Seahawks Followed Successful Super Bowl Formula in Win Over Patriots

Control the tempo via the run, and avoid mistakes as much as possible. That’s sometimes easier said than done when it comes to the game of football, but more times than not it adds up to victory. It’s something that the Seattle Seahawks managed to do against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. Those are big reasons why head coach Mike Macdonald hoisted a Lombardi Trophy on Sunday evening in Santa Clara.

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) runs against the New England Patriots during the second quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In a 29-13 win over Mike Vrabel’s club, the Seahawks totaled 32 running plays to the Patriots’ 18 attempts. Led by Super Bowl LX Most Valuable Player Kenneth Walker III, Seattle outgained New England on the ground by 62 yards (141-79).

As was the case for Macdonald’s team in the playoff wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, the ‘Hawks played turnover-free football. Meanwhile, Seattle’s defense was all over Patriots’ second-year quarterback Drake Maye. He was sacked six times and lost a fumble. Maye served up a pair of interceptions, both in the fourth quarter. The second pick was returned 45 yards for a touchdown by Seahawks’ pass rusher Uchenna Nwosu. All three turnovers came in the second half.

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Hence, Macdonald’s squad executed to near perfection and added to some already-impressive numbers. There have now been 60 Super Bowls. The team that finished with the most rushing yards owns a 45-14 win-loss record. That’s a winning percentage of .763. The club that wound up with the most running plays by game’s end has a .84 winning percentage on Super Sunday (49-9).

Finally, winning the turnover battle has been huge on Super Sunday. In the 47 instances in which one team has totaled fewer miscues than others, that club has prevailed 41 times—an imposing .872 winning percentage.

That turnover number can’t be underestimated. The 60 Super Bowl champions gave up the ball a combined 67 times. The 60 teams that fell short of victory teamed for a mind-boggling 172 turnovers.

Kudos to the Seahawks, Walker, and much-maligned quarterback Sam Darnold. Only the Minnesota Vikings (30) turned over the ball more during the regular season than the Seahawks (28), and Darnold had 20 of those miscues. However, Macdonald’s champions played turnover-free football in all three postseason victories.

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