Why Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald quietly became the true MVP of Super Bowl LX with defensive brilliance

The Seattle Seahawks's Super Bowl LX victory was sealed on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium, where Seattle defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 to claim the second championship in franchise history.

Eleven years after a painful Super Bowl XLIX loss to the same opponent, the Seahawks flipped the script with authority, delivering a result shaped less by star quarterbacks and more by raw defensive force.This victory also halted New England’s pursuit of a record-breaking seventh Lombardi Trophy. Instead, it marked a moment of long-awaited redemption for Seattle, whose defense answered every lingering question about its place in NFL history.

What unfolded was not just a win, but a statement that defense, when designed and executed with clarity, can still rule the sport’s biggest stage.

Seattle Seahawks win Super Bowl LX: How the Dark Side Defense decided the title

Seattle arrived with purpose and identity. Branded as the Dark Side Defense, the unit entered Super Bowl LX determined to prove it belonged in the same conversation as the famed Legion of Boom. From the opening series, the Seahawks dictated terms, collapsing pockets, closing lanes, and forcing Patriots quarterback Drake Maye into rushed decisions all night.

The Seahawks came within one misstep of recording the first defensive shutout in Super Bowl history. That moment slipped away on a single breakdown, when cornerback Riq Woolen failed to read the play quickly enough, allowing Maye to connect for New England’s lone touchdown. It was the only crack in an otherwise relentless performance.

Pressure defined the evening. Outside linebacker Derick Hall sparked chaos with a strip sack, recovered by defensive tackle Byron Murphy II.

Later, Maye misread coverage again, throwing an interception to Julian Love on a deep cross where the safety never left his sightline. Devon Witherspoon added the defining exclamation point, forcing a strip sack that edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu returned 45 yards for a touchdown.Seattle finished with six sacks, eight tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits, and three turnovers. Those numbers told only part of the story.

The true architect was second-year head coach Mike Macdonald, whose defensive philosophy blended discipline with aggression. At just 38, Macdonald already looks like a defining defensive mind of his generation.This performance did not come out of nowhere. Seattle led the league in scoring defense during the regular season, allowed fewer than 92 rushing yards per game, and consistently suffocated opposing quarterbacks. On the sport’s biggest night, that identity reached its peak.