New England Patriots Team Grades: Seahawks' Goal-Line Stand Stops Patriots In Super Bowl Rematch
In an ironic twist of fate for the Super Bowl XLIX rematch between the Patriots and the Seahawks on Sunday night, the game once again came down to a last-minute, goal-line stand.
Except this time, it was the Patriots on the offensive side of the ball and the Seahawks trying desperately to stop Tom Brady and company from knotting up the game with a touchdown and a successful extra point.
As was the case in the Super Bowl two years ago, the defense won out.
While the offense of the Seahawks played well, it was their defense and the leg of Steven Hauschka, who pushed them to a 31-24 victory over the Patriots. And of course, that goal-line stand in the final 30 seconds didn't hurt matters either.
Here's how the Patriots graded out against the Seahawks on Sunday night.
Offense: C
One might look at the stat sheet and think the Patriots had a great night, but it wasn't very typical of what they normally do. Tom Brady completed 22-of-32 attempts for 316 yards, but not a single touchdown. He threw one interception and was sacked two times. Martellus Bennett led the Pats with seven receptions for 102 yards while Julian Edelman was right behind him with seven for 99.
The Seahawks were able to take Rob Gronkowski out of the game as he caught just three balls for 56 yards and he was on the end of the incomplete pass on fourth and goal that ended the game.
LeGarrette Blount rushed for 69 yards on 21 carries, which isn't a great average, but he picked up the offense where the passing game was lacking. Blount ended up in the end zone three times on the night and essentially kept the Patriots in the game with his legs.
Defense: C+
Russell Wilson was sacked three times, but that's about the only thing that worked defensively for the Patriots. The Seattle quarterback threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns on 25-of-37 passing. Tyler Lockett had 72 receiving yards while Doug Baldwin had 59 on six receptions and caught all three of Wilson's touchdown passes.
With Christine Michael still nursing a hamstring injury, it was evident that the Patriots had not fully prepared for his back-up, C.J. Prosise. After the final gun sounded, Prosise had racked up 153 total yards (66 rushing, 87 receiving) and the Pats simply had no answer for him as he helped the Seahawks control the ball for more than 30 minutes of game time.
Special Teams: C+
Things were done as they needed to be done by New England's special teams. Stephen Gostkowski hit his three extra point attempts and his lone 30-yard field goal.
The offense got a little bit of help from the return game as Cyrus Jones had a very good 43-yard kickoff return, but that was about it as far as return yardage on the night. Jones' fumble did not put him in the good graces of the coaching staff, even though the Patriots recovered.
Coaching: B
New England played their type of football game and were simply beaten. Tom Brady wasn't exactly 100 percent Brady, and that's obvious in the fact that he didn't throw a single touchdown pass. LeGarrette Blount tried to make up in the running game, but the defense of the Seahawks showed up in a big way, especially at the end of the game.
Up next:
The Pats will look to bounce back against the hapless 49ers next week. It probably won't be fun to be San Francisco facing an angry New England team in Week 11.
