The Seattle Seahawks won their second Super Bowl by doing everything that the organization was built to do. In the best years of the mid-2010s, the defense led the way to high-end success. In the mid-2020s, we have seen a rebirth of that.
A huge reason was the hiring of Mike Macdonald as head coach. The former defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens had already proven he could lead an NFL defense to greatness. The question was how soon he might be able to help turn around a Seattle organization that has suddenly become mediocre.
The answer? Two years. He won 10 games in his first season and just missed the postseason. In Year 2, his team won 17, including three games in the postseason. While quarterback Sam Darnold was undergoing a career redemption tour, the Seahawks were a threat to win a championship because of Macdonald's defense.
Cris Collinsworth pegs the Seattle Seahawks defense perfectly
That proved to be the case in Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots, a game that Seattle won 29-13, and the Pats had 331 total yards. Anyone watching knows that statistic is a lie. Most of the yards came in garbage time in the fourth quarter when Seattle didn't need to keep playing press defense as much because it was in no danger of losing.
NBC commentator Cris Collinsworth took notice of the Seahawks' defense for the first three quarters of the game. Seattle wasn't simply playing at a high current level, but a historic one.
"This has been one of the most brilliant performances I have ever seen in the National Football League. This defensive performance is as good as I have ever seen."
He doubled down on his observation later in the game with, "This is a defense that no one has been able to crack the code on."
Seattle forced three turnovers and had six sacks. When the game was still in the balance, the Patriots struggled to even pick up a first down. The Seahawks even scored a defensive touchdown after quarterback Drake Maye had his arm hit, and edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu caught the ball and ran the pick back 45 yards for a score.
The Seattle Seahawks aren't likely to change, either. Some of the key players, such as Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence, are past 30 years old, but disruptors like Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori are in their early 20s. Mike Macdonald's team is going to be great defensively for a long time, and that could mean multiple Super Bowl wins.