And when Kubiak dialed it up, Darnold delivered. JSN drew two defenders vertically, Shaheed’s YAC threat held intermediate zones, and Kupp won cleanly. Darnold placed a perfect strike to #10.

From the end-zone angle on Bradford’s lost rep, you can see how Darnold subtly slides, resets, and converts a first down that should have been negative yardage.

Miscommunication between Zabel and Sundell created what looked like a free sack. Darnold escaped, extended, and gained critical yards with his legs.

Another pass to JSN was thrown behind him and nearly intercepted after JSN won the stem against Gonzalez.

A quick pass to Kupp should have been placed further outside for run-after-catch opportunity.

Another late blitz from Witherspoon forced chaos — and eventually a defensive touchdown. A pick-six.

Notice the adjustment: when Spoon blitzed, Coby Bryant rotated down to protect the vacated zone, with inside support layered behind him. That’s coaching and communication.

The game plan clearly targeted Will Campbell (credited by PFF with eight pressures allowed). On one rep, only four rushed, with Boye Mafe dropping to the flat and Emmanwori/Jones handling hook zones. Witherspoon beat the left tackle with a violent swim move for pressure.

Seattle deployed dime personnel, essentially a Bandit package — six defenders on the line. Devon Witherspoon timed a late blitz perfectly, attacking just before the snap to prevent protection adjustments. Meanwhile, defensive tackles dropped into short zones, removing Maye’s quick outlets.

The Seahawks blanketed every option. Maye held the ball, and Byron Murphy closed the deal.

Drake Maye is awesome

That blend — vision, discipline, and burst — won him MVP.

His acceleration through the second level is different. Once he identifies the crease, he shifts gears immediately. Several runs ended only because the sideline intervened.

Patience doesn’t eliminate his explosiveness. It enhances it.

Again and again, Walker pressed the line, waited for daylight, then exploded through the crease between Grey Zabel and Sundell.

On a variation of pin-and-pull, Bradford struggled, and interior leakage forced Walker to adjust the designed aiming point. He bounced outside, maintained balance, and turned a potentially stuffed run into a significant gain.

Walker’s growth this season is obvious: patience. He no longer bounces runs at the first sign of congestion. On another play, he plants left, forcing the defender engaged with Sundell to shift gaps. That subtle hesitation creates a better blocking angle for the center.

Seattle leaned on split-zone concepts to attack the Patriots’ edges. Unlike the Rams game, Kubiak mixed tendencies well. On one key run, Walker patiently pressed the line, waited for Elijah Arroyo’s split-flow block to seal, then cut decisively.

Late in the game, Kubiak went ultra-heavy: two tight ends plus two extra offensive linemen (Olu Oluwatimi and Josh Jones). The formation itself stressed New England’s personnel. That drive likely ends in a touchdown if not for a Jalen Sundell holding penalty.

AJ Barner motions into the C-gap as if inserting into split-zone. The LB(#51) reacts aggressively before realizing it’s play-action. The Scissors concept develops behind him. Kupp (who later admitted he nearly ran the wrong route) clears space, and the TE walks into the end zone.

Against man coverage, Kubiak used bunch formations to create natural rubs and traffic. Jake Bobo and Rashid Shaheed’s routes weren’t primary targets — they were tools. Their stems protected Cooper Kupp’s release and forced defensive congestion, allowing the veteran to convert underneath.

Creativity showed up again when JSN exited under concussion protocol. Kubiak leaned into heavy personnel: two tight ends on the line, one in the backfield, one receiver outside. From that run-heavy look, he dialed up play-action flood and converted.

Great design to crat space for this screen against man coverage.

Anthony Bradford...

Darnold ultimately converted a first down to Ken Walker on one of those plays, but Rashid Shaheed was wide open for a touchdown at the top of the screen if protection held.

the left side of the line simply loses with power. The pocket collapses quickly. The offensive concept was designed to stress the outside corner vertically with layered routes. JSN won cleanly against #0 and had a clear path to six, but Darnold was forced to throw early because of interior push.

Darnold escaped and improvised. Had the offensive line held up for even half a second longer, that likely becomes a touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Rylie Mills, DL, #98

Great snap but seems that injuried his hamstring at the end

Rylie Mills, DL, #98

Quick swim move

Rylie Mills, DL, #98

Amazing SACK