itstargetnews
In a battle of two of the best defenses in the NFL, Seattle had a 9-0 lead after the first 30 minutes of the big game.
The Seattle Seahawks led the New England Patriots 9-0 at halftime of the Super Bowl.
Defense was the story of the first half. The Seahawks allowed just 51 total yards. Behind two big Seattle runs behind Kenneth Walker III, the ‘Hawks managed just 124 yards of offense. New England and Seattle combined for just five third-down conversions on 16 attempts in the game’s first 30 minutes.
A promising opening drive allowed Seattle to drive down to the Patriots’ 14 yard line, but New England’s defense caught a puck in the red zone and forced a field goal to put the Seahawks on top 3–0. Coming into this contest, the Pats had allowed their opponents to score touchdowns on 60.4% of their red zone drives.
On New England’s first possession, they nearly made it to the midfield point. However, third-year Seahawks linebacker Derrick Hall derailed that drive with a ten-yard sack of Drake Maye, which led to the game’s first punt.
The defensive battle continued for the remainder of the first frame. Three consecutive punts brought us to the end of quarter number one.
Once Seattle got the ball back in the second quarter, it turned into the Kenneth Walker III show. He broke off runs of 29 and 30 yards to get the Seahawks into the red zone. Once again, however, the Patriots’ defense did not budge and forced another field goal, giving Seattle a 6–0 lead. Walker had 100 scrimmage yards in the first half of the game.
After a proper punt return, Seattle regained control of the ball at their own 43 with 2:50 to go in the second quarter. The Seahawks put that drive to good use, methodically moving the ball down the field before scoring their third field goal of the game and a 9-0 lead at the break.
*Author’s Note: All information and statistics are tracked in real time and provided by the game’s broadcasters, NFL.com and ESPN.com*
