"I've had (almost) two weeks to think about the matchups that will define Super Bowl LX. How will the Patriots try to cover Jaxon Smith-Njigba? How might the Seahawks attempt to block Milton Williams? But I've also had time to wonder whether individual matchups really do define Super Bowls. Are these big game-plan-heavy days really decided by one-on-one showdowns -- even as important as those individual players might be to their teams' success?"
"Probably not. From the outside looking in, we like to distill the unbelievably complex NFL discussions into easily digestible matchups. Will Christian Gonzalez cover Smith-Njigba perfectly for 100% of their matchups? Nope. So will Smith-Njigba win 100% of the routes? Nope. The Patriots are hoping to get it to 60-40 and then have that other 40% won by the pass rush or dumb luck (or just limited to shorter routes). The Seahawks, meanwhile, are hoping for their own 60-40, and to win the remaining 40%"
Two weeks provides extensive time to game-plan and to examine matchups for Super Bowl LX. Questions include how the Patriots will cover Jaxon Smith-Njigba and how the Seahawks will try to block Milton Williams. Individual matchups rarely produce perfect outcomes; teams aim for favorable splits such as 60-40 and rely on pass rush, scrambles, or luck to handle the rest. Matchups function as small advantages — "feathers on a scale" — each contributing to the final result. Five matchups are identified as the heaviest factors deciding Seahawks-Patriots, with a predicted direction for the scale. Gonzalez ranks among the league's top corners alongside a short list of peers.
Read at ESPN.com
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