"SAN FRANCISCO Look, I know what you want. You want the Cinderella story. You want to talk yourself into Drake Maye, the second-year savior, rising from the 3-14 dumpster fire of yesteryear to hoist a Lombardi Trophy in the Bay. I also know what you don't want: The 49ers' top rival winning a title at Levi's Stadium. So I'm sorry, but I have bad news to deliver."
"While the betting public is busy romanticizing a tight game, the tape and the numbers suggest we're heading for a bloodbath. The Seattle Seahawks aren't just the better team; they are a defensive juggernaut the likes of which we haven't seen in a long, long time. The Patriots? They just don't stack up. Here is why the title is getting a one-way ticket to the Pacific Northwest."
Seattle's defense under head coach Mike Macdonald has become a historically dominant unit, capable of suffocating elite offenses and creating blowouts such as the 41-6 wild-card thumping of the 49ers. New England reached the Super Bowl after beating undermanned quarterbacks and offensively inept teams — Spencer Rattler, Cam Ward, a limited Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields, Connor Cook, Quinn Ewers, the Chargers, Texans, and a snowbound Denver starting Jared Stidham. Those wins concealed a weak schedule. The Patriots lack experience against top-tier defensive structure, while Seattle pairs its stingy defense with an offense that punishes mistakes, creating a highly unfavorable matchup for New England.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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