Seahawks Defense Custom-Made to Neutralize Patriots Offense

The Seattle Seahawks defense isn't just an elite group—it also matches up perfectly with its Super Bowl opponent. 

When we start thinking about all the important pieces of the Super Bowl tale of the tape, our minds immediately go toward the quarterbacks: Tom Brady and Russell Wilson. Maybe we then go to Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch or New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. 

Thinking of the Seahawks, though, often involves more than just a passing glance at the incredible defense which has been the class of the league for some time. The Seahawks have found diamond after diamond in the rough and paired them with some of the very best at their position. 

Yet, it's not just the defensive superstars, such as cornerback Richard Sherman, who will make the Seahawks an absolute terror against the Patriots. Instead, it is almost as if head coach Pete Carroll and Co. have been preparing for this very moment. 

The Seahawks' Cover 3 Won't Give Patriots Receivers Much Room to Operate

In many ways, Carroll is the defensive equivalent of Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly on offense.

While some coaches dazzle with complex schemes that may complicate things for opponents or overcomplicate things for their own team, Carroll tends to emphasize simpler schemes with prototypical (or even ideal) players which are picture-perfect. It's similar to what Kelly does with his run-heavy, fast-paced offense and could be considered the opposite side of the same coin. 

I've often used the following analogy for Kelly's offense, and it fits here as well: Some chefs may want to wow diners with a dish made from umpteen different complex ingredients, but an equally impressive dish could come from just a few of the very best ingredients, deployed in the best way possible. 

The difference, then, is that rather than enjoying the feast, opponents have the Seahawks' incredibly creative defense shoved down their throat, choking to the tune of often struggling to reach even double-digit scoring totals. 

Bleacher Report's Matt Bowen explained the Cover 3 defense's simplicity in this way:

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Often thought of as a 'high school' defense due to the quarterback's ability to target the secondary with three-level concepts and inside seam routes, the Seattle Seahawks proved otherwise this past season as they leaned on the zone scheme as one of their core coverages on the way to a Super Bowl championship. ...

The Seahawks maximize their personnel in Cover 3 by aligning the cornerbacks in press looks outside of the numbers to pattern match any vertical release/stem.

Think of cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Byron Maxwell playing press-man technique at the line of scrimmage with the protection of free safety Earl Thomas in the deep middle of the field.

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Now, this matchup is not without positives for the Patriots as well, as Bowen noted:

Two of the best ways to beat the Cover 3 defense are with running back wheel routes and by winning matchups with one's tight ends. The Patriots are fantastic at both of those things, using running back Shane Vereen and Gronkowski, two of their best options in the passing game. Bowen provides a breakdown:

The issue for the Patriots, though, is that none of their receivers is going to win matchups on the outside. In the three-level concept that pushes the coverage down the field, opening things up for Vereen and Gronkowski, time is needed. 

That's the sort of time the Patriots likely won't have. 

Seattle Can Win at the Line, and That Could Mean a Patriots Loss

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

The Patriots offensive line has improved over the season, but it's still an awfully difficult matchup against a tough Seahawks defensive line. 

Guys such as defensive ends, Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril, and defensive tackles, such as Kevin Williams, have been doing this all season long, and they have done even better with the readdition of linebacker Bobby Wagner and strong safety Kam Chancellor. 

It's part of the delicate balance of the Seahawks defense, where the coverage helps the rush get that extra split second to turn a hurry into a sack, while the pressure of the defensive line also gives the defensive backfield chances at plays that might not otherwise exist. 

When a defense masters that dance, Brady often ends up getting trampled. 

This goes back to the original metaphor on simplicity and execution. The opposite ways of approaching defense are the complex blitzing schemes so hallowed by many defensive coordinators around the league—engineering pressure from the sidelines just as much as having it organically created on the field. 

When a team blitzes (as the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts were both forced to do to get pressure against the Patriots this offseason), few quarterbacks are more adept than Brady at diagnosing the type and direction of the pressure and then making the perfect throw to beat that pressure. 

Yet, when teams win man-on-man at the line and are allowed to not only commit extra defenders into coverage but also feel free to run complex coverages back there as well, disguising things like the Seahawks are wont to do, Brady can wilt like a hot-house violet in a New England winter. 

Remember the New York Giants in those couple of Super Bowls Brady couldn't win?

Now, the Seahawks' front four isn't quite on par with the Giants' NASCAR set; no one is saying that. However, the Seahawks are so much better elsewhere on defense than those Giants teams were that the clock will need to speed up for Brady, and that could mean an easy Patriots win. 

In an NFL where offense continues to evolve and dazzle, the Seahawks have created as tough a defensive matchup for the elite offenses in the league as possible. 

Michael Schottey is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report and an award-winning member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Find more of his stuff on his archive page and follow him on Twitter.