Nunnie on the Sideline

By Nunnie Robinson, WG Sports Editor

My lack of pregame enthusiasm for Super Bowl LX proved well founded, as the outcome merely confirmed Seattle’s clear superiority over a flawed Patriots team. The final 29–13 score was deceptively close, especially for anyone who didn’t watch live. In truth, the game was never in doubt.

Seattle jumped out to a commanding 12–0 lead behind four consecutive field goals by placekicker Jason Myers, who finished with a Super Bowl–record five. Two factors prevented a rout: the Seahawks’ inability to finish drives with touchdowns, and New England’s disciplined, aggressive defense, led by cornerback Christian Gonzalez, whose stellar coverage erased multiple scoring opportunities.

Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III rushed for well over 100 yards, running with grit, patience, and purpose. While quarterback play on both sides lacked fireworks, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was calm, calculated, and occasionally daring. The former Minnesota Vikings free agent who led the Vikings to 14 wins in 2024 played intelligent, turnover-free football, guiding Seattle to its second Super Bowl title.

Darnold’s journey is one of redemption. A former first-round pick out of USC, his early years with the New York Jets were marked by inconsistency and limited success. He later resurfaced as a backup in San Francisco before finally finding stability in Minnesota. When the Vikings chose to move on, placing their future in the hands of J.J. McCarthy, Seattle took a chance on Darnold and reaped the rewards in Super Bowl LX.

Darnold embodies the traits coaches value most: discipline, commitment, selflessness, and leadership. Most notably, he played mistake-free football throughout the playoffs no turnovers an astonishing contrast to the regular season, when he led the league with 20.

Predictably, analysts wasted no time criticizing Patriots quarterback Mark Maye, despite the fact that, in just his second season, he led New England to the Super Bowl. (If only we were so fortunate in Miami.) Much of Maye’s struggles should be placed at the feet of head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Both were fully aware of the Patriots’ vulnerable left side of the offensive line, yet made no meaningful adjustments such as adding tight-end protection to counter Seattle’s relentless pass rush and safety blitzes, known as the “Dark Side Defense.”

Quarterbacks improve when teams improve. Even Tom Brady the so-called GOAT would have wilted under that Seahawk siege. Maye, for all his struggles, is a far superior athlete.

Looking ahead, Baltimore and Buffalo appear to be early favorites in the AFC, while Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, and Green Bay loom as challengers to Seattle’s NFC supremacy.