The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks are set to face off in this year’s Super Bowl. Many view it as one of the most underwhelming and least intriguing matchups in recent memory. The Patriots have been criticized all season for playing a historically easy schedule. That criticism has only intensified as they navigated their way through the AFC playoffs. Meanwhile, the Seahawks are widely viewed as the favorite. They boast the better overall roster and having overcome a much tougher path to reach this point.
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New England’s defense has been the driving force behind its postseason success. They are allowing just 8.6 points per game across three playoff contests. However, the offense has struggled mightily, averaging only 15.6 points per game. Quarterback Drake Maye’s level of play has dropped off precipitously compared to his regular-season performance. Maye is averaging a meager 177 passing yards per game and has thrown just four touchdowns while accounting for a combined nine interceptions and fumbles.
His play has declined with each advancing round. In the Wild Card round, Maye threw for 268 yards and one touchdown. But he also tossed one interception and fumbled twice. In the Divisional Round, he passed for 179 yards and three touchdowns, yet threw another interception and fumbled an alarming four times. The Conference Championship Game marked a new low, as Maye threw for only 86 yards and fumbled once again.
The stark contrast between his struggles and the dominance of the Patriots’ defense has drawn comparisons to the 2000 Baltimore Ravens’ Super Bowl run. That Ravens team featured a historically dominant defense and an offense led by Trent Dilfer. He’s often cited as one of the weakest quarterbacks to ever start for a Super Bowl–winning team. Dilfer and that roster have since become synonymous with the idea of a defense carrying a quarterback through the postseason.
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Notably, Maye’s postseason numbers are worse than Dilfer’s were during that 2000 run, which says a great deal about his current level of play. The task will not get any easier for Maye and the Patriots’ offense, as the Seahawks finished the regular season as the league’s top-ranked defense. Conversely, the challenge will be significantly greater for the New England defense as well. In the Conference Championship, the Patriots faced a backup quarterback who had not started a game in multiple years.
Then went up against two underwhelming offenses in the Chargers and Texans earlier in the playoffs. While Seattle’s offense was not elite during the regular season, it has looked sharp and explosive in its first two playoff games. Unless the Patriots’ defense can complete a historically dominant postseason run rarely seen in the modern NFL, it is likely that their dream season comes to an end against a deeper, more complete Seattle team on Sunday.
