GEORGE: Seahawks Too Much For Overmatched Patriots

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Maybe those national media wiseguys who predicted a Seattle Seahawks blowout win actually did know what they were talking about.

For a while, it seemed that the Patriots would become the first team in Super Bowl history to get shut out in a Super Bowl. Drake Maye and the offensive line could do nothing with the powerful and attacking Seahawks defense until the fourth quarter. The Patriot defense did well and the Patriots did hang around until midway through the fourth quarter. But Seattle blew away the Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

The Patriots did make some Super Bowl history in that, with the loss, the Patriots now have lost more Super Bowls than any other NFL team (six losses). A win would have put them ahead of Pittsburgh for the most by any team (seven wins). Still, the fact that they have been to 12 Super Bowls is still a good thing, although most Patriot fans were expecting this to come in on the victorious side for their team.

Many pundits will state that Maye needs just a little more seasoning to be able to compete more successfully in the NFL postseason. It should be pointed out that Maye is now 3-1 in his career in NFL postseason games. Tom Brady was in his second NFL season when he won his first-ever Super Bowl, though he was a year older at the time than Maye (24).

That said, the biggest problem was the offensive line. The line failed in being able to protect Maye. Rookies Will Campbell and Jared Wilson got pushed around for most of the evening and in some cases pushed into Maye. On one play, a defensive lineman tackled both Maye and the ball carrier. It was that kind of evening.

Of their 15 offensive possessions, six ended in three-and-outs. Of the first five possessions of the second half, four of them ended in three and outs. At halftime, the Patriots were outgained in total yards 183-51.

Maye was sacked six times and threw two interceptions. He also suffered one strip sack which resulted in a 45-yard pick six by Uchenna Nwosu. Again, a lot of experts will look first at Maye and his inexperience, but the real problem was that the offensive line was grossly overmatched by the Seattle defense.

The Patriot defense, on the other hand, gets a major amount of shout outs for keeping the Patriots in the game until the fourth quarter. On their first nine offensive possessions of the game, Seattle punted six times and Jason Myers kicked three field goals. It was 12-0 entering the fourth quarter, which meant that all the Patriots needed were two touchdowns to take the lead.

The Patriots would eventually get those two touchdowns, but Seattle still outscored the Patriots 17-13 in the fourth quarter. Maye hit Mack Hollins on a deep left sideline route for a 35-yard touchdown, then late in the game Maye hit Rhamondre Stevenson on a kooky shovel pass that Stevenson barely prevented the ball from hitting the ground. The two-point conversion was no good, but at this point the game was out of reach.

The biggest problem the defense had was in containing Kenneth Walker. Their star running back rushed for 135 yards on 27 carries and a 5.0 per carry average. Walker also had two pass receptions for 26 yards for a total of 161 all-purpose yards. But Walker scored no touchdowns, as the Patriots were able to play generally good red zone defense, again until the fourth quarter.

Sam Darnold finished 19 of 38 passing for 202 yards and a touchdown. His passer rating was 74.7. The Patriot defense did a nice job of harassing and disrupting Darnold for most of the game, but he was only sacked one time. His one touchdown pass came in the fourth quarter, a 16-yard scoring toss to A.J. Barner, who was wide open in the right corner of the end zone.

Maye finished 27 of 43 passing for 295 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and a rating of 79.1, which was higher than Darnold’s rating.

Another feather in the cap of the Patriot defense was locking down All-Pro wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He was held to four catches for 27 yards. He was injured in the second half and was out for a little bit but returned later. Cooper Kupp led the Seahawks in receiving with six catches for 61 yards.

Maye led the Patriots with 37 yards rushing on five carries. Pop Douglas and Stevenson had five catches each, while Hollins had 78 total yards. Maye connected with nine different receivers.

Thus ends a delightfully unexpected season, with a disappointing ending. To say in September that the Patriots would have made it to the Super Bowl would have gotten you a lot of puzzled looks. Made it they did, but give Seattle credit for being better than the Patriots in most every way.

Looking ahead, Mike Vrabel may again want to target the offensive line with high picks. Being the Super Bowl runner-up, the Patriots will draft 31st in the first round. Campbell and Wilson still have a lot of upside, but there are still those who feel that Campbell projects better at guard than tackle. That will be one of many things that the Patriots look at when the Draft comes up in April.

So, you all can now get into the Olympics. Or, even better: on Tuesday, pitchers and catchers have their first official day of workouts at Fort Myers, Florida. Remember that the Red Sox made the playoffs last year. Hopefully soon they will get that big right handed bat they so badly need.

And the Patriots head into a well deserved vacation, with high hopes for 2026.

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About Bob George

Covering Boston Sports since 1997. Native of Worcester, Mass. Attended UMass and Univ of Michigan. Lives in California. Just recently retired after 40 years of public school teaching. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thepic4139" rel="nofollow noopener"><strong>Podcasts on YouTube at @thepic4139</strong></a>

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