Super Bowl LX Game Thread: Patriots vs Seahawks

[Phantom255x]

Why did we wait this long to take chances???

2 plays and a quick TD when Maye slung it

Interceptions

That INT in the 4th he threw was terrible, but I'm more so talking about the first half and 3rd quarter. The only period it seemed we were able to actually muster anything was when they let Maye air it out and sling it. Instead a lot of the 1st half and 3rd quarter were conservative playcalling leading to a ton of 3 and outs.

I thought McDaniels had a bad day. Yes, Seattle's defense is legit. But you got to take chances and maybe try to catch them off-guard early. SEA seemed content to just kick FGs and make it 12-0 and 19-7 because the offense wasn't threatening and it felt in the first half they just put restraints on Maye. 0 points in 3 quarters of a SB is pathetic

[SparzWizard]

Why did we wait this long to take chances???

2 plays and a quick TD when Maye slung it

Interceptions

That INT in the 4th he threw was terrible, but I'm more so talking about the first half and 3rd quarter. The only period it seemed we were able to actually muster anything was when they let Maye air it out and sling it. Instead a lot of the 1st half and 3rd quarter were conservative playcalling leading to a ton of 3 and outs.

I thought McDaniels had a bad day. Yes, Seattle's defense is legit. But you got to take chances and maybe try to catch them off-guard early. SEA seemed content to just kick FGs and make it 12-0 and 19-7 because the offense wasn't threatening and it felt in the first half they just put restraints on Maye. 0 points in 3 quarters of a SB is pathetic

And folks, here is our Assistant JOKE of the Year, Josh McDaniels!

[Phantom255x]

Why did we wait this long to take chances???

2 plays and a quick TD when Maye slung it

Interceptions

That INT in the 4th he threw was terrible, but I'm more so talking about the first half and 3rd quarter. The only period it seemed we were able to actually muster anything was when they let Maye air it out and sling it. Instead a lot of the 1st half and 3rd quarter were conservative playcalling leading to a ton of 3 and outs.

I thought McDaniels had a bad day. Yes, Seattle's defense is legit. But you got to take chances and maybe try to catch them off-guard early. SEA seemed content to just kick FGs and make it 12-0 and 19-7 because the offense wasn't threatening and it felt in the first half they just put restraints on Maye. 0 points in 3 quarters of a SB is pathetic

And folks, here is our Assistant JOKE of the Year, Josh McDaniels!

He still deserved the award.

I just find it weird that a guy with 10 SB appearances now in his belt seemed to just be content calling conservative plays and not really trying anything or adjusting. Again, they scored ZERO points in the first 3 quarters. What did he even do in the two weeks? The weather was fine and warm too.

Were they literally expecting the Pats defense to get a Pick 6 or scoop-and-score??

[Roy H.]

Why did we wait this long to take chances???

2 plays and a quick TD when Maye slung it

Interceptions

That INT in the 4th he threw was terrible, but I'm more so talking about the first half and 3rd quarter. The only period it seemed we were able to actually muster anything was when they let Maye air it out and sling it. Instead a lot of the 1st half and 3rd quarter were conservative playcalling leading to a ton of 3 and outs.

I thought McDaniels had a bad day. Yes, Seattle's defense is legit. But you got to take chances and maybe try to catch them off-guard early. SEA seemed content to just kick FGs and make it 12-0 and 19-7 because the offense wasn't threatening and it felt in the first half they just put restraints on Maye. 0 points in 3 quarters of a SB is pathetic

And folks, here is our Assistant JOKE of the Year, Josh McDaniels!

He still deserved the award.

I just find it weird that a guy with 10 SB appearances now in his belt seemed to just be content calling conservative plays and not really trying anything or adjusting. Again, they scored ZERO points in the first 3 quarters. What did he even do in the two weeks? The weather was fine and warm too.

Were they literally expecting the Pats defense to get a Pick 6 or scoop-and-score??

It wasn't a great game by McDaniels, but Maye seemed off from the start.  And, when the Pats opened up the offense they scored twice but had three turnovers.  I don't think they could have won no matter what plays were called.

[Phantom255x]

Why did we wait this long to take chances???

2 plays and a quick TD when Maye slung it

Interceptions

That INT in the 4th he threw was terrible, but I'm more so talking about the first half and 3rd quarter. The only period it seemed we were able to actually muster anything was when they let Maye air it out and sling it. Instead a lot of the 1st half and 3rd quarter were conservative playcalling leading to a ton of 3 and outs.

