Super Bowl LX: Seahawks MVP Kenneth Walker III powers offense to win Super Bowl MVP

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Seahawks went back to a different era in their 29-13 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Sunday. It was all about their defense and ground game.

Running back Kenneth Walker III wasn’t spectacular, but he was steady as he rolled up 135 yards on 27 carries and claimed MVP honors. That tied Thurman Thomas for eighth-most in a Super Bowl. Walker also caught two passes for 26 yards.

Walker nearly put himself among the all-time rushing performances with what would’ve been a 49-yard run late in the game, but that play was waved off because of a holding penalty.

The Seahawks needed Walker to carry the load in the playoffs after they lost running back Zach Charbonnet to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the divisional round, and he did. In their postseason victories over the 49ers, Rams and Patriots, Walker totaled 313 yards and four touchdowns.

Among the Seahawks’ running backs, Walker took all but two carries.

“That was incredible,” wide receiver Cooper Kupp said. “Him and Zach Charbonnet were an unbelievable 1-2 punch. For [Walker] to just shoulder the load and step up his game to another level, I was so proud of him. He’s so well-deserving of that.”

The Seahawks’ passing game struggled as quarterback Sam Darnold opened the game 6-for-17 before leveling out to finish 19-for-38 for 202 yards with a touchdown, but Walker got them moving enough to take an early lead. He had their two longest plays with runs of 29 and 30 yards in the second quarter as they took a 9-0 lead at halftime.

Urlacher endorses Williams

Few would be more qualified to make such a declaration, so it meant something when Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher certified Bears quarterback Caleb Williams as “a badass.”

Urlacher delighted in watching Williams propel the Bears to an NFC North title and a playoff victory, calling him “frickin’ phenomenal” ahead of Super Bowl LX, and believes the team found its franchise quarterback.

“He’s a badass,” Urlacher told the Sun-Times. “When things go bad, he’s at his best. When [stuff] breaks down, that dude shows up. He can make every throw, just like he said.

“I was just so impressed. Unbelievable, and I’m so excited for the future. He could be there the next 20 years. He should be.”

Falcons split with Pace

New management for the Falcons meant the ouster of former Bears general manager Ryan Pace. He was vice president of football operations and was fired by new president of football Matt Ryan and GM Ian Cunningham, NFL Network reported.

Pace, 48, got his first shot at being a general manager when the Bears hired him in 2015 after a long run as a Saints scout and executive. Both of his coaching hires, John Fox and Matt Nagy, were fired in four seasons or fewer. Both of his first-round picks at quarterback, Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields, failed to establish themselves and earn a second contract with the team.

The Bears went 48-65 with two playoff appearances under Pace (one for going 8-8 in 2020), and he left them in shambles when they fired him after the 2021 season. The only players left on the roster from the Pace era are tight end Cole Kmet, kicker Cairo Santos and cornerback Jaylon Johnson.

Mills sacks Maye

Seahawks defensive tackle Rylie Mills, a rookie who played at Lake Forest High School and Notre Dame, picked a tremendous time for his first NFL sack.

He dropped Patriots quarterback Drake Maye for a 10-yard loss in the second quarter as part of a sequence in which the Seahawks forced a punt after taking a 6-0 lead.

Mills was a fifth-round pick after tearing his ACL in the playoffs during his senior season with the Irish.

See you soon

The Bears are one of five teams that will face both Super Bowl LX participants next season. They will host the Patriots for the second time in three seasons and visit the Seahawks for the first time since 2021.

The last time the Bears played both Super Bowl teams from the previous season was in 2018, when they lost to the Patriots in the regular season and fell to the Eagles in the playoffs. The four AFC West teams also will face the Seahawks and Patriots next season, plus there will be a Super Bowl rematch in Seattle.