The Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots handily to win their second Super Bowl in a game that never seemed as close as the final score indicated. The Seahawks wasted no time getting off to an early lead, kicking a field goal in the first quarter after a lengthy drive. This had been the trend for Seattle throughout the NFL playoffs as they had spent fewer than five minutes trailing for the entire duration of the postseason.
The Patriots defense would proceed to tighten up a bit as cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones would make impressive plays. The Seahawks defense, however, would follow suit, limiting the Patriots on every given opportunity. Eventually, Seattle garnered some momentum, but once again they were unable to put the game away. At halftime the score was 9-0 in favor of the Seahawks, but neither team showed any consistency on offense and both Pro Bowl quarterbacks looked like shells of themselves. This made it the lowest scoring first half since the notorious 13-3 Patriots Rams matchup in Super Bowl LIII.
Despite this, the Seahawks had some impressive individual performances. Star cornerback Devon Witherspoon always seemed to get to the quarterback. Running back Kenneth Walker almost eclipsed the century mark in the first half, and special teamers Michael Dickson and Jason Myers proved to be models for consistency. The Seattle offensive line also did a solid job against a solid Patriots defense giving Sam Darnold some good opportunities.
The Super Bowl’s halftime show was technically a record breaker as it reached new heights in viewership numbers. Bad Bunny helped provide a sense of unity for the entirety of the American continent. Nearly every country in the Americas was given a shoutout as most flags were flown.
The second half of the game proved to be much more exciting than the first half as star Seattle kicker Jason Myers booted another field goal to make it a double-digit lead. In quarter four, the flood gates would open as both teams scored a whopping 30 combined points. Drake Maye threw for well over 200 yards breaking the Super Bowl record for pass yards in a quarter, yet his efforts still came well short. This was because Seattle had a defensive touchdown and started dominating on offense, ensuring the game was never in reach. Kenneth Walker’s performance was special as he had nearly 200 yards from scrimmage en route to becoming the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP in decades. Roanoke College was buzzing for the duration of the ballgame with multiple major watch parties going on across campus. Due to Roanoke’s diverse mix of backgrounds, some fans were left ecstatic while others were in tears.
Ruben Krishna
Staff Reporter
