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Undeterred by all the rules favoring the offense and quarterbacks bringing more athleticism than ever to the field, the Seattle Seahawks verified that defense can still dominate the NFL in 2026.
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: Devon Witherspoon #21 of the Seattle Seahawks forces a fumble against Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, … (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Seattle’s Mike Macdonald became the first head coach to win a Super Bowl as his team’s primary defensive play caller when the Seahawks topped the New England Patriots 29-13 on Sunday, a triumph fueled by their "Dark Side" defense — the worthy successor to the "Legion of Boom" that brought home their first Lombardi Trophy 12 years earlier.
It may not be a one-off, either.
Three teams shifted toward defensive-minded leadership this coaching cycle with a trio of defensive coordinators getting head coaching jobs.
The Tennessee Titans hired former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who used to coach the New York Jets. The Miami Dolphins hired Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and the Baltimore Ravens turned to Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
Macdonald, 38, who served as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator for two years before replacing Pete Carroll in Seattle two years ago, is the first head coach with primarily defensive roots to lift the Lombardi Trophy since Bill Belichick following the 2018 season.
Macdonald’s defense dominated the Super Bowl from the start and held the Patriots out of the end zone until the fourth quarter. The Seahawks sacked Drake Maye six times and forced him into a pair of costly turnovers they turned into 14 points. They had three takeaways overall.
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Seattle’s defense made sure it didn’t matter that Sam Darnold only threw for one touchdown and couldn’t do much in the red zone.
"It’s insane, man," Seattle linebacker Ernest Jones IV said. "I’ve never been around a bunch of guys where literally nobody thought it was a Super Bowl. It was just our next game, and that’s how we approached it. And defensively, we came out and said it early in the year: To win the Super Bowl, it was going to be on our backs, so like I said, I’ll be damned if we get one game away and this defense doesn’t show up like we’re supposed to."
In the lead-up to the Super Bowl, NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth had high praise for Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who stewarded Maye into an MVP-worthy season and helped him navigate a 10-7 win at snowy Denver in the AFC championship despite throwing for just 86 yards.
This was McDaniels’ 10th Super Bowl as an assistant — and it turned out to be his worst. He never took the pressure off Maye, who had a painkilling injection in his throwing shoulder before the game and was hounded relentlessly throughout.
Maye conquered three top-5 defenses on his way to the Super Bowl in his second season, but he wasn’t up to the task against the Seahawks, who sported the NFL’s top-ranked scoring defense.
"We got to be better with the football and make better decisions and I got to make better throws when the game goes like that," Maye said. "I got to make some throws to help us move the football."
And McDaniels needed to adjust way quicker than he did. Through three quarters, the Patriots had nine punts, five three-and-outs and just 78 yards of offense.
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McDaniels never protected his young QB by calling for more handoffs or quick screens, even though rookie left tackle Will Campbell — the fourth overall pick out of LSU in last year’s NFL draft — allowed a whopping 14 pressures in the Super Bowl.
Given how the Super Bowl played out, there are two other former Broncos head coaches who probably deserve another shot at being a head coach before McDaniels: Vic Fangio and Vance Joseph.
Fangio, Philadelphia’s defensive coordinator, helped the Eagles win last year’s Super Bowl by throttling Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22.
Joseph, Denver’s defensive coordinator, has seen his stock rise by leading a unit that’s collected an NFL-high 141 sacks over the last two years, including the playoffs. He interviewed with the Raiders, Cardinals, Titans, Falcons, Ravens and Giants this cycle but didn’t get that coveted second chance this year.
Other defensive play-callers who might find their phones ringing a year from now, especially if another Super Bowl is dominated by defense like this one was, include Chris Shula of the Rams, Brian Flores of the Vikings and Anthony Campanile of the Jaguars.
Seattle’s dominance Sunday raised the question about where the "Dark Side" ranks among all-time great defenses. Right next to the "Legion of Boom," maybe?
"I know we’re the best defense this year," said Seattle cornerback Devon Witherspoon, "and that’s all that matters."
The Source: Information in this story comes from the Associated Press NFL.
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