In front of a sold-out Levi Stadium in San Francisco, California, with an additional 125 million watching from home, America’s most endearing sporting event, the Super Bowl, took the national stage.
The matchup between the NFC’s Seattle Seahawks and the AFC’s New England Patriots is a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX (49), a game that is most known for the infamous Malcolm Butler game-sealing goal-line interception that resulted in a Patriots win. On Feb. 8, the Seahawks, led by Quarterback Sam Darnold, were looking for revenge; however, this year’s Patriots squad, led by Drake Maye, has been silencing its doubters all year and is looking to add another Lombardi Trophy to its already stacked cabinet.
Entering this game, the Seahawks were heavily favored. Their strong defense, led by DeMarcus Lawrence and Nick Emmanwori, is known for suffocating offenses with their aggressive play calls and athletic defenders.
Offensively, Seattle has one of, if not the best, wide receivers in the NFL in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who caught 119 passes for an NFL-best 1,793 receiving yards.
Their journey to the Super Bowl was relatively moderate; as the number one seed in the NFC, expectations were high. However, the Seahawks quickly showed why they were Super Bowl favorites after an absolute demolition of the 49ers in the divisional round, 41-6 and a strong victory over the Rams in the Conference Championship.
The Patriots, on the other hand, had a few bumps along the way. Many doubted the Patriots due to their easier regular-season schedule.
Yet, their unbelievable defense proved everyone wrong, carrying New England to victories over the Chargers and Texans. Ahead of their Conference Championship game with the Denver Broncos, the league received news that Denver’s star QB, Bo Nix, would be out for the season. In a mile-high blizzard, the Patriots took advantage, beating the Broncos 10-7.
All in all, the stage was set for a brilliant showcase of football between the Seahawks and Patriots.
The game started slowly, with both offenses struggling to move the ball down the field. After the first quarter, it became clear that this year America would be treated to a defensive battle.
The first-half MVP seemed to be Seahawks kicker Jason Meyers, who knocked home three field goals to give Seattle a 9-0 lead heading into Bad Bunny’s halftime performance.
After the break, the Seahawks’ defense and Meyers picked up right where they left off, forcing the Patriots to yet another three-and-out, ultimately resulting in another Meyers field goal to make it 12-0.
Early in the fourth, after a brilliant drive led by running back Kenneth Walker, tight end AJ Barner would find the end zone, giving Seattle a 19-0 lead. With time running out, Drake Maye knew he had to act fast, finding receiver Mack Hollins in the end zone just one minute later to put the Pats on the board.
However, the good times for the Patriots would not last, as two Drake Maye interceptions, including a pick-six, would seal the deal for the Seahawks, 29-13.
This victory not only avenges the infamous night 12 years ago that has lived in the heads of Seattle fans everywhere, but it also gives the Seahawks their second Lombardi trophy in franchise history.
