost won the league MVP and outside of those two terrific throws and a couple of scrambles looked completely overwhelmed by what he faced trying to solve this Seahawks defense.
The “Dark Side Defense” doesn’t roll off the tongue the same way at the “Legion of Boom.” Maybe someday it will because this defense should ultimately be held in the same regard. Groups like this don’t come about every year.
Thank you for your yards
Kenneth Walker III has a very uncertain future as an unrestricted free agent. If the Super Bowl was his final act in a Seahawks uniform, he went out by providing just enough offense for long enough before someone else could contribute a big play. Walker rushed for 100 yards in the first three quarters, but it was his handful of big runs in the first half that were critical. He popped for 10 yards on the first play of the game, but hit was his runs of 30, 29 and 9 yards later in the half that at least gave New England’s defense pause that it had to respect what Walker was providing on the ground. Walker finished with 135 yards rushing, which is top 10 in Super Bowl history.
Walker took on a heavy load in the postseason after Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in his knee early in the win over San Francisco and he responded with three touchdowns against the 49ers and a lot of tough, grinding yards in the NFC title game against the Rams. If the Super Bowl was Walker’s final chapter in a Seahawks uniform, his performance should be forever regarded by fans for the effort and importance in a game where so much else of the offense had trouble.