After one of the most unpredictable NFL seasons for some time, we have finally reached the most important game of them all. Super Bowl LX, held in San Francisco. Competing for the Vince Lombardi Trophy this year was the Seattle Seahawks, who, under Sam Darnold, became one of the strongest teams in the NFC.
They faced the New England Patriots, whose revival from years of post-Brady struggles is nearly complete.
Seattle came into the game as the favorites, but could they get revenge for 12 years ago?
Let’s look back at what happened in Super Bowl LX.
The Seahawks had the first possession of the game and used it to take the early lead. Starting from their 35-yard line, Darnold led his offense down to the Patriots’ 14-yard line. The drive stalled here, but Seahawks kicker Jason Myers was able to make the 33-yard field goal to give Seattle the lead.
In response, the Patriots were unable to do anything and quickly gave the Seahawks the ball back. For the next few drives, neither team could do much with the ball, as the Seattle defensive line consistently found and sacked Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.
In the second quarter, this section of strong defensive play would temporarily be broken. Darnold and company had made their way down to the edge of the Patriots’ red zone, where Myers would be faced with a 39-yard field goal. He executed this kick successfully, doubling the Seahawks’ lead.
Before halftime, the lead would be increased. This was thanks to another field goal from Myers, this time from 41-yards out. This meant that at halftime, the Seahawks led the Patriots 9-0.
The Patriots had the first drive of the second half, but the same things we have seen throughout the game from them happened again. The drive went nowhere, and at this point, it was looking like New England would be lucky to get any points.
While the Patriots continued their struggle, Myers would remain the only player actually putting points on the board. On Seattle’s first drive of the half, he found the uprights from 41 yards out to make it a 12-point lead.
We then had another three-and-out drive. This was broken by the Patriots this time, but not in the way they would have wanted. As the third quarter came to an end, Maye was sacked and then fumbled the ball on the Pats’ 37-yard line. The ball would be scooped up by the Seahawks defense, giving them a good chance to widen their lead and get the first touchdown of the game.
A few plays later, that is what would happen. Darnold found AJ Barner for a 16-yard touchdown pass to make it a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter.
We would then finally see the Patriots’ offense wake up, with Maye finding Mack Hollins for a 35-yard touchdown pass to prevent New England from scoring anything in the game. However, the score would have to be followed by another if they were to have any chance of winning.
Unfortunately for them, this did not happen. On the next Patriots drive, Maye threw an interception. This mistake would be costly, as Myers converted the new possession into three more points.
The bad luck for the Patriots would continue on the very next drive, as Maye threw another interception. This time, Uchenna Nwosu would return the ball to the endzone for a pick-six touchdown to further the Seahawks’ already large lead.
It would be third time lucky for Maye, as he would be able to find Rhamondre Stevenson for a seven-yard touchdown pass on the next drive, but by then, the game was well and truly out of their hands.
The Seattle Seahawks had defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 to win Super Bowl LX.
For many people, this was the expected result. On paper (and on the field), the Seahawks had been the much stronger team for most of the season. This, paired with the Patriots hardly facing any tough teams on their way to the Super Bowl, meant that a blowout was a serious possibility.
The Seahawks win their second Super Bowl, with running back Kenneth Walker getting the MVP for his 135-yard contribution. In my eyes, it should have gone to Myers or Seahawks punter Michael Dickson, but who really cares about punters?
For the Patriots, Drake Maye is still the future of the team. In his second year, he has proven that he can lead a team to success. Give him (and all QB’s in their first 2 seasons) time to develop, and one day they could be winning the Super Bowl.
Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks, the Super Bowl LX Champions!