Santa Clara, Calif. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Seattle Seahawks captured their second Super Bowl title in franchise history with a commanding 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday at Levi Stadium.
Seattle's win was driven by their dominant defensive performance, suffocating quarterback Drake Maye and the Patriots offense at every turn.
The Seahawks built their lead slowly throughout the game, utilizing four-straight field goals from kicker Jason Myers to carry a 12-0 lead into the fourth quarter. Myers ended his night by kicking a Super Bowl record five field goals, and accounted for 17 of Seattle's 29 points overall.
The Seattle defense, nicknamed the "Dark Side", completely overwhelmed Maye and the offensive unit for New England. Not only did the Seahawks hold the Patriots scoreless through more than three quarters of football, but they pressured Maye throughout the game, and tallied six sacks.
The game really turned for the Seahawks just before the end of the third quarter when linebacker Derick Hall was able to get to Maye, stripping him of the football and causing a turnover.
Five plays later, the Seahawks found the end zone for the first time with a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sam Darnold to tight end A.J. Barner.
Then with the clock just below five minutes left and the Patriots trailing 22-7, Seattle firmly squashed any threat of any late-game heroics from New England with a pick-six, as cornerback Devon Witherspoon blitzed and landed a huge hit on Maye, leading to Uchenna Nwosu taking it 45 yards the rest of the way for a touchdown.
Seahwaks quarterback Sam Darnold did not have the flashiest day, by any means, but got the job done by completing 19-of-38 pass attempts for 202 yards and a passing touchdown. Darnold officially becomes the first quarterback from the coveted 2018 NFL Draft class - includes Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen - to win a Super Bowl.
Kenneth Walker III became the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP since Hall-of-Famer Terrell Davis won it with the Denver Broncos in 1998. Walker rushed for 135 yards and accounted for 161 yards of Seattle's 335 total yards from scrimmage.
Through the air, Cooper Kupp finished as the leading receiver for the Seahawks, tallying six receptions for 61 yards.
As for Maye, he completed 27-of-43 pass attempts for 295 yards, and tossed a pair of touchdowns to two interceptions also thrown.
The Patriots are now 6-6 all time in Super Bowl appearances, establishing a new mark for the most losses in the "Big Game".