The Seattle Seahawks took revenge on the New England Patriots and defeated them with a solid 13-29 in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara to win their second NFL Vince Lombardi Trophy in eleven years.
It was the Super Bowl of dreams for the Seahawks, as they dominated from start to finish with their favorite weapons. Their defense, nicknamed ‘Dark Side’, emulated the exploits of the ‘Legion of Boom’ champion in 2014 against the Denver Broncos and completely nullified Drake Maye and the Patriots.
Kenneth Walker stormed on the ground and kicker Jason Myers was solid with five of five field goals. Myers broke the record for field goals scored in a Super Bowl and also the record for points in a season (206) for the Seahawks who capped an outstanding year.
Quarterback Sam Darnold was crowned NFL champion in his first year in Seattle and vindicated himself after leaving the Minnesota Vikings through the back door. He finished with 202 yards thrown with a touchdown pass and had a spectacular Kenneth Walker as a great ally.
The running back went for 135 yards with 27 runs and was one of the few to find light in the Patriots’ defense in the first half to put the game downhill.
Drake Maye, the second-youngest quarterback to play in a Super Bowl, paid the strain. He was intercepted twice and added his 202 yards and two touchdown passes only in the final stretch of the game, with the Patriots no longer able to win.
Big day in Santa Clara
It was a duel between the best defense in the league, the Seahawks, against the second best offense, the Patriots. And the game was very tense, blocked, with Seattle’s defense constantly putting pressure on Maye.
Sam Darnold dared more than Maye, although the difference was not made by his passes, but by the ground power of Kenneth Walker and the foot of Jason Myers. The Seahawks’ first drive ended with their field goal from 33 yards out to make the score 0-3.
Walker was almost the only one to find light in the Patriots defense. Two runs, of 20 and 29 yards, destroyed the Pats and paved the way for the second of three field goals scored by Myers. The 0-9 score in the first half reflected the clear superiority of the Seahawks.
The Patriots only managed four first downs in the first half. Maye connected on six of his eleven passes and his team could only gain 51 yards in two very blocked quarters that left the game in Seattle’s favorite lane.
The rhythm is provided by Bad Bunny
The person in charge of giving rhythm to the great American football game in Santa Clara was the protagonist of the rest show, the consecrated Bad Bunny.
The Puerto Rican star brought to the most important stage in the world of sports a repertoire completely in Spanish, something never seen in the 60 years of history of the NFL grand final, and made the more than 68,000 spectators, of dozens of different nationalities, dance.
He sang, danced and also entertained the long list of celebrities present at Levi’s Stadium, including former Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and actors Kevin Costner and Adam Sandler.
Seahawks party
He didn’t change the script in the second half. The Patriots could not find separation to offer passing options to Maye, nor space in the center to attack on the ground. The Seahawks followed their plan. Ball in Walker’s hands and power on the run.
It was enough to get him close to the 41-yard line. Myers, impeccable, broke the record for field goals scored in a season and increased the lead to 0-12.
The ‘Dark Side’ continued to distress Maye, who ended up committing the fumble that, at the end of the third period, certified Seattle’s victory. Forced by Derick Hall and recovered by Byron Murphy, he gave the ball to the Seahawks at the 37-yard line.
And Seattle did not hesitate to impose the sentence. Darnold hit a 16-yard liner to AJ Barner, his first touchdown pass of the night, to propel Macdonald’s team to a tough 0-19 with 13:24 left in the fourth quarter.
With no pressure and nothing to lose, Drake Maye found the 35-yard TD pass from Mack Hollins that prevented the first shutout victory in Super Bowl history.
It remained little more than an anecdote. Shortly after, the young New England ‘QB’ committed a new fumble that Uchenna Nwosu took advantage of to travel 45 yards towards the ‘TD’ at 7-29.
Rhamondre Stevenson’s seven-yard reception off Maye’s pass only served for the statistics. The Seahawks defended their comfortable lead until the fireworks illuminated Levi’s Stadium and certified the second title in their history in the NFL.
(With a report from Andrea Montolivo, from EFE)
