Super Bowl 60 was an incredible event, complete with all of the pageantry, excitement and emotion that you would attach to the NFL's championship game. But it wasn't much of a contest as the Seattle Seahawks rolled to a 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots.
Seattle pretty much dominated from start to finish and New England were never really in this contest. There were plenty of standout performers for the Seahawks, but here are my five stars of Super Bowl 60.
Derick Hall – Outside Linebacker – Seattle Seahawks
The fact that Derick Hall, the edge rusher for the Seattle Seahawks, was one of the stars of Super Bowl 60, shows how deep and talented their number one ranked defense – coached by our very own British Super Bowl champion in Aden Durde - really is. As we went through Super Bowl week, many defenders' names were thrown around as the world's media discussed this big game, but you would have mentioned a lot of players and coaches before you ever got to Derick Hall. But he had two sacks, one fumble recovery, and was an integral part of a defense that absolutely harassed Drake Maye all day long.
Devon Witherspoon – Cornerback – Seattle Seahawks
Devon Witherspoon was another massive performer for the Seattle Seahawks. And while he did great work in the secondary, completely clamping down New England's receivers and tight ends, it was how he caught the eye in the backfield that really stood out. The Seahawks used Witherspoon very effectively on blitzes. He had one sack and would have had another had the touchdown return by Uchenna Nwosu not been ruled an interception. So, Witherspoon was a good part of the reason these Seahawks dominated this game. And as they went through the course of this game, Maye just got worse and worse. Don't be fooled by his late passing yardage. He looked out of his depth in this game and that's not a surprise given the quality of the Seahawks' defense, and in particular, their pass rush; recording six sacks and forcing three turnovers on the night.
Sam Darnold – Quarterback – Seattle Seahawks
This was by no means a classic game from Sam Darnold, but he played a clean contest and that was vital as New England failed to make any headway against that Seattle defense. Darnold was not going to give the Patriots a short field. His job was to stay out of trouble, manage the game and lead the offense to enough points to make the result stand up. He threw for 202 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions. He took very few risks with the ball. And after a regular season in which he turned the football over 20 times, more than any other player in the NFL, Darnold went through three playoff games without handing the ball to the opposition a single time. Seattle did not have a single turnover in three postseason contests. And while the numbers are not flashy, that's a major reason why they are Super Bowl champions today. They were able to play things close to their vest and allow the defense to hunt and win the game for them.
Kenneth Walker – Running Back – Seattle Seahawks
The fact that Seattle's dominance was spread across so many defenders meant no one from their defense was able to claim the Super Bowl MVP prize, so that award went to Kenneth Walker, the running back for the Seahawks. And to be fair, he was outstanding. He rushed for more than 100 yards, totaling 135 on the ground, the most rushing yards in a Super Bowl in 28 years. Walker was explosive, and while he didn't find the end zone due to a late holding penalty on what would have been a long run for a touchdown, he was very effective. He racked up 161 scrimmage yards, meaning he went over 100 scrimmage yards for the fourth game in a row. He provided the balance and the control that was needed for the Seahawks throughout the playoffs, and now he will go down in history as an MVP of a Super Bowl.
Jason Myers – Kicker – Seattle Seahawks
Jason Myers became the first kicker in NFL history to land five field goals in a Super Bowl, and that allowed Seattle to play a conservative, low-risk game. Even without finding the end zone, it felt like they were putting enough points on the board as they landed field goal after field goal. Even when they led by 12, Mike Macdonald started to give up on third downs, run the ball into the middle of the line, punt, and play defense. That's because he knew he had the number one unit in the league on that side of the ball, but he also had a kicker in Myers who was going to continue to keep ticking the scoreboard over. Myers was Mr Reliable for the Seahawks in Santa Clara.
Final Thought
So, as the curtain comes down on another NFL season, I can just personally reflect on an incredible journey across Europe and around America. To see so many games in person was a real privilege. I watched half the league play in person this year. That's a credit to what we're doing and how we're growing on Sky Sports, but also to the amount of international games we now get to enjoy on our own doorstep. So, I want to thank everyone who reads this column, everyone who watches on Sky Sports or listens to Inside the Huddle. I want to say thank you to you. What a season it was. Incredible turnarounds in Jacksonville, New England - going all the way to the Super Bowl - and Chicago. We had wild finishes. We had stars emerging and some incredible action on the field. We even had a granddad come out of retirement to play quarterback in the NFL! It really was an incredible ride, and I cannot wait to do it all again come September. Reynolds out!
