The New England Patriots exceeded expectations all year. Unfortunately, with the Super Bowl on the line, they finally met them: entering the game as underdog to the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks, the team of head coach Mike Vrabel failed to beat both the odds and the opponent and was ultimately defeated quite soundly with a final score of 29-13.
While the final score was fairly lopsided and the Patriots uncompetitive for much of the night particularly on offense, not every performance contributed
equally to the defeat. Our position-by-position breakdown of the game illustrates this.
Patriots position grades from Super Bowl 60
Quarterback: The Patriots’ offensive issues against the Seahawks extended beyond the quarterback position, but the fact of the matter is that Drake Maye also did not play a particularly good game either. His accuracy was spotty at times, he made some questionable decisions and seemingly forced some throws he shouldn’t have, rushed through his progression, and generally looked uncomfortable operating behind a porous offensive line. He could have had better support from both his teammates and the coaching staff, no doubt, but ultimately it seemed that the lights might have just been a bit too bright for the second-year QB. | Grade: D
Running back: New England started the game with a pony look featuring both Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, but it only went back to it once later in the game. Mostly, the team operated out of 11-personnel and with either Stevenson or Henderson on the field. And to their credit, the two did what they could. There were no obvious lapses in pass protection — a concern particularly with Henderson — and they did have some positive moments both as runners and receivers. That said, their total impact on the game was, in part due to factors beyond their control, limited. | Grade: B–
Wide receiver: Let’s start with the positives. DeMario Douglas continued to show that he has a natural knack for getting open, and that he is well-suited for the role he is playing, even though it is limited in nature relative to those of other wide receivers on the roster. In addition, Mack Hollins had two big catches on the Patriots’ first touchdown drive of the fourth quarter, including a 35-yard score. However, like the rest of the receiving group, he also was not able to give Maye a consistent downfield passing option. Kayshon Boutte and Kyle Williams were quiet all day, while Stefon Diggs caught only one 5-yard pass before what was essentially garbage time. | Grade: C–
Tight end: The Patriots did use chips on occasion, but overall neither Hunter Henry nor Austin Hooper were overly involved in pass protection. They were a bit more active in the run game, with 14 and 10 run-blocking snaps, respectively, but again were not a big factor. So, how about the receiving game? The two combined to haul in five passes for 41 yards on eight combined targets. While some of the misfires were on Maye, Hooper also ran a sloppy route when he had space to operate a sail concept in the fourth quarter. In all, similar to the receivers, the tight ends failed to make much of a difference. | Grade: D+
Offensive line: Two things can be true: the offensive line was seemingly left hanging out to dry, and it also played a bad overall game across the board. The first issue stemmed from surprising personnel usage combined with a lack of quick, screen and misdirection calls aimed at reducing pressure. The second issue was due to the. Seattle defensive line just having some serious dudes capable of making life hard for an offense time and again. That is precisely what happened, with the left side once again being the main focus of attention: Will Campbell and Jared Wilson both had a rough go as the first rookie duo ever to start a Super Bowl at left tackle and left guard. That said, the rest of the line was only marginally better. | Grade: D–
Defensive line: Milton Williams pointed to himself and the defensive line as a whole as one of the leading culprits for the Patriots’ defeat. But while it was true that the unit did not play up to its capabilities in the running game and had a hard time getting Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker to the ground, it also was still disruptive across the board versus the pass. Williams in particular collapsed the pocket on multiple occasions, even though his finishing — he had one sack on six total pressures — left some to be desired. On the day, however, New England still pressured Sam Darnold on 45% of his dropbacks, with the Williams-led D-line responsible for several pressures. | Grade: B-
Linebacker: One of the Patriots’ worst performances of the season against the run was not just due to breakdowns up front. The linebacker group also was more hit-or-miss than usual, especially when it comes to filling gaps from the second level or defending the run horizontally. Pass coverage was marginally better, but Jack Gibbens also surrendered the game’s first touchdown to Seahawks tight end A.J. Barner and there were multiple missed tackles. None of those issues individually would have doomed New England, but with the margin for error being paper-thin they contributed to the eventual defeat. | Grade: C+
Cornerback: Christian Gonzalez is outstanding, and locking him up long-term should be one of the Patriots’ offseason priorities. He had three pass breakups, gave up only one 16-yard catch, and had a big hand in making NFL Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba a virtual non-factor on the day. In short, he played at a level worthy of MVP consideration had his team found a way to escape with the win. Gonzalez was the most prominent but not the only piece to the puzzle that was New England’s cornerback group on Sunday. Carlton Davis was solid as the starter opposite him, while Marcus Jones played a solid overall game despite giving up some ground early on. | Grade: A
Safety: Craig Woodson has had his ups and downs this season, but the arrow kept pointing up all the way and he played his best ball in the biggest game: the fourth-round draft pick was especially effective coming downhill in the run game. He was not quite as effective in coverage but still showed his potential as a cornerstone defender on the game’s biggest stage. Running mate Jaylinn Hawkins was mostly solid as well, even though he whiffed on one of his three tackle attempts on the day. | Grade: A–
Special teams: New England’s coverage units held dangerous Seahawks return man Rashid Shaheed in check throughout the day, but the field position battle was still won by Seattle. Not all of that was due to the Patriots’ own makings, but plays such as the punt that Marcus Jones let bounce only to see the ball end up on the 4-yard line did not make life any easier for the Patriots. Add the fact that they could again not get much going in either the punt or the kickoff return game, and you get a performance not good enough to complement the offense and defense. | Grade: C
Looking at the game as a whole, the Patriots did have some chances to be competitive but their overall consistency especially on offense was simply not Super Bowl-caliber. Against an opponent as good as the Seahawks, that spelled doom for the AFC champions when all was said and done.
How would you grade the Patriots’ performance against the Seahawks? Do you agree with our assessment? Are we too harsh on Drake Maye and the offense? Please head down to the comment section to discuss.
