Passing Matchups
New England vs Seattle- Neutral
Drake Maye's shoulder injury is largely just Super Bowl noise, as the quarterback was a full participant at Wednesday's practice and should be completely fine this week. How effective he will be will be another question heading into this game, as Maye has been a completely different quarterback throughout the playoffs compared to the regular season. Averaging just 6.9 yards per attempt compared to a regular season of 8.9, his completion percentage is down by almost 16% as he's completing just 55.8% of his passes in the postseason.
Sacks have also been a massive issue for New England, as Maye has been sacked five times in every game and is now facing one of the best pass rushes in the NFL in Seattle. The issue for New England is that they ultimately have not been able to protect their quarterback, and there is a clear lack of a number one receiver when they need to complete a pass, as Stefon Diggs' struggles continue, while Mack Hollins and Kayshon Boutte are both big-play receivers rather than reliable targets. Throughout the playoffs, Diggs is averaging just 6.6 yards per catch and has only one catch longer than 10 yards, which was a 14-yard completion. A key to this game could be whether New England can get Rhamondre Stevenson's receiving production back this week. Stevenson has been noticeably absent in the passing game throughout the playoffs, likely due to the offensive line's inability to protect Drake Maye, but he had been one of the most productive receivers over the second half of the year for New England.
The Seahawks' secondary is a big question heading into this game. If you look at their second-half performances, they've been dominant against everyone except for Matthew Stafford, who threw for 457 yards and 374 yards while throwing for three touchdowns in each performance. However, if you look at their matchups, they've faced arguably the weakest schedule in the NFL since Week 10. Since Week 10, they've faced Jacoby Brissett, Matthew Stafford three times, Cam Ward, Max Brosmer, Kirk Cousins, Philip Rivers, Bryce Young, and Brock Purdy twice.
This defense has some holes that can be exploited, and the big issue the Seahawks may face is whether Nick Emmanwori misses this week after suffering an ankle injury in practice. While Devon Witherspoon is arguably the best corner in the NFL, neither Riq Woolen nor Josh Jobe has found any consistency on the other side of Witherspoon. Emmanwori has become their primary slot corner, which will thoroughly test his ankle, given the cuts required in that position. That could open opportunities for New England to try to play Stefon Diggs in the slot to test Emmanwori's mobility.
Seattle vs New England- Bad