Five Distinct Advantages the Seahawks Have in Super Bowl LX
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New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) looses contriol of the ball against the Seattle Seahawks in the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images [/caption]
Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara is now less than a week away, the bye week behind us as the football game draws closer in the windshield. We will finally crown the Super Bowl champion this coming Sunday.
How can the Seahawks come out victorious? What are some of the advantages - besides superior seafood, of course - that Seattle has over New England? Let’s break down five areas where Seattle holds a sizable advantage.
1. Run Defense
Both teams have strong run defenses, but where New England’s is “merely” excellent, Seattle’s is the best in the NFL. The Patriots will want to try and establish the run early with Rhamondre Stevenson. He has increased his workload in each of the three playoff games, ending with 25 carries against the Denver Broncos in the AFC title game. Seattle has the talent and depth to stifle New England’s running attack, and Patriots have not played a run defense like the Seahawks quite yet. New England ranks 22nd in EPA per rushing attempt, and Seattle ranks first in the NFL in EPA per rush attempt allowed. In the regular season, the Seahawks allowed just 3.7 yards per carry, tops in the NFL.
While the Seahawks have a stout interior defensive line to stop the initial surge of rushing, with Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, and Jarran Reed, their linebackers feast as well, with Drake Thomas and Ernest Jones turning into quite a pair this year in Seattle. Thomas in particular ranks 18th among all linebackers in stops, so Seattle has several ways they can stop the run. Even edge rusher Boye Mafe steps in, as he currently has Seattle’s best run defense grade in the two postseason games so far.
2. Red Zone
This applies to both sides of the ball. The Patriots have been dreadful in the redzone, both on offense and defense, as Drake Maye and company on offense ranked 17th in redzone touchdown rate during the regular season. The Seahawks’ defense ranks fifth in that category, as in, they are the fifth-best defense in the NFL in not allowing opposing red zone trips turn into touchdowns. Seattle’s defense buckles down once the opponent gets into the red zone. Just because the Patriots move the ball inside the 20 does not mean, by any stretch, that they will turn it into six points.
On the flip side, while the Seahawks offense has struggled at times in the red zone (21st), so has the Patriots defense. They rank 30th in allowing touchdowns in the red zone. So, on both sides of the ball, Seattle’s unit out-ranks New England’s in the red zone.
Among all the advantages that Seattle has for the Big Game, this one could very well be the most important.
3. Pass Rush
The sacks have been well-documented for Drake Maye and the Patriots offense, with New England allowing five sacks in each of the three postseason games so far - and Seattle’s pass rush must be licking their chops. While Seattle’s pass rushing unit is the most sack-saturated, they certainly know how how to get pressure. DeMarcus Lawrence has nine QB pressures in the two playoff games while notching a sack in each of his postseason games thus far. Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II can certainly disrupt in the interior, as they have 15 pressures in those two playoff games combined.
The left side of the Patriots’ offensive line has been particularly generous. Left tackle Will Campbell has allowed more pressures and sacks than any other offensive linemen in the entire playoffs. Left guard Jared Wilson is one of just three linemen across the league to have allowed multiple sacks this postseason. Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, Williams, Mafe, Reed, and company need to take advantage of this opportunity to feast off the left side whenever they can and bring Drake Maye to the ground.
4. Pass Protection
On the other side of the coin, the Patriots’ pass rush has not been exactly prolific either. They ranked 22nd in sacks and 19th in pass rush win rate this season. Meanwhile, the Seahawks’ offensive line ranked fifth-best in sacks allowed. They should be able to give Sam Darnold time to land a few explosive plays down field. Both Seattle tackles, Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, rank inside the top three among all offensive linemen in overall PFF grade this postseason.
Rookie guard Grey Zabel also gets high marks in pass protection, having not allowed a sack and just four pressures in 61 pass blocking snaps this postseason. Right guard Anthony Bradford might be the lone weak spot of this pass protection unit, allowing a team-high seven pressures in those two playoff games.
It’s not just the offensive line either. AJ Barner has a solid 78.8 pass block grade at tight end. Eric Saubert won’t impact the box score as the other tight end, but he has an even better pass block rating at 79.1. Seattle should be able to handle the likes of K'Lavon Chaisson and Anfernee Jennings on the edges. The biggest question mark will be the talented defensive tackle Milton Williams along the interior.
5. QB Experience
Yes, Sam Darnold has been to a Super Bowl before. As has been well-documented during the media coverage leading up to this big game, Darnold became just the third QB ever to make a Super Bowl after playing for five teams. Indeed, this is his first Super Bowl as the starting quarterback. However, he has gone through the Super Bowl hoopla before, as a member of the 2023 San Francisco 49ers, where he was Brock Purdy’s primary backup leading up to their game against the Chiefs. While he didn’t have to sit under the bright lights of media days at the Super Bowl, which is what the starting quarterback must do, he was witness to what it takes to prepare for a full two weeks between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl.
That, coupled with his experience in the league, going from “bust” to Super Bowl starter, should bode well for him.
This is to say nothing of Drake Maye, the quality of quarterback. Maye is set to become the second-youngest quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl when he jogs onto the field in red, white, blue, and silver. This is just his second season in the NFL. Darnold has played in 103 NFL games, thrown almost 3,000 NFL passes, and has won 52 games. Maye is about to play in his 34th career game, with less than 1,000 pass attempts to his name and 20 wins.
In whatever QB experience is worth in the Super Bowl, the Seahawks have a clear advantage.
