The Seattle Seahawks had one of the best defenses in the NFL this season, and they proved that again on Sunday during the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.
The Seahawks, who led the league in fewest points allowed during the regular season, turned NFL MVP runner-up Drake Maye into a pumpkin for three quarters in his Super Bowl debut. They pressured him into a shocking number of mistakes, including six sacks, three turnovers and a career-worst 10 off-target throws.
Between Maye’s struggles, Josh McDaniels’ questionable playcalling and their diminished offensive line, the Patriots had no answers for Mike Macdonald’s stifling defense. They didn’t score until the fourth quarter, by which point the game was already out of hand.
Macdonald and his defense have received tons of praise since the game ended, and rightfully so. Kenneth Walker III won Super Bowl MVP, but they’re the main reason Seattle prevailed.
Former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan agrees based on his analysis during Monday morning’s episode of “Get Up” on ESPN.
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“Well, the problem wasn’t Josh McDaniels. The problem was Mike Macdonald. You got a guy that actually knows what the hell he’s doing and how to attack you. Know exactly what he’s getting, what your weaknesses are, and he exploits it,” Ryan said.
“You want to talk about a masterclass in a coach? That’s it…That’s how you dominate,” Ryan continued. “I don’t care if it’s Drake Maye or Tom Brady or anybody else out there. They weren’t winning that game because of the job that Mike Macdonald did as a coach, and those players are hired killers.”
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That’s a debatable take from Ryan considering Brady did beat the Seahawks and their famous “Legion of Boom” defense in the Super Bowl 11 years ago. New England has never won a Super Bowl without Brady, so Patriots fans can only wonder if the game would have turned out differently with him under center instead of Maye.
Featured image via Douglas DeFelice-Imagn Images
