Maye Day vs. The Marlboro Man: A Tailgate Kings Super Bowl Preview
So, We Meet Again…
The last time the Patriots and Seahawks played in the Super Bowl, Marshawn Lynch was unstoppable, rushing for over 100 yards and a TD.
But on second and goal, less than a yard from the end zone, with 27 seconds left in the game and a time out to spare, Pete Carroll dialed up a doomed pass play.
Instead of handing the ball to Beast Mode for a game winning TD, Russell Wilson threw a pick, and the Pats won another Super Bowl.
On Sunday, when these franchises meet again, you can pretty much guarantee the game will be determined by another foolish turnover.
And that’s regardless of who wins.
Maye Day
Drake Maye had an easy year. New England drew the softest regular season schedule, only playing two teams with winning records (the Bills and the Steelers).
Including the playoffs, Maye has just six games against winning teams. And in those starts, he has four interceptions and seven fumbles to five TDs.
If you want a safe bet for Sunday, bet on a Maye turnover.
The Marlboro Man
Did you know that Sam Darnold’s maternal grandfather was a man named Dick Hammer—an actor and male model best known for being one of the original Marlboro Men?
It’s true! Dick Hammer also played basketball and volleyball at USC, and he played volleyball in the 1964 olympics.
This season, Sam the Man is smoking, just like grandpa.
But Darnold knows what it’s like to have the turnover monkey on your back. It’s a hard habit to break.
When he was with the Jets, Darnold threw four INTs in a single game against the Pats—the same Pats he’ll have to play Sunday—and a hot mic on the sideline caught him complaining that he was “seeing ghosts” out on the field.
Last year, Darnold almost vanquished those ghosts. He had an electric regular season with the Vikings… but then he looked lost again against the Rams in his first playoff game, taking 9 sacks while his team only put up 9 points.
Perhaps the third team’s a charm. He’s kept the ghosts at bay so far, through the regular season and playoffs, but with each game, the odds of a big mistake get better and better. It feels almost inevitable.
Everyone knows Darnold gets rattled, and if anyone can get to him, it’s Vrabel and the Patriots.
I hope Peyton Manning is texting him some advice on how to approach this one.
New HCs and Hot Ds
Mike MacDonald has been coaching the Seahawks for two seasons. Vrabel’s been with the Patriots for just one.
Talk about quick turnarounds.
If defense wins championships, this game may go to overtime. And the defensive plan for both teams will be similar: take away the run and make the QB beat you.
Darnold may be hot, but the Pats have a strong secondary and know better than to let Kenneth Walker III control the game and the clock. With Zach Charbonnet out, there’s no change of pace back for the Seabirds. Walker will be a workhorse, and there’s nothing a defensive minded coach like Vrabel likes more than knowing what’s coming next.
On the other side, the Seahawks D is in an enviable position. Drake Maye has been sacked 15 times this postseason. That’s not a fluke or a single bad game. He took five sacks in each of his three playoff games. He just loves to hold the ball.
The Seahawks rarely blitz, preferring to apply four man pressure and a execute suffocating coverage. This is where Seattle excels, and it’s where the Pats fate will be decided. If Maye can make a few plays with his legs early on, he might convince the Seahawks to give his scrambling abilities more attention, leading to downfield opportunities. But if he takes sacks and gives up turnovers like he has against other winning teams, he’ll be the one seeing ghosts.
It will be a spooky game either way.
Prediction
Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!
Give me the Marlboro man to win…. but I’ll take the Pats to cover. As of this writing, the spread is 4.5, which is too much if Maye uses his legs. These teams look a lot alike, but the Seahawks’ QB has a little more experience and their D a little more discipline.
Reverse the score of their last super bowl: Seattle 28, New England 24.