SANTA CLARA, CA — Go ahead, say it again: Defense wins championships.
The Seattle Seahawks lived up to the mantra in Super Bowl 60 with a smashing performance that left little doubt about their status as a special unit.
Sure, the New England Patriots rallied in the fourth quarter to finally get on the scoreboard and Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III nabbed MVP honors in tallying 161 yards from scrimmage, including 135 on the ground. But the way it went down at Levi’s Stadium in the 29-13 verdict was undeniably all about Seattle’s defense, aka aka “The Dark Side.”
How fitting. Mike Macdonald got his big shot to become Seahawks coach in 2024 because of his prowess as a defensive whiz.
Look at him now. His Seahawks defense, which allowed the fewest points in the NFL during the regular season, finished the job with one big play after another.
“It goes back to guys just hunting,” Derick Hall, the edge rusher who earned the distinction of collecting the first sack of the game, said as the boom box thumped and cigar smoke drifted throughout the festive winner’s locker room.
“Running and hitting. Doing what we do. Obviously, we pressure. A lot of it is just being relentless. And we showed what we can to the world.”
Yes, the Seahawks provided so many answers to some essential questions. To wit:
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How many times would they sack poor Drake Maye?
That would be six, reflecting all the heat they constantly put on the Patriots quarterback. And that was just one measure of domination. Maye was intercepted twice – including a fourth-quarter pop-up that Uchenna Nwosu returned 45 yards for a touchdown – and lost a fumble.
There was one twist, though, that the Patriots never seemed to handle. Devon Witherspoon, the star cornerback, caused a whole lot of problems as he blitzed at least 10 times. In addition to a sack and three quarterback hits, Witherspoon crashed into Maye to force Nwosu’s pick-six.
There was talk about Macdonald having spotted a particular weakness in the Patriots protection, then proceeded to exploit it with Witherspoon, who possesses an uncanny knack for disguising his intent and timing his rush.
Witherspoon would’ve divulge the specifics as he sat in this stall, soaking wet for the championship shower that had taken place. Yet he said of Macdonald, “He puts us in position to make plays.”
And when it comes to harassing quarterbacks, it’s rather basic – and natural for this unit.
“I think that’s just a general thing that’s a weakness on teams,” defensive tackle Leonard Williams said, puffing on a victory cigar. “If you’re able to get to the quarterback, that’s the one thing that’s going to always shut down a team. And quarterbacks are the number one player that gives up the ball. So, they cause the most turnovers. So, if you can get the quarterbacks the most, a lot of good things are going to happen in our favor.”
Who was the MVP?
Well, that’s a crapshoot – in the sense that there were so many candidates. Hall had two sacks and forced a fumble. Witherspoon had a sack and forced an INT. Byron Murphy had two sacks and a recovery. Walker won the award as he averaged 5 yards per carry.
Given the defensive dominance, it almost seemed like the award was destined to go to someone from the defensive unit.
“You could have given it to ‘Spoon, or Julian (Love), guys on our defensive line – D. Hall, Byron (Murphy II), Leo (Leonard Williams). But you know what? All those guys are happy for K9,” Leslie Frazier, the Seahawks’ assistant head coach and defensive specialist, told USA TODAY Sports. “Nobody has any animosity. They wanted Kenny Walker to get that award.”
Any chance they’d collapse down the stretch and allow the New England Patriots to rally and make a game of it?
No chance. In fact, for much of the game the Seahawks flirted with the possibility of becoming the first defense to pitch a shutout in a Super Bowl.
Then again, so many Seahawks achieved their own history. Hall talked about winning a championship for the first time at any level – and he’s played football since he was 4.
Then there’s DeMarcus Lawrence, the oldest Seahawks player. Lawrence came over as a free agent during the offseason after 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
He came to win a championship, he declared at several junctures. Now it’s done.
“I told you when the record was 0-0,” Lawrence told USA TODAY Sports, as he swigged on a large bottle of champagne. “And now that we’re here, I ain’t got to say it again.”
Now, with the championship matter settled, Lawrence and his defensive mates can take a spot alongside some of the greatest championship defenses ever.
There’s the Steel Curtain and Doomsday. No one can forget the 1985 Chicago Bears. Ray Lewis and Lawrence Taylor led remarkable defenses for the Ravens and Giants, respectively. The Buccaneers had a magnificent defense led by Warren Sapp.
And, of course, the Seahawks won their last Super Bowl a dozen years ago with the “Legion of Boom.”
Does “The Dark Side” rank with those great defenses?
“I don’t know about that,” Witherspoon said. “I know for this defense, all that matters, is that we are the best one this year.”
With a case closed by a championship.