How Patriots Could Turn the Tables Based on one Seahawks Weakness

Super Bowl Sunday is finally here, which means it's time for the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots to put their chips in the middle of the table and stick to what they do best. The Seahawks do a lot of great things so efficiently, including mixing in a combination of run and deep passing plays, dominating the line of scrimmage defensively, and having special teams get into the game.

The Patriots have some strengths of their own, including one that could be a complete game-changer against the Seahawks. New England is proud of the defensive stars assembled through the draft or this past free agency. Two Patriots players who could turn the tables on the Seahawks are defensive end Milton Williams and defensive tackle Christian Barmore.

Both players have combined for four sacks and three tackles for loss in New England’s three postseason games played. During the regular season, they combined for 19 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for loss. Barmore and Williams are huge, but surprisingly athletic defensive linemen who can clog up running lanes along the line of scrimmage and crash into the opposing backfield often.

Williams was a game-wrecker for the Philadelphia Eagles in last year’s 40-22 dominating Super Bowl LVIX over the Kansas City Chiefs. The biggest reason was that the Chief had some instability along the offensive line. Williams had two sacks, two tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits.

Patriotsn defensive end Milton Williams rushing the quarterback in the Wild Card win over the Los Angeles Chargers. — Jan 11, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots defensive end Milton Williams (97) sacks Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) during the fourth quarter in an AFC Wild Card Round game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Seahawks don’t have many weaknesses, but there are still concerns about their interior offensive line. Rookie left guard Grey Zabel has become a reliable blocker from every angle late in the season, and center Jalen Sundell has been serviceable. One big area of concern, however, is the right guard position with Anthony Bradford.

As a whole, the Seahawks’ offensive line has played great and led the team to 11 scoring drives in just two playoff games. While Bradford has mostly played better, he still shows late starts in getting to the assigned defender in run-block schemes and lethargic traits that can get him beaten early in pass-protection.

Bradford has allowed one sack and seven quarterback pressures in the Seahawks’ two playoff games. The Seahawks don’t expect him to play perfectly but they need the line to be stable enough for running back Kenneth Walker III to consistently get good gains and to help set up the play-action passes.

If Williams and Barmore are constantly blowing up the right side of the offensive line, it limits their running options. The Seahawks shouldn’t rely on the arm of quarterback Sam Darnold so often, especially if there are some blown coverage assignments. Darnold will need some time in the pocket to find the opportunity to throw the ball into a comfortable window for his pass-catchers.

Darnold has not turned the ball over since the 27-10 Week 17 road win over the Carolina Panthers. He has remarkable in leading the offense and getting the ball to his intended pass-catchers despite some pressure at times. Barmore and Williams are two players who can quickly disrupt the plays. The Seahawks need to limit these two players as non-factors.

More Seahawks on SI stories