While many believe the Seattle Seahawks were willed to Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots by the performance of quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, head coach Mike Macdonald has done a tremendous job of building one of (if not the most) feared defenses in the NFL.
Even division rivals like MVP Matthew Stafford's Los Angeles Rams and a San Francisco 49ers team that has historically given this franchise fits under Kyle Shanahan were unable to crack through this unit. As such, there are precious few who can enlighten the viewing public with answers as to how to beat this group.
While Shanahan was asked himself how to go about preparing for this defense and coming up with a winning formula, he was willing to concede that he doesn't know how to really crack through against this unit due to how poorly he performed against them this season.
"I know you guys want my expert opinion," Shanahan said on the NBC broadcast, but I haven't scored a touchdown on [the Seahawks] the last two times we've played them, so I don't know how good that is." That is about as strong a testimony as Shanahan can give for an opponent.
Kyle Shanahan concedes he doesn't know how to beat Seahawks defense
On the defensive line, a swarming approach led by veteran Leonard Williams and free agent signing DeMarcus Lawrence has made Seattle equally good at stuffing the run and getting to the quarterback on passing downs. Ernest Jones leads a motley crew of linebackers that keep making plays.
The secondary is the straw that stirs this drink. Between rookie chess piece Nick Emmanwori and an emerging elite cornerback in Devon Witherspoon, Macdonald has created a unit so tough to crack that even a savant like Shanahan is having major trouble.
New England is going to push this defense as far as it can go. With MVP runner-up Drake Maye willing to challenge defenses down the field and an array of pass-catching options who have caught fire in the postseason, Seattle will need to be on top of their game to stand a chance here.
No matter what the result of this game says, Macdonald as assured Seahawks fans that he knows how to build a behemoth of a defense, and that knowledge might be all it takes to keep Seattle competitive in an NFC that keeps improving by the year.