3. Seahawks’ Running Game Impressed

The Seahawks relied on Russell Wilson to find the end-zone with his arm for all five of the team’s touchdowns in this matchup. However, he received genuine support from the running game when it came to moving the ball upfield, in addition to his own contributions in this area.

By the end of this game, the Seahawks managed to rack up 30 carries and 154 rushing yards. The leading rusher was Chris Carson, who contributed 72 yards to go along with Wilson’s 39 yards. To put it into perspective, Carson out-rushed the Patriots himself.

Meanwhile, Cam Newton didn’t receive much help in the rushing department from his supporting cast, especially when factoring in how he set the tone in goal-line situations. A grand total of 20 yards from the ground game were not gained by Newton.

It’s difficult to envision the Seahawks being able to pull out this win had the running game not been as sharp as it was. It gave the Patriots’ defense enough different looks to help set up some of the big plays Seattle made in the passing game.