I thought McDaniels had a bad day. Yes, Seattle's defense is legit. But you got to take chances and maybe try to catch them off-guard early. SEA seemed content to just kick FGs and make it 12-0 and 19-7 because the offense wasn't threatening and it felt in the first half they just put restraints on Maye. 0 points in 3 quarters of a SB is pathetic

And folks, here is our Assistant JOKE of the Year, Josh McDaniels!

He still deserved the award.

I just find it weird that a guy with 10 SB appearances now in his belt seemed to just be content calling conservative plays and not really trying anything or adjusting. Again, they scored ZERO points in the first 3 quarters. What did he even do in the two weeks? The weather was fine and warm too.

Were they literally expecting the Pats defense to get a Pick 6 or scoop-and-score??

It wasn't a great game by McDaniels, but Maye seemed off from the start.  And, when the Pats opened up the offense they scored twice but had three turnovers.  I don't think they could have won no matter what plays were called.

Maybe not. But like, idk, take some shots down the field or design some bootlegs or move the pocket? Maybe have some designed Maye runs. They certainly could have incorporated this stuff after the first quarter but they didn't. It was mostly runs up the middles or Maye just sitting back there and getting sacked on a straight rush. They had a stretch where 6 of 7 drives in a row were a 3 and out and the other one was just one first down and then a punt. Brutal

[Phantom255x]

On a side note, kudos for Darnold. He deserves it and also deserves all the credit in the world for continuing to improve/show growth and prove a ton of the haters wrong. Also has to sting a bit for Jets fans that they drafted Darnold and he won elsewhere (even though yes, he beat the Pats to do it).

[Redz]

According to Mike Reiss, Maye needed an injection in his shoulder before the game to try to handle the pain

[Goldstar88]

Why did we wait this long to take chances???

2 plays and a quick TD when Maye slung it

Interceptions

That INT in the 4th he threw was terrible, but I'm more so talking about the first half and 3rd quarter. The only period it seemed we were able to actually muster anything was when they let Maye air it out and sling it. Instead a lot of the 1st half and 3rd quarter were conservative playcalling leading to a ton of 3 and outs.

I thought McDaniels had a bad day. Yes, Seattle's defense is legit. But you got to take chances and maybe try to catch them off-guard early. SEA seemed content to just kick FGs and make it 12-0 and 19-7 because the offense wasn't threatening and it felt in the first half they just put restraints on Maye. 0 points in 3 quarters of a SB is pathetic

I?m guessing because McDaniels knows that if Drake tries to do too much against a good defense, he will turn the ball over, which is exactly what happened in the the second half.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

That was a complete crapfest on offense. D was pretty good, but got worn out from being on the field too dang much.

I'm sure glad the Pats spent a No. 4 pick on an offensive lineman who got absolutely trucked throughout the playoffs.

I can give Maye a lot of grace for being hurt, but the fact that he couldn't complete even short throws makes me question why he was even out there.

And I've said this before, but I've never been too impressed with McDaniels. He didn't call even one screen play tonight, did he? His playcalling was so conservative and uninspired. If Maye can't throw much but is going to play anyway, McD should've called for a couple of little dumpoffs, some jet sweeps, some RPO, maybe some designed runs for Maye. But no, let's keep trying to run right up the middle and throw passes that have no chance of being completed.

[ozgod]

Still super proud of this team.

But yeah, in addition to adding some pieces to the defense and adding another pass-catcher, the #1 priority has to be beefing up the O-Line. I hate to say it but they might need to consider moving Campbell to LG and maybe just having Lowe be the LT while Wilson becomes our center (or have him as depth). Campbell and Wilson were both just pummeled all postseason and even 3 or 4 man rushes were getting to Maye quick. And yes, the path was tough with elite defenses but quite a few of these playoff teams have that. NE has it too. You got to beef up the O-Line. Even Brady and Mahomes have trouble if the O-Line is iffy.

Keep in mind that Seattle's Dark Side defense is built around a 4 man rush and they have done it to everybody...49ers, Rams, they pushed their O-lines back too. I definitely give them some credit, they have four beastly linemen in that four man rush. They've won 6-to-4 mismatches against teams because of Williams and Murphy needing 2 each to block them, if not they just truck them.

