Before, during, and after Super Bowl 60, one of the key storylines was the Seattle Seahawks’ defense and how New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye would handle it.
When it was all said and done, Maye didn’t have a good performance, and now a former NFL linebacker is even going so far as to say that the Seahawks’ defense had Maye “seeing ghosts.”
The Seahawks Relentlessly Pressured Drake Maye
Even if you’re a casual-viewing football fan, it doesn’t take a high level of knowledge to simply observe Super Bowl 60 and see that Maye struggled to get anything going against the Mike Macdonald-led Seahawks defense.
However, here are some numbers: According to ESPN, the Seahawks pressured Maye 19 times (tied for third-most in his career), sacked him 6 times (tied for career-high), and when pressured, he committed three turnovers (career-high).
This was a Seahawks defense that ranked third in PFSN’s Defense Impact metric with an 88.4 grade. Interestingly, the two teams ahead of the Seahawks in that metric were the Denver Broncos (90.1) and the Houston Texans (89.4), both of which Maye and the Patriots beat en route to Super Bowl 60.
That said, whether the crowd played a factor, as many eyewitnesses said favored the Seahawks, or, as former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho said, that Maye was seeing ghosts, he struggled, and the Patriots lost 29-13.
The Seahawks had Drake Maye seeing ghosts!!!! This tape is 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/KCErZft2JE
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) February 9, 2026
That phrase, “seeing ghosts,” was first used against Seahawks cornerback Sam Darnold, ironically, against the Patriots when he was with the New York Jets. In his breakdown, Acho said that the Seahawks’ game plan was “absolutely astounding.”
During his breakdown, Acho said the Seahawks emphasized getting pressure all game long. He even said that Patriots left tackle Will Campbell got “abused all night,” specifically shouting out No. 58, linebacker Derick Hall, on a play. For context, according to Next Gen Stats, Campbell allowed 14 pressures, the most allowed by any NFL player in a game this season.
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From there, he highlighted Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who, pre-snap, appeared to be in coverage, but just before the ball was snapped, moved over toward the defensive end to come off the edge and pressure Maye to the point of forcing him to roll to his right and throw the ball away.
He then showed another play with Witherspoon that led to one of the six sacks Maye recorded. The Seahawks’ defense held the Patriots scoreless for the first three quarters before Maye connected on two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. By that point, though, the game fell out of reach as Maye fumbled, threw two interceptions, and the Patriots converted just six of 15 first downs.
