Rushing Matchups
New England vs Seattle- Bad
TreVeyon Henderson's struggles continued against Denver and ultimately led to his being benched, as he was on the field for just 6% of snaps. While the bad weather did not help, the Patriots turned to the more reliable Rhamondre Stevenson, and Henderson's struggles have been evident throughout the playoffs. Averaging just 2.4 yards per carry and with minimal involvement in the passing game due to his lack of pass protection, he's mostly just a lottery ticket with the upside of an explosive run. Meanwhile, Stevenson is the far better pass blocker, which is a critical piece given the Patriots' inability to protect Drake Maye throughout the playoffs. While Stevenson has not been perfect throughout the playoffs, he's been the far more consistent running back on a down-to-down basis and is an excellent pass blocker, which has kept him on the field over 60% of snaps in every game throughout the playoffs.
Seattle's run defense has been one of the best throughout the 2025 season. No running back has topped 100 yards this season against the Seahawks, and only the game's elite running backs have topped 70 yards, as only Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey (once in three games), and Kyren Williams were able to do so, and it required 20+ carries for all but Williams. Seattle's defensive line simply overwhelms opponents as it is arguably the best unit in the NFL, led by two former All-Pros, DeMarcus Lawrence and Leonard Williams, alongside 2024 first-round pick Byron Murphy. Mike Macdonald has taken the Baltimore roster construction and brought it to Seattle, aiming to build an elite defensive line that enables undersized but athletic linebackers who may not be elite at shedding tackles but are excellent tacklers in open space. Ernest Jones IV is one of the most reliable tacklers in football, while Drake Thomas has had a career season after starting the season as the second-string linebacker, supplanting Tyrice Knight. Thomas is undersized at just 5'11 220 pounds, which ultimately led to him being undrafted, but he had 100 tackles in each of his final two seasons in college and has been extremely reliable for Seattle this season.
Seattle vs New England- Bad
