SANTA CLARA, Calif. — If the Bears and quarterback Caleb Williams are able to step into being a contender next season, the Seahawks’ defense will be waiting for them.
After what that unit did throughout the season and in Super Bowl LX on Sunday, that’s going to be a daunting prospect for every team in the NFL.
The Seahawks shut down the Patriots at nearly every turn to win 29-13, capture their second championship and avenge the ‘‘Legion of Boom’s’’ brutal loss to Tom Brady 11 years ago.
They threatened to deliver the first shutout in Super Bowl history, holding the Patriots scoreless until allowing two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. It was such a complete performance that it would have been difficult to single out one defensive player as the Super Bowl MVP, which went to running back Kenneth Walker III for rushing for 135 yards on 27 carries.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald’s defense ran the show, however, essentially sealing the game when safety Julian Love, who grew up in Logan Square and played at Nazareth Academy, intercepted a pass that quarterback Drake Maye sailed over the middle of the field as he desperately tried to give the Patriots a chance.
Love intercepted the ball with 8:37 left and returned it 35 yards into Patriots territory to set up a field goal that gave the Seahawks a commanding 22-7 lead.
‘‘I’d be kidding you if I said I didn’t dream of that in the backyard when I was 8 years old,’’ Love said. ‘‘To see that ball in the air, it was right to me. The only thing in my mind was just [to] catch it.’’
The Seahawks followed that with another takeaway when cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who played college ball at Illinois, hit Maye as he threw. The ball deflected to linebacker Uchenna Nwosu in the backfield, and he had a clear path to the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown return.
The game didn’t feature the star power or the thrills of recent Super Bowls, but the Seahawks don’t care. Everyone can call it boring while they party in the Bay Area and start designing championship rings.
The legends of the Seahawks’ previous era couldn’t help but love this defense. After allowing the fewest points in the league during the regular season, the Seahawks forced the Patriots to punt on their first eight possessions and didn’t let them cross the Seattle 40-yard line until Maye’s 24-yard pass to Mack Hollins with 12:35 left.
The Seahawks’ defensive line continued to be one of the most overwhelming forces in the NFL, pressuring Maye all game, sacking him six times and forcing him into three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble).
Love said he could tell the defense had control of the game midway through the first quarter.
‘‘It’s not necessarily we’re going to [win], but it was like, ‘OK, they have to earn each play,’ ’’ he said. ‘‘They were getting excited about a four- or five-yard run, and then we created a negative play the next play. It’s us lining up on defense and imposing our will.’’
Maye finished 27-for-43 for 295 yards with two touchdowns, but his 79.1 passer rating told a more accurate story. He maintained all week his throwing shoulder felt fine, despite an injury, then admitted after the game he received a painkiller shot before the game.
The only reason the Patriots didn’t punt a ninth consecutive time was because Seahawks pass rusher Derick Hall sacked Maye on third-and-five near midfield and defensive tackle Byron Murphy II recovered it at the Patriots’ 37 with 10 seconds left in the third quarter.
‘‘I didn’t know until I saw everyone in the end zone,’’ Hall said. ‘‘I was like, ‘What happened?’ Then I saw Murph had the ball.’’
It amused the Seahawks but devastated a Patriots offense that clawed all game to get something going.
The Seahawks turned that fumble recovery into a 16-yard touchdown pass from Sam Darnold to tight end AJ Barner for a 19-0 lead.
Maye answered with the pass to Hollins — the Patriots’ longest play of the game to that point — and went back to him for a 35-yard touchdown pass on the next play, but it was too late for a rally at that point.
Seahawks kicker Jason Myers was perfect, making all five of his field goals, including a pair of 41-yarders.
Throughout the Bears’ rebuild under general manager Ryan Poles the last four seasons, the challenge has been not only to solve all their problems but to outrace teams around the league trying to do the same. Rebuilding is a zero-sum competition.
The Seahawks went a combined 25-26 in the 2021-23 seasons before resetting by hiring McDonald in 2024, then signing Darnold going into this season.
Rebuild complete, no question.
Seeing how well the Seahawks played is a reminder to the Bears that, as exciting as their season was, their next step forward will be even harder. They’ve made progress, but there’s a lot to catch up to around the league, and the Seahawks might be a tough opponent to get past for years.
