The New England Patriots have exceeded expectations all year. Unfortunately, with the Super Bowl on the line, they finally met them: entering the game as underdogs against the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks, head coach Mike Vrabel’s team failed to beat both the odds and the opponent and was ultimately beaten pretty soundly with a final score of 29-13.
Although the final score was quite lopsided and the Patriots were uncompetitive for much of the evening, particularly on offense, not all performances contributed equally to the defeat. Our position by position breakdown of the game illustrates this.
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Super Bowl 60 Patriots Position Notes
Strategist: The Patriots’ offensive issues against the Seahawks extended beyond the quarterback position, but the fact of the matter is that Drake Maye didn’t play a particularly good game either. His accuracy was spotty at times, he made questionable decisions and seemed to force some throws he shouldn’t have, he rushed his progression and generally seemed uncomfortable operating behind a porous offensive line. He could have benefited from better support from his teammates and the coaching staff, no doubt, but ultimately it seemed like the lights might have been a little too bright for the second-year QB. | Grade: D
Returning: New England started the game with a pony look featuring Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, but didn’t return to it until later in the game. Most of the time the team operated with 11 people and with either Stevenson or Henderson on the field. And to their credit, both did what they could. There were no obvious lapses in pass protection – a particular concern with Henderson – and they had positive moments as both runners and receivers. That said, their total impact on the game has been limited, in part due to factors beyond their control. | Grade: B–
Wide Receiver: Let’s start with the positives. DeMario Douglas has continued to show that he has a natural talent for getting open and is well suited to the role he plays, even if it is limited in nature compared to those of the other wide receivers on the roster. Additionally, Mack Hollins had two big catches on the Patriots’ first touchdown of the fourth quarter, including a 35-yard score. However, like the rest of the receiving group, he was also unable to give Maye a consistent passing option downfield. Kayshon Boutte and Kyle Williams went quiet all day, while Stefon Diggs only caught one 5-yard pass before what was essentially garbage time. | Grade: C–
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Tight end: The Patriots used chips on occasion, but overall neither Hunter Henry nor Austin Hooper were too involved in pass protection. They were a bit more active in the running game, with 14 and 10 blocking snaps respectively, but again, that wasn’t a big factor. So what about the receiving game? The two combined to haul in five passes for 41 yards on a combined eight targets. While some of the misses came on Maye, Hooper also had a sloppy route when he had the space to exploit a sail concept in the fourth quarter. Overall, like the receivers, the tight ends haven’t made much of a difference. | Grade: D+
Offensive line: Two things may be true: The offensive line was seemingly left out in the cold, and they also played a poor game overall. The first problem stemmed from a surprising utilization of staff combined with a lack of timely, filtered, and misdirected pressure-relieving calls. The second problem was due to. Seattle’s defensive line only has serious guys capable of making life difficult time and time again for an offense. That’s precisely what happened, with the left side once again taking center stage: Will Campbell and Jared Wilson both struggled as the first rookie duo to start a Super Bowl at left tackle and left guard. That said, the rest of the lineup was only marginally better. | Grade: D–
Defensive line: Milton Williams pointed at himself and the defensive line as a whole as one of the main culprits in the Patriots’ defeat. But while it was true that the unit hadn’t played up to its capabilities in the running game and struggled to bring down Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, it was also still disruptive in all areas relative to the pass. Williams in particular collapsed the pocket on several occasions, although his finishing – he had one sack on six total pressures – left something to be desired. On this day, however, New England still pressured Sam Darnold on 45 percent of his dropbacks, with the Williams-led D-line responsible for several pressures. | Grade: B-
Linebacker: One of the Patriots’ worst performances of the season against the run wasn’t just due to breakdowns up front. The linebacker group has also been more hit or miss than usual, especially when it comes to filling gaps in the second level or defending the run horizontally. Pass coverage was slightly better, but Jack Gibbens also gave up the first touchdown of the game to Seahawks tight end AJ Barner and there were several missed tackles. None of these issues individually would have doomed New England, but with the margin for error being paper-thin, they contributed to the eventual defeat. | Grade: C+
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Cornerback: Christian Gonzalez is outstanding and locking him up long-term should be one of the Patriots’ priorities this offseason. He had three TD passes, gave up just one 16-yard catch and played a big role in making NFL Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba a near non-factor on the day. In short, he played at a level worthy of MVP consideration if his team had found a way to escape with the victory. Gonzalez was the most important, but not the only, piece of the puzzle that was New England’s cornerback group on Sunday. Carlton Davis was solid as a starter against him, while Marcus Jones played an overall solid game despite giving up ground early. | Grade: A
Security: Craig Woodson had his ups and downs this season, but the arrow continued to point upward and he played his best ball in the biggest game: The fourth-round pick was particularly effective in the run game’s downhill run. He wasn’t as effective in coverage, but still showed his potential as a primary defender on the game’s biggest stage. His running mate Jaylinn Hawkins was also pretty solid, even though he whiffed on one of his three tackle attempts that day. | Grade: A–
Special teams: New England’s coverage units held the Seahawks’ dangerous running back Rashid Shaheed in check throughout the day, but the field position battle was still won by Seattle. Not all of this was due to the Patriots’ own creations, but plays such as the punt that Marcus Jones let bounce only to see the ball end up at the 4-yard line didn’t make life any easier for the Patriots. Add to that the fact that they once again couldn’t do much in either the punt or kickoff return, and you have a performance that wasn’t good enough to complement the offense and defense. | Grade: C
Looking at the game as a whole, the Patriots had some chances to be competitive, but their overall consistency, especially on offense, just wasn’t Super Bowl caliber. Against an opponent as good as the Seahawks, this spelled doom for the AFC champions in the end.
How would you rate the Patriots’ performance against the Seahawks? Do you agree with our assessment? Are we too harsh on Drake Maye and the offense? Please head to the comments section to discuss.
