SANTA CLARA, California, USA (AP) — The defense won this championship.
Devon Witherspoon, Derick Hall, Byron Murphy and the rest of Mike Macdonald’s ferocious unit crushed Drake Maye, and the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New York Patriots 29-13 on Sunday to claim the franchise’s second Super Bowl.
Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass to AJ Barner, Kenneth Walker III rushed for 135 yards, and Jason Myers connected on all five of his field-goal attempts.
Uchenna Nwosu capped a relentless defensive performance by intercepting Maye’s pass in midair after Witherspoon knocked his arm loose and returned it 45 yards for the touchdown.
Seattle’s “Dark Side” defense helped Darnold become the first quarterback from the 2018 draft class to win a Super Bowl, ahead of Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson.
Dubbed a bust, discarded by two teams and deemed expendable by two others, Darnold proved his critics wrong, guiding the Seahawks to a 17-3 record.
After leading the NFL with 20 turnovers in the regular season, Darnold had none in three playoff games. He wasn’t particularly precise against a solid Patriots defense, but he protected the ball and was efficient enough, finishing 19 of 38 for 202 yards.
The Seahawks sacked Maye six times, with Hall and Murphy each recording two. Hall’s sack and forced fumble late in the third quarter set the stage for Darnold to connect with Barner on a 16-yard touchdown pass that made it 19-0.
Julian Love’s interception set up another field goal that made the score 22-7 with 5:35 remaining.
The Patriots (17-4) punted on their first eight drives, save for a kneel-down to end the first half.
