It's been seven months since Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. And with the season opener and an electric rematch just around the corner, it's the perfect time to look back on that game and dissect every matchup.
Looking at the stats, the Seahawks simply dominated this matchup. They had more first downs, yards of offense, sacks, takeaways, and time of possession, and fewer punts. To be fair, they did have more penalties (four to three).
However, as much as the Seahawks crushed their opposition this week, Christian Gonzalez clearly won his battle with Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Notably, that might be an entirely different situation when they meet again in Week 1.
The Seattle Seahawks should attack Christian Gonzalez in Week 1
Seven months ago, Gonzalez manhandled JSN and held him to one catch on two targets for 16 yards. It was JSN's worst game of the season, finishing with four catches overall and 27 yards, and one of just two times he had fewer than 70 receiving yards.
He had just three catches on four targets for 19 yards in the playoff win over the San Francisco 49ers, but he had one touchdown, and it's not like they needed him in a blowout. As for Gonzalez, he clearly got the best of him in this matchup.
Fast forward, and Gonzalez might have a different reason to be at his best again in Week 1, though his body may not cooperate. He just agreed to a contract extension and will likely be extra motivated to deliver an elite performance against the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, but Gonzalez is pretty banged up.
Gonzalez has barely practiced in training camp as he continues to battle a lingering hamstring injury. Even if the Patriots held out their starters from all preseason games, Gonzalez didn't even get many reps in joint practices. He's rusty, and with lingering soft-tissue injuries, he might not be as mobile.
Just like the Patriots emphasized neutralizing Smith-Njigba in the biggest game of the season, new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury might be obsessively trying to figure out ways to help his star pass catcher win his matchup and make a statement against one of the league's rising stars.
Also, Kenneth Walker III isn't there anymore, but the Patriots will most likely focus on shutting down the run after getting absolutely crushed on the ground in the Super Bowl. That should only open up more lanes for big throws and for Smith-Njigba to be more of a factor.
Now that Gonzalez has been extended, his head should be fully in the game. Still, good luck keeping up with JSN with a bad hamstring, little to no practice, and seven months' worth of rust.
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