They say that defence wins championships.
The Seattle Seahawks certainly proved that on Sunday night in California, winning 29-13 after pulling away in the fourth quarter.
In truth, the signs have been there throughout the season, with a mauling of the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round, before a gritty victory over the Los Angeles Rams to make it to the NFL's biggest game.
This is the first Super Bowl title for the Seahawks since the days of the 'Legion of Boom' defence, with their only previous Vince Lombardi Trophy coming against the Denver Broncos in 2013, while they fell agonisingly short against the New England Patriots on the goal line 11 years ago. Now, the hurt of that defeat is over.
What was most impressive about the Seahawks performance on Sunday was their ability to grind a result when scoring opportunities were so limited in the first half.
Forget about the 'Legion of Boom', this weekend was time for the new era of defensive players to shine. Now, it’s 'The Dark Side', a unit which dominated the game.
Byron Murphy, Devon Witherspoon, Derick Hall and Rylie Mills combined for six sacks – just one shy of the Super Bowl record of seven.
In truth, they looked assured and composed throughout the game, led by their British-born defensive coordinator Aden Durde, who became the first coach from the United Kingdom to win a Super Bowl as a result.
Seattle’s progress to champion status is one of total redemption for journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold.
After bouncing around four teams before landing in the Emerald City, Darnold won his sport’s highest accolade in his home state.
It wasn’t easy for him, though. The first half was difficult, with a stout Patriots defence making it hard to get anywhere down the field. That’s where kicker Jason Myers made the difference, scoring 17 of Seattle’s 29 points at Levi’s Stadium.
Frankly, there was a moment on Sunday where you could have argued that Myers (above) was the game’s MVP. If that had followed through, he would have been the first special teams player in NFL history to win the award.
The reason he wasn’t was due to the combination of effort from both Darnold and his ultimate weapon in running back Kenneth Walker III, who transformed the game in the second half for Seattle, finishing with 135 rushing yards and 26 receiving yards.
It was a performance for the ages on the biggest stage for Walker, who became just the third player in Super Bowl history to record multiple rushes of 25+ yards in a single game.
What worked for the offensive tandem that Darnold had was his ability to know when to run and when to feed his other parts of the offence.
During the third quarter, Seattle turned it on when they needed to, with Darnold completing passes to Cooper Kupp (now a two-time Super Bowl champion), Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed and also AJ Barner, who scored in the second half.
For Darnold, he will enter a new stage of his career as a Super Bowl champion – and the first from the highly touted NFL Draft quarterback class of 2018, which included Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
That’s some achievement.
Credit must go to head coach Mike Macdonald, a defensive-minded coach and one who clearly put a focus on making game-changing plays on Sunday. Ones that stood out were the interceptions towards the end from both linebacker Uchenna Nwosu and safety Julian Love.
An honourable mention also must go to linebacker Hall, who had a dream game.
Wearing the same number on his jersey that Von Miller donned in an MVP performance 10 years ago in the same stadium for Super Bowl 50, Hall forced the first turnover of the game with a strip sack.
When all is said and done, this Seattle team will go down in the history books as one that tested the limits of both offensive and defensive play. They found a way in not only a highly competitive league, but a deadly NFC West to get the job done, and get it done in style.
I know what you’re thinking. We’ve got this far and the New England Patriots haven’t even been mentioned.
The reality is, they were second best on Sunday.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (above) entered Super Bowl LX with the opportunity to become the first quarterback since the great Tom Brady in 2001 to win a Super Bowl in the same season he made his first career play-off berth.
Maye looked nervous and on multiple occasions, he had space for the guts of six or seven seconds before getting sacked. When the game was still within a competitive balance, Maye made two poor passes on a single drive, with the second being picked off.
Outside of the Seahawks' providing superb pressure on their defence, the Patriots offensive line struggled throughout the game. Two rookies started the game for New England in Will Campbell and Jared Wilson.
The left side of the offensive line struggled to the point where head coach Mike Vrabel had to pull them together on the sideline to motivate them.
While New England got on the board with scores towards the end of the game from Mack Hollins and Rhamondre Stevenson, the truth is they were never really close to causing an upset and Seattle were the clear runaway winners.
Not to fret, Patriots fans. This is only the second season of Drake Maye, and the first with Mike Vrabel. There’s no doubt that something special is being built in Massachusetts, but it clearly just isn’t the time yet for glory.
Here’s a fact to keep any New England fan going for the next few offseason months – the team has at least $50m in cap space.
Improvements will be made. They will challenge again, but in a demanding league which shifts every year, their greatest challenge will be to return to the promised land as soon as next year. Remember, the last time an NFC West team won a Super Bowl, it was the Los Angeles Rams over the Cincinnati Bengals five years ago.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has not returned to the big dance since.
It’s Seattle’s time, and after an NFL season for the ages, it’s finally over. We have arguably never seen such an open season where anything could happen.
It’s been a superb season for Irish NFL fans as well. Dan Whelan, Charlie Smyth and Jude McAtamney have played in regular season games and Dublin hosted its first ever game in September.
While there will be no game in 2026, there is no doubt that the league will return, with a Government presence at the Super Bowl in the Bay Area this weekend.
For now, a seven-month offseason awaits, and the 12s of Seattle will raise a banner in September to cap off a remarkable achievement, arguably one of the best defensive performances in a Super Bowl in the modern era.
Until September, so long.
