Santa Clara, CA…Seattle D destroys Patriots in Super romp. The NFL’s No. 1 defense played like it in the biggest game of the year. Mike Macdonald’s defense discombobulated Drake Maye wire to wire. Early, the Seahawks brought DB pressures which completely confused the Pats’ blocking, leading to a pressure and a sack from corner Devon Witherspoon. From there, Seattle’s D-line ate and ate and ate. Macdonald’s defense demolished Maye, sacking the QB six times and generating two interceptions. Any time the Pats even feigned a pulse, the Seahawks snuffed out the life. Sunday proved the depth of Seattle’s defense with Derick Hall (2), Byron Murphy II (2), Witherspoon and rookie Rylie Mills netting the QB takedowns. For three-plus quarters, the secondary smothered wideouts, making Maye move off his first reads and allowing the rush to get home. Often, the Pats QB had zero targets open. It was fitting that Uchenna Nwosu capped off the game with a pick-six off another Witherspoon pressure to start the party in Seattle.

1. Maye struggles under pressure. Drake Maye picked an awful night for an awful performance. The Patriots quarterback looked flustered by Mike Macdonald’s post-snap rotations, and Maye struggled with what he was seeing, clutching and holding the pigskin in ways we haven’t seen most of his magical campaign. With the pass rush coming from seemingly every angle, Maye panicked at times, which led to wayward passes that were completely off the mark. The Pats QB finished 27-of-43 passing for 295 yards with two TDs and two INTs. However, the overwhelming majority of that production came well after the Pats trailed by double digits — 48 passing yards in the first half. Maye had little support — 42 rushing yards on 13 RB totes — as the Pats offense sputtered when things mattered. New England punted on all five of its non-kneel first-half possessions, generating just four total first downs. With the game still within reach, the offense crapped out, going three-and-out on its first three possessions of the third quarter — its one first down on four drives in the quarter came via penalty. Maye made a few plays in the final frame, but it was far too little, far too late from the MVP runner-up.
2. MVP Walker paces Seahawks offense. With Sam Darnold playing shakily, Kenneth Walker III took on the load and ran the Seahawks to victory. On an array of outside runs, the back gashed a Pats defense that had entered the Super Bowl not allowing an RB to gain even 40 rushing yards in the postseason. Walker generated 135 rushing yards on a season-high 27 carries (5.0 yards per carry). He blasted off on runs of 30 and 29 yards in the second quarter and earned five runs of 10-plus yards. Looking like Le’Veon Bell at times, Walker was as patient as we’ve ever seen him as a runner, waiting for lanes to open and dashing through them. With Darnold struggling to move the ball through the air, missing a trove of tosses that would have blown the game open early, the Seahawks could have been in trouble against a good NE defense. Darnold finished with a -9.4% completion percentage over expected, underscoring his troubles. In the passing game’s absence, Walker was the difference-maker. The free-agent-to-be had his best game on the biggest stage — now he’s in line to get paid.
3. Defense gave Pats a shot. Well, Mike Vrabel’s defense kept things close as long as it could. With New England’s offense doing bupkis, it could have been a blowout early. However, cornerback Christian Gonzalez broke up two would-be touchdown passes to keep the Seahawks out of the end zone. New England gave Sam Darnold fits, pressuring the QB on 41.5% of his dropbacks. Even though they generated just one sack, the Patriots’ pressure led to bad misses from the QB that kept the tilt close into the fourth quarter. However, the offense’s inability to do anything eventually broke the camel’s back. A Drake Maye fumble gave the Seahawks a short field to get their first TD, and the pick-six cemented the loss. The defense need not hang its head. It held Seattle to 1 of 4 in the red zone and 4 of 16 on third down. Yes, the Patriots missed some tackles on big Kenneth Walker runs, but if the offense had done anything before garbage time, the defensive effort might have been enough.
4. Yay! Kicker love! Jason Myers did all of the scoring through three quarters, belting four field goals. In the final frame, his fifth set a Super Bowl record for most in a single Lombardi-lifting tilt. Oh, and Myers also had a tackle on a kickoff. With points at a premium early, Myers’ steady leg was a massive advantage, ensuring Seattle got points off stalled drives. The kicker wasn’t the only special teams dynamo for the Seahawks. Punter Michael Dickson was marvelous, pinning three punts inside the 7-yard line. The boots proved massive, ensuring the Pats offense couldn’t get in a groove, and the defense could feast on an offense trying not to make a massive mistake. On Sunday, Seattle won in all three phases. Dominantly.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Seahawks-Patriots (via NFL Pro): Kenneth Walker III generated +42 rushing yards over expected. On his 30-yard run, Walker generated +26 RYOE. On his 29-yarder, he generated +24 RYOE.

NFL Research: Drake Maye is the first player to be sacked five-plus times in four straight playoff games.

Source = NFL