Our Super Bowl faceoff is getting down to the wire! It’s the Seattle Seahawks, deep in the hole, getting blown out by the New England Patriots, as the fourth quarter clock winds down without a touchdown scored. That matchup at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, already has everybody buzzing. Fans are excited by the intensity and competitive spirit as well as the dazzling defensive skills on display from both teams.
With time failing quickly within the fourth quarter, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold led the Seahawks to an offensive burst. He deftly rolled to his right and hit running back Kenjon Barner, who was all alone in the end zone corner. This game-winning moment would be one of the few offensive highlights for Seattle’s offense, and even then it didn’t lead to any points. At the same time, Patriots cornerback J.C. Gonzalez personified a booming, swarming new force in football. He blanketed Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba and was a wall consistently forcing their offense backward all night.
As much as Seattle tried to get that momentum back, they could only muster one first down on their opening drive of the game. Yet the Seahawks’ offensive chances continued to be few and far between, ending in a field goal from kicker Jason Myers at the end of the second quarter. Myers’s successful kick increased the Patriots’ advantage to 9-0. This time became the second Super Bowl of all-time with no touchdowns scored for either team through the first three quarters.
In the third quarter, Seattle continued to have OP issues offensively, with QB Derek Maye forced to run for his life. He got sacked, leading to a fumble that Seattle was lucky enough to jump on deep inside New England territory. It wasn’t until the second half that the Seahawks’ running game started to heat up. Unfortunately, it was not able to turn those positive plays into scores. With 8:22 left in the half, Myers added a second field goal to extend the score to 12-0.
With time running down in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks have no margin for error. Do they have to produce a touchdown drive, or else bad things happen, including, worst case, an early exit from championship contention. On that note, Seattle had their running game’s potential on full display. They can’t quite get past New England’s hard-nosed defense which, unfortunately for them, saps their momentum.
