The Seahawks are Super Bowl champions because they blocked out the noise | Analysis
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – There was so much intensity in Ernest Jones IV’s eyes when he looked at us and defended Sam Darnold that night in Inglewood, California.
He was so convicted.
“If you got anything to say,” Jones stated, sternly, “quite frankly, f– you.”
It was evident in that moment Nov. 16 that Jones, the All-Pro spokesman for the best team in the NFL, was speaking on something bigger than himself or even his quarterback, who had thrown four interceptions in the Seattle Seahawks’ loss to their division rival.
It was as if he was insulted by the idea that everything wasn’t going to be okay just because the scoreboard wasn’t in their favor. He was both powerful and prophetic. Jones knew these Seahawks were destined for greatness.
The Seahawks never lost again, capping the season by smothering the New England Patriots in a 29-13 victory in Super Bowl 60 on Sunday night.
As the confetti fell, helmets were tossed, sports drinks were doused on the coach, and hugs and screams were shared so loudly from living rooms and sports bars all over Seattle that they missed NBC’s Mike Tirico formally announcing the Seahawks as Super Bowl champions, it should be remembered that Jones knew this was coming. He felt it because the Seahawks knew this was coming.
They were a team on a mission. It’s why this group will forever be known as the M.O.B. The last letter of the acronym is how they classified anything that distracted from the mission: bulls–. They’re here because they blocked out the BS. The mission is complete.
The events of Sunday night – dominance on defense, big-time blocks and timely runs – were not the culmination of a Seahawks team outperforming a Las Vegas win total projection, proving pundits wrong and overcoming any odds. That is not how this story should be told.
Darnold is not a Super Bowl champion because he hushed the hollering talking heads who declared him incapable of succeeding with such high stakes. He reached this moment by honoring those who believed in him all along, with an unshakable approach to the hardest position in professional team sports. Through precision passes, toughness in the pocket and a “next play” mentality, Darnold rewarded those whose faith never wavered.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a Super Bowl champion because he’s the best in the world. From setting records as a Texas high school prep star to announcing his presence to the world in the Rose Bowl to becoming the NFL receiving king, Smith-Njigba has exhibited excellence at every level. His pass-catching proficiency is unmatched. The way he pours into his teammates is unifying. Adding a championship to his resume caps the greatest individual season in Seahawks history.
Devon Witherspoon is a Super Bowl champion because, from the night he was drafted alongside Smith-Njigba in April 2023, a vow was made to bring a title to the Emerald City. One of the highest-drafted players in franchise history, the ultraconfident defensive back came to Seattle on a mission. He completed it with thunderous tackles, nonstop energy, an open and honest relationship with the head coach, and a genuine love for his teammates. After just two seasons as a Seahawk, Witherspoon was named to the franchise’s list of the 50 greatest players. In Year 3, he solidified himself as an all-time great. And, most importantly, a man of his word.
Leonard Williams and Julian Love are Super Bowl champions because they played like veterans who know firsthand how difficult it is to climb to the top of the mountain. They were New York Giants teammates for four seasons and tasted the postseason just once (2022) on a team they knew wasn’t truly capable of competing for a championship. It’s Year 11 for Williams, the All-Pro defensive tackle, and Year 7 for Love, the do-it-all defensive back. They never took being on an elite team for granted. They were hungry, yet humble. They inspired their teammates, especially the young ones, to operate the same way.
Derick Hall is a Super Bowl champion because of his brute strength. Seattle selected him with a second-round pick it acquired in the Russell Wilson trade because it saw a young outside linebacker with tree trunks for legs and an appetite for violence. They saw the type of player who loves doing the dirty work on the edge. He flew under the radar this season because of his commitment to that role. But the Seahawks have their second Lombardi Trophy because he saved his biggest splash plays for the Super Bowl.
Jarran Reed is a Super Bowl champion because he understood his role as the connective tissue between the Legion of Boom and the M.O.B. eras of the Seahawks. A 33-year-old nose tackle in his 10th NFL season, Reed spoke life into his teammates before every game, including Sunday night. The energy never changed. Neither did the message. Nor did his impact on the audience. When these Seahawks needed pregame fuel, Reed was a 315-pound can of lighter fluid. The Dark Side defense‘s biggest dog led the hunt all year long.
Jones and Cooper Kupp are Super Bowl champions for the second time because they were grateful for the welcoming environment in Seattle and the people in the building who made them feel like family. Their careers took an unexpected turn at various points after that title with the Rams in 2021. The stars aligned to reunite in the Pacific Northwest. The Seahawks are Kupp’s hometown team. Seattle is where Jones and his family now call home after spending a few months during the 2024 season being shipped across the country multiple times with his wife and infant son. Their Super Bowl experience was a guiding light for the past two weeks, and it led their new family to a title.
DeMarcus Lawrence is a Super Bowl champion because he took a leap of faith. After 11 years with the Dallas Cowboys, the Pro Bowl defensive end sought greener pastures. In canvassing the free-agent landscape, he felt Seattle lacked two key ingredients: a quarterback and another disruptive edge presence. Darnold provided the former. Lawrence added the latter with ferocity and pursuit of the football that ignited Seattle’s sidelines. Once during a game, Smith-Njigba said he couldn’t believe Lawrence, a force of nature wearing shoulder pads, was his teammate. Smith-Njigba was filled with gratitude in that moment. On Sunday, he was filled with joy. Lawrence was, too.
Charles Cross, Abe Lucas, Boye Mafe, Kenneth Walker III, Riq Woolen, Coby Bryant and Dareke Young are Super Bowl champions because their 2022 draft class helped chart a new course for the franchise. Together they went through ups and downs, tossed in and out of the starting lineup, and spent time in and out of the training room with injuries ranging from turf toes to knee pains. Sunday might have been their final game together, and they embraced that reality all season. They held blocks, set edges, ran through would-be tacklers – as Walker did en route to Super Bowl MVP honors – blanketed receivers in coverage and sprinted downfield on special teams because of a shared vision. It came to fruition at Levi’s Stadium.
Jalen Sundell and Grey Zabel are Super Bowl champions because they were bred by one of the best FCS programs in the country. Together, a pair of trench players from North Dakota State changed the outlook of a maligned Seahawks offensive line. With pancake blocks and perfect pass sets, they strained every snap to power Seattle to this moment. From Fargo to Seattle’s front line. Center and left guard. College roommates to champions.
Jason Myers and Michael Dickson are Super Bowl champions after capping great seasons with perhaps their best performances Sunday. Myers hit all five of his field goal attempts, and Dickson downed three punts inside the 6-yard line while allowing only two returns for 4 yards, not to mention multiple clean holds on field goal attempts after slightly wayward snaps.
Mike Macdonald is a Super Bowl champion because he never cared about anything other than becoming one. He never cared about Seattle’s status among the opposition in the NFC West. He never cared about the gravity of games played Thursday, Monday or Sunday nights, with playoff positioning and championship aspirations at stake. He never cared about making history as the first head coach to serve as the primary defensive caller for a Super Bowl champion.
Macdonald cared about team chair Jody Allen’s directives. He cared about general manager John Schneider’s vision. He cared about empowering his assistant coaches. He cared about creating a culture where players were loose and focused, willing to fight for one another, believed in something bigger than themselves and scrapped tooth and nail until the final whistle. He cared about playing a style of football that no one else wanted to play.
These Seahawks will be remembered as Super Bowl champions because they had an explosive offense, a dominant defense and game changers on special teams. They should also be remembered for their connectedness, which set the expectation of being the last team standing. Their synergy was the secret sauce that built the best team in football. And forged bonds they’ll never forget.