The Super Bowl will feature a matchup of two of the NFL’s top quarterbacks in Sam Darnold and Drake Maye. As good as they are, though, this game could come down to the defenses, rather than the offenses. The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots could have a shootout; it could also be like the 2018 Super Bowl that ended 13-10 with minimal offense.
What Maye and Darnold are able to do in Super Bowl LX will entirely be up to how well the defenses prepare for each quarterback. With that, how should each look against the opposing defense? Mike Vrabel is a defensive maestro in the postseason and the Patriots Super Bowl run this year proves that. The Seahawks, well they just ran through the NFC West again to assert their dominance.
This matchup should be a good one and as exciting as Maye and Darnold are, it’s even more exciting to see how they’ll break through two of the best defenses this postseason.
Drake Maye vs. Seattle Seahawks defense
Maye has been one of the most consistent quarterbacks this year. Taking the AFC title game out of the equation with snow, altitude and an overall dud of a performance, Maye has been extremely efficient in both the regular season and postseason. Based on how he plays this year, Maye shouldn’t have much trouble against the Seahawks defense. He may struggle early on, but he’ll find his footing.
Maye vs. Seattle’s zone-heavy look
- Maye has 75 percent completion in zone coverage (No. 1 in NFL)
- Averages 9.2 yards per attempt (No. 1 in NFL)
- 110.2 passer rating (No. 1 in NFL)
Against the Los Angeles Rams, the Seahawks stayed true to their zone look and stayed away from base defense look. According to Seaside Joe, the Seahawks don’t tend to match personnel when offenses come out with formations with two tight ends or two backs in the backfield. Seattle likes to run nickel sets and don’t stray away from it.
Because of it, the Seahawks stay with zone coverage and two-high shell look for most of the game. In the first 14 weeks, the Seahawks ran nickel formations 79 percent of the time and then two-high shells on 76 percent of snaps.
I would expect Seattle to stick with what has worked, but also stick with the same approach against the Patriots as it did against the Rams because Stafford and Maybe have been the best quarterbacks in the NFL. It worked against the Rams, containing their offense so it could very well work against New England.
Maye vs. the blitz
- 1,491 passing yards against blitz (second most in NFL)
- 9.1 yards per attempt (No. 1 in NFL)
- 15 touchdowns passes/0 INTs
Seattle hasn’t been a blitz-crazed team so I don’t expect them to get away from generating organic pass rush pressure on Maye. Even if they were a blitz-heavy team, it wouldn’t be wise to send a lot of pressure at Maye because he’s been the NFL’s best at producing, even with extra pass rushers.
An early-season trend for the #Patriots: QB Drake Maye has seen zone coverage on 83.3% of his drop-backs, fifth-highest in the NFL, and over a 10% increase from his rookie season (71.2%).
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) September 16, 2025
Could be a small sample size alert, or defenses worrying about Maye scrambling vs. man.
You also have to take into account that Maye can be mobile. Running blitzes and man coverage against Maye will just allow him to hurt you as a runner. That said, because the Seahawks don’t blitz a lot, when they do dial up pressure, they tend to be extremely effective. According to The Athletic’s Robert Mays, Seattle has a -0.4 EPA/dropback when blitzing, which is second best in the NFL in the last five years.
Sam Darnold vs. New England Patriots defense
Sam Darnold played the best game of his NFL career against the LA Rams in the NFC title game and delivered Seattle a return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2013. There were a lot of questions about whether Darnold should be the guy and it’s clear the Seahawks were right to turn to him. Now he’ll have to survive one more defensive test for NFL supremacy.
Darnold vs. the blitz
Darnold has struggled against the blitz for much of the last two seasons, though toward the end of this year, he proved just how much he’s improved. It helps when he has a weapon like Jaxon Smith-Njigba that if he gets the right protection, he can throw a 50/50 ball up to. That said, his improvements in the blitz have stemmed from more than just JSN’s production.
The Seahawks haven’t lost since a Nov. 16 game against the LA Rams and soon after that loss, had to face the two blitz-heavy defenses in the NFL in the Minnesota Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons – Seattle beat Minnesota 26-0 and then Atlanta 37-9.
The Patriots aren’t as blitz heavy, but they do run a lot of man coverage. Against Denver, New England ran a lot of Cover 1 and while it may hesitate that with an elite receiver in JSN on the other side of the field, it could provide an interesting matchup between JSN and Christian Gonzalez.
New England doesn’t have that elite EDGE rusher, but they do have a good enough defensive line and coverage cornerbacks to take gambles. The Patriots will try to generate as much pressure as possible with tight coverage. If it works, it will be the difference, it not, JSN could have a big game and determine the outcomes.