Just 48 hours after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, Mike Macdonald still hasn’t watched the tape of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory - and not because he’s too busy. No, the new head coach is savoring the moment.
“I think, honestly, if I watch it, I’ll be critical,” Macdonald told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Tuesday morning. “And I wanna just enjoy it without having to think about like, oh, we jacked that [play] up.”
That’s the mindset of a coach who knows he’ll dig into the details soon enough. But for now, he’s letting the win breathe - and after what the Seahawks put on display Sunday, who can blame him?
Witherspoon Wreaks Havoc
The Seahawks’ defense was the driving force behind their Super Bowl triumph, and one of the most disruptive pieces on the field was second-year cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Seattle dialed up pressure in a variety of ways, but it was Witherspoon’s blitzing that turned heads and turned the tide.
He finished the game with three quarterback pressures, a sack, and the hit that forced an errant throw from Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye - a throw that landed in the arms of Uchenna Nwosu, who took it to the house.
Macdonald peeled back the curtain on the defensive game plan, explaining that the pressure looks they used with Witherspoon were all different, even when they looked similar on the surface.
“We called that [blitz] twice and we called another pressure twice, but it’s all different. Those are all different plays,” Macdonald said.
“It just shows we probably should have pressured Spoon more throughout the season. I mean, he’s such a great blitzer.”
That’s high praise, and it’s backed up by the tape - or at least what we’ve seen of it. Macdonald noted that on the play where Witherspoon recorded his sack, the defense didn’t execute the call perfectly. But Witherspoon’s instincts and feel for the game made up for it.
“We kind of jacked that up a little bit, but he just kind of felt his way through,” Macdonald said. “That’s stuff that we just can’t teach - he’s just so great at it.”
Defense Sets the Tone
Seattle came one sack short of tying the Super Bowl record with six on the night, and it wasn’t just about pinning their ears back and hunting the quarterback. It was about setting the table - stopping the run, forcing second-and-longs, and creating favorable down-and-distance situations.
“We didn’t start the game out playing the run as good as we’ve had in some other games,” Macdonald admitted. “But there was no panic, and then we were able to get to some solutions and fixes pretty quickly.”
Once the Seahawks got the Patriots into second-and-7 or longer, it was game on. That’s when Seattle’s rush-and-cover philosophy came alive, and Maye never really found his footing.
Offensive Efficiency Without Flash
The Seahawks’ offense didn’t light up the scoreboard, but they stayed clean - zero turnovers for the fourth straight game - and leaned on the run game to move the chains and control the clock.
Kenneth Walker III was the workhorse, racking up 135 yards on the ground in a performance that was both punishing and patient. Macdonald credited the offensive staff for sticking to what worked and not overcomplicating things.
“How [the run game] went along throughout the game is a tribute to really what we’ve done all season,” he said. “Between how we ran it with our backs, but also how just the coaches were getting to the runs that we need to be able to without kind of messing around. Being decisive in that area was great.”
Macdonald also praised New England’s defense for attacking the football, but said Seattle’s ball security and finish were up to the challenge.
“I never felt like the ball was really in jeopardy, and that’s a credit to everybody.”
Special Teams: The Hidden Heroes
It’s not often special teams take center stage in a Super Bowl, but Seattle’s units were flat-out dominant.
Jason Myers drilled five field goals - a Super Bowl record - while Michael Dickson was a field position wizard, averaging nearly 48 yards per punt and pinning three inside the Patriots’ 10-yard line.
And then there was the coverage unit, which completely neutralized Marcus Jones, the most dangerous punt returner in the league. Jones, who came in averaging 14.3 yards per return for his career, managed just four yards on two returns.
“Our special teams was absolutely dynamite,” Macdonald said. “Our coverage units, they have to be the best in the league. The way we covered, the way [Dickson] punted the ball, was tremendous.”
Field position doesn’t always make headlines, but in a game of inches, it made a massive difference - and Macdonald knows it.
“Talk about stacking plays - that really helped the team.”
A Championship Blueprint
In the biggest game of the year, the Seahawks leaned on what got them there: a fast, aggressive defense, a smart and steady offense, and a special teams unit that flipped the field all night. And under Macdonald, they did it with poise, precision, and a clear identity.
He’ll get around to watching the film soon enough. But for now? He’s letting the moment sink in - and after a performance like that, he’s earned it.