5 Seahawks takeaways from Super Bowl 51

3 of 5

Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (24) runs the ball during the third quarter against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Offensive lines are important

The Patriots struggled to run the football. The also let Brady get pummeled. As a result, their offense sputtered and stalled. Brady became inaccurate and then threw that pick 6.

Conversely, Atlanta did a good job overall of protecting Matt Ryan. They opened holes for Devante Freeman in the running game. The Falcons were able to build a big lead.

The script flipped in the second half. The running lanes disappeared for Atlanta, and Brady had more time in the pocket. That happened, and then the Patriots came roaring back.

Skill position players and run stuffers on the defensive line are nice to have, not they don’t matter much if you cannot block anyone up front on offense. This is a lesson that the Seahawks seem to have forgotten.

When the Seahawks won Super Bowl 48, they had the highest paid offensive line in the NFL. 3 seasons later they have the least expensive. It is no surprise that Seattle’s offense has regressed even as their receiving talent has improved.

Home/Seattle Seahawks News