02/10/26 05:31:00
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02/10 05:30 CST Seahawks' Super Bowl-winning 'Dark Side' defense: the new
'Legion of Boom'?
Seahawks' Super Bowl-winning 'Dark Side' defense: the new 'Legion of Boom'?
By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Pro Football Writer
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.
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.
Seattle's defense made sure it mattered not 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 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.
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.
All of which rendered debatable Collinsworth's pregame praise of McDaniels.
Asked about the redemptive arc of McDaniels' career --- dismissed in his second
season in Las Vegas just as he had been cut loose midseason by the Broncos in
2010 --- and the wonders he worked with Maye in their first year together,
Collinsworth said: "Yeah, I think he's brilliant. Honestly, if I had a football
team, and I know it hasn't always worked out, he would be one of my lead
candidates to be a head coach again. I know that will sound outrageous to some.
It doesn't to me."
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."
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