The Seattle Seahawks defense took center stage in the 29‑13 win over the New England Patriots on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium, setting the tone early by holding the Patriots scoreless for most of the game and overwhelming New England’s offense with consistent pressure and turnovers.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was under siege throughout, as the Seahawks finished with six sacks and forced multiple takeaways that kept the Patriots off balance.
The defensive highlight was Uchenna Nwosu’s long interception return for a touchdown late in the game that helped seal the win for Seattle. After the loss, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t hold back his thoughts regarding what led to their loss to the Seahawks.
“We couldn’t gain any rhythm or field position,” Vrabel told reporters. “We’ve got to get into drives better offensively. Defensively, we’ve been really good against the run lately, and we weren’t. Again, we were just playing catch-up.”
Moreover, Vrabel zeroed in on the key reason for their loss.
“Unfortunately, I think the turnovers ultimately cost us,” Vrabel added. “I appreciate the way that the guys offensively battled, but just not enough consistent execution.”
Seahawks Defense Gets Praise for Performance Against Patriots
After the Seahawks raised the Lombardi Trophy, CBS Sports’ Patrick Peterson praised the Seattle defense, noting that New England had no answer for them, even though Vrabel says that the Seahawks win was because of the Patriots’ mistakes.
“It looked like the Seattle defensive line was too much for the offensive linemen that were protecting him for the most part, but Drake never seemed comfortable the entire game,” Peterson said on the Feb. 8 edition of CBS Sports HQ. “He had happy feet the entire game and wasn’t able to get his feet set and when young quarterbacks get hit early and often, their eyes tend to come down.”
Patriots’ Drake Maye Was Uncomfortable Against Seattle
Maye completed 27 of 43 passes for 295 passing yards. With the high number of pass attempts, the Seahawks’ defense took away the run game and forced Maye to beat them, limiting New England to 79 total rushing yards. Nonetheless, with the pass rush that Seattle was dialing up, the Patriots’ star couldn’t be comfortable throughout the game.
“[Maye didn’t] see the whole field or go throughout their progressions as they should, and that was some of the things that came to a head in this ball game here,” Peterson added. “He wasn’t able to be protected throughout this game, was never comfortable, and the receivers were not able to create any separation throughout this entire game.”
Furthermore, Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn’t hold back his thoughts on the Settle defense, who held the fort in the first half, limiting the Patriots to zero points through the first three quarters. Maye and Co. didn’t record their 13 points until the fourth quarter.
“Oh, man, those guys were ready,” Smith-Njigba said on NFL Network after the win. “They’ve been ready. It’s always fun to watch them. We know they’ve got our back. They’re the best in the world. We know we’re going to get opportunities to score, but it starts with defense, and defense wins championships, and we got one today.”
Mike Vrabel Doesn’t Hold Back After Patriots Lose to Seahawks