Seahawks Defense Still Feels Disrespected After Dominant Super Bowl Victory

DeMarcus Lawrence gave me a sideways look when I asked the question. Did the Seattle Seahawks really believe they could totally suffocate NFL MVP runner-up Drake Maye the way they did in one of the most dominant defensive performances in Super Bowl history? "Yes," Lawrence told me at his locker after Seattle dismantled the Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX. Care to expand? Lawrence paused for a beat, then the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end revealed how he thinks the league perceives his team’s defense. "We’re ‘The Dark Side,’" Lawrence said. "Ya’ll was able to witness it all year long, what we were able to do as a defense, as a unit. But I don’t feel like nobody still gave us that respect. When everybody’s in Cancun and nobody’s on TV to watch but the Hawks, that’s when you get to see a real show. "We proved it tonight." Lawrence has a point. Even though Seattle convincingly won the franchise's second NFL championship, the Seahawks didn't even open in Vegas as the favorites to win the NFC West next season. Seattle overwhelmed a New England offense led by experienced coordinator Josh McDaniels that seemed unprepared for the relentless pressure. The Seahawks sacked Maye six times and hit him 11 times. They forced three Maye turnovers, two interceptions and a Devon Witherspoon forced fumble that edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu returned 45 yards for a score. The Seahawks forced New England’s offense to punt eight times and kept the Patriots off the scoreboard for the first three quarters. Linebacker Ernest Jones IV took a break between puffs on a victory cigar in the locker room afterward. A Super Bowl champion as a rookie with the Los Angeles Rams five years earlier, Jones said this one means more because he now understands how hard it is to get here. Plus, Jones also said the victory helped him pay homage to his father, who passed away in July from cancer. Like Lawrence, Jones wasn't surprised by the result. "The way we play football is just different than what you can get from watching the film," Jones told me. "Once we get in front of your face, it’s a different ball game. I think we were able to do just that and get after [Maye]." The perception of disrespect was a familiar refrain from members of the Seahawks, including head coach Mike Macdonald, who said it’s time to put to rest the narrative that quarterback Sam Darnold is chasing a redemption story and doesn’t show up in big games. Darnold didn’t win the game with his play on Sunday, but he didn’t lose it either. He had a league-high 20 turnovers during the regular season but didn’t have any giveaways in the postseason. Darnold finished 19-of-38 for 202 yards on Sunday, with a 16-yard touchdown to tight end AJ Barner and no interceptions. Darnold became the first QB in NFL history to win more than 30 games in a two-season span with multiple different teams. "Sam doesn’t care about the obstacle," Macdonald said. "Everyone has made a narrative of this guy. They have tried to put a story and a label on who he is as a person and who he is as a quarterback. And he does not care. "He’s the same guy every day when he shows up. He’s so steadfast. He’s a great teammate. His teammates love him. All he’s done since he’s walked in the door has been a tremendous player for us, a tremendous leader." Darnold didn’t need to play at an elite level because running back Kenneth Walker III carried the offense, finishing with 135 yards on 27 carries to earn the Super Bowl MVP award. Walker is the first player to rush for at least 130 yards in a Super Bowl since Terrell Davis, the last running back to win MVP, finished with 157 in Super Bowl XXXII. And Walker’s father was on hand to watch his son play in person for the first time as a pro. "My dad comes to Seattle all the time to watch games, but he never comes [to the game] because he doesn’t like crowds," Walker said. "This is his first NFL game, and we won a Super Bowl, so it means a lot to me." Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year, said his team’s offense hits differently when Walker is leading them. "I’ve been saying it, you’ve got to respect the running game," Smith-Njigba told me. "Kenneth Walker is a special talent. You’ve got to respect it, and that’s what springs me open. We play off each other, and it was his night tonight." There's that word again. Whether it's on defense or offense, the Seahawks proved in Super Bowl LX that they deserve the entire league's respect.