Seven months after the Seattle Seahawks overwhelmed the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, Jon Gruden sees the same starting point for Mike Macdonald’s defense in Wednesday night’s rematch.
Gruden, previewing the NFL Kickoff Game, made Seattle’s first priority sound simple.
“I think the No. 1 objective is, ‘Let’s stop the run. We did in the Super Bowl.’ Kaboom! Caused some negative-yard stuffs and let’s get them behind in a down and distance. Let’s heat ’em up,” Gruden said in a post on X.
That approach fits the identity Seattle carried through its championship season. The Seahawks finished 2025 allowing an NFL-low 17.2 points per game and 3.7 yards per carry, while going the entire regular season without allowing a 100-yard rusher, per the team.
Gruden took the streak one step further entering Week 1, noting that Seattle has now gone 28 games without surrendering 100 rushing yards to one player.
Gruden Says Seahawks Must Force Patriots Behind Schedule
The Seahawks already showed what that formula can look like against Drake Maye.
Seattle beat New England 29-13 in Super Bowl LX after shutting the Patriots out for the first three quarters. The Seahawks sacked Maye six times and forced three turnovers, including Uchenna Nwosu’s fourth-quarter interception return for a touchdown.
Gruden’s point was that the pass rush becomes even more dangerous when Seattle wins early downs.
“They’ve got to contain the pocket,” Gruden said. “They’ve got to limit Drake Maye on the scramble plays. They’ve got to plaster on the backend in coverage.”
Maye’s legs are part of the issue. He rushed for 450 yards and eight touchdowns during the 2025 regular season and added 178 rushing yards in four postseason games, per Pro Football Reference.
The Patriots also had one of the NFL’s deeper rushing attacks last season. TreVeyon Henderson ran for 911 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie, while Rhamondre Stevenson added 603 yards and seven scores.
Henderson’s status, however, could affect how New England attacks Seattle. He didn’t participate in practices Sunday or Monday because of an ankle injury.
Seattle’s 28-Game Streak Meets New-Look Patriots
The biggest difference from February is waiting outside.
New England acquired A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles in June, giving Josh McDaniels a proven No. 1 receiver who can punish defenses when coverage gets stretched by the run game or Maye’s movement.
“He’s gonna try to put the ball in A.J. Brown’s hands a lot,” Gruden said of McDaniels.
Brown finished 2025 with 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns. The Patriots noted after acquiring him that the three-time Pro Bowler has topped 1,000 receiving yards in six of his seven NFL seasons, via the team’s announcement.
That puts another burden on a Seattle secondary that already played a central role in February’s win. Gruden’s “plaster” comment speaks to the challenge that if Maye escapes the initial rush, defensive backs have to stay connected to Brown and the rest of New England’s receivers long enough for Seattle’s pursuit to arrive.
The Seahawks have evidence their blueprint works. Their run defense consistently created unfavorable situations last season. And their pressure turned those situations into game-changing plays in the Super Bowl.
Wednesday’s question is whether the same structure holds against a Patriots offense with Brown in the mix and months to study what went wrong.
Super Bowl-Winning HC Reveals Seahawks’ ‘No. 1 Objective’ Before Patriots Rematch