Also I was listening to David Andrews and Brian Hoyer on NBC Sports Boston post game and they said the Seahawks were really good at disguising their coverages, making it hard for the QB/OC to work out what cover they are in play to play. That's McDonald's strength, right...but they also mentioned that some of those sacks were Drake's fault, because he was holding on to the ball too long.

Agree that we need to strengthen our O-line though, particularly the left side. Though they came through the right as well. I don't think Lowe is the answer, I still have nightmares of him doing his impersonation of a turnstile when Mac Jones was our QB.

[ozgod]

Callahan had an interesting article on the Herald about how Seattle surprised the Pats by mixing up their defensive coverages early, coming up with some different looks to what they had done earlier in the playoffs.

According to Maye and Joshua Dobbs, they blitzed early, and also brought Cover Zero much earlier than usual, to success.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. ? Studying the Seahawks? defense the last two weeks, the Patriots knew to expect blitz pressure in obvious passing situations, especially third-and-long.

But blitzing as early and often as Seattle did Sunday?

This was new.

Multiple Patriots players admitted they were caught off-guard by the Seahawks? initial game plan in Super Bowl LX, which helped set the table for a 29-13 Seattle win. The Pats went scoreless and had 78 total yards through three quarters. Drake Maye took six sacks and was under pressure on more than half of his dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats.

?We saw a good amount of, (a) variety of blitzes,? Maye told reporters. ?I wouldn?t say they?re a huge pressure team, but obviously they had some success tonight. They were heating us up.?

Maye felt pressure early, finishing the Patriots? opening drive with a throwaway against an all-out blitz, AKA Cover Zero, which generated instant, unblocked pressure.

?They brought (Cover) Zero early in the game, which was a switch-up from what they had shown,? Pats backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs told the Herald. ?They?d like to bring (Cover) Zero, but maybe not that early. This is the Super Bowl, though. You?re gonna get some different looks.?

And Maye was sacked by Witherspoon operating from the nickelback position that Emmanwori usually fills. Witherspoon hadn't blitzed since Week 16, but last night he blitzed six times and dropped Maye twice, the second of which led to the game-clinching pick six.

Another wrinkle surfaced on Maye?s second sack taken late in the first quarter. Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon dropped Maye for a 10-yard loss on a rare blitz from his nickelback position over the slot. According to Pro Football Focus, Witherspoon blitzed just 21 times this season, about one per game, and hadn?t rushed the passer since Week 16.

Witherspoon blitzed six times Sunday and generated four pressures, according to Next Gen Stats, including a QB hit that caused Maye?s pick-six in the second half.

?(Safety Nick Emmanwori) plays the nickel position a lot, and he?s more of the blitzer. Witherspoon?s more the cover guy, and they brought him a little bit more than they had shown on film,? Dobbs said. ?(That)?s not to say we shouldn?t have picked it up or had answers for it, but that was one of the wrinkles that they had.?

Schematically, the Seahawks overloaded the left side of the Patriots? offensive line early with extra blitzers, then sent added rushers to Maye?s right on the Witherspoon sack. After that sack, the Pats adjusted, Dobbs said, by focusing on small gains that would keep them out of third-and-long snaps. Instead, they punted six straight times around a possession that kneeled the clock out before halftime.

Apparently their initial plan was to attack Seattle's two high safeties but Maye was only able to complete one pass through the first three quarters, to Boutte.

At the beginning, the Patriots hoped to attack Seattle?s two-high coverages early in the game, another area where they struggled. Maye?s only long completion through three quarters, before the Pats trailed by multiple scores, was a play-action pass with six offensive linemen on the field that led to a 21-yard gain for Kayshon Boutte. However, the Patriots never returned to that jumbo package, and their receivers struggled to win what became a spread-style game against the NFL?s best pass defense by DVOA.

?We knew when they were going to (blitz) pressure, so (we were) trying to have answers for those. Then on third downs, they really made it a 1-on-1 game,? Dobbs said. ?That?s what they showed on film, and they did it again tonight.?

Pats center Garrett Bradbury said the offense knew the Seahawks could dip into the type of overload pressures they used to win the Super Bowl, but didn?t block them well enough to compete.

?We knew they had it. They pressured at a high clip in the first half, and they had a good plan,? he said. ?They?re a good defense. Certainly, give them credit.?

https://www.bostonherald.com/2026/02/09/drake-maye-patriots-caught-off-guard-by-seahawks-game-plan-in-super-bowl-lx/

Looks like Josh was outschemed on this occasion.