{"id":121591,"date":"2026-02-05T10:20:37","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T15:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/?p=121591"},"modified":"2026-02-06T17:57:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T22:57:21","slug":"patriots-blitz-strategy-super-bowl-60-sam-darnold-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/analysis\/patriots-blitz-strategy-super-bowl-60-sam-darnold-pressure\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots&#8217; Blitz Strategy Could Decide Super Bowl 60 Outcome"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>This is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's Super Bowl 60 Report, a 50+ page analysis of Patriots vs. Seahawks that looks at the big game from every angle. Warren breaks down all the key matchups to give you an edge betting sides, totals, and props. The full report is available to subscribers, and you can get our Super Bowl Package for <strong>50% off using promo code <span style=\"color: #339966;\">SB60<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/superbowl-package\/?utm_source=site&utm_medium=article-text\"><em>Click here to learn more about our Super Bowl Package!<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In the playoffs, the Patriots have been downright nasty with aggression led by a high blitz rate.<\/p>\n<p>This wasn\u2019t the way it was for the Patriots all season.<\/p>\n<p>On the season, the Patriots\u2019 blitz rate was down at 27.4%, which ranked #14 in the NFL.<\/p>\n<p>And that was primarily because, over the first 8 weeks of the season, the Patriots\u2019 blitz rate was down at 22.7%, which ranked #23.<\/p>\n<p>However, from Week 9 to the end of the season, the Patriots\u2019 blitz rate increased to 32.1%, #5 highest in the NFL.<\/p>\n<p>In the playoffs, however, it\u2019s been on an entirely different level:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>41.3% blitz rate (#1)<\/li>\n<li>50.0% pressure rate (#1)<\/li>\n<li>22.3% hit rate (#1)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Patriots have been dialing up heat left and right, even on early downs.<\/p>\n<p>On early down dropbacks this postseason, their 42.4% blitz rate is #2, and their 48.2% early down pressure rate is, by far, #1 in the NFL.<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-shortcode\"><iframe title=\"Sam Darnold vs Patriots Blitz \u2014 The Pressure That Decides the Super Bowl\" width=\"1100\" height=\"619\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e7I-FIEVUUQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>This is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's Super Bowl 60 Report. The full 50+ page report is available to subscribers, and you can get our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/superbowl-package\/?utm_source=site&utm_medium=article-text\">Super Bowl Package<\/a> for <strong>50%\u00a0off using promo code <span style=\"color: #339966;\">SB60<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Plus: You'll get ALL of Warren Sharp's Super Bowl Betting Recommendations:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1.25+ Unit Plays: <strong>10-0<\/strong> (100%) YTD<\/li>\n<li>Best Bet for the Super Bowl: <strong>16-3<\/strong> (84%) YTD<\/li>\n<li>All Elevated Props: <strong>37-12<\/strong> (76%) YTD<\/li>\n<li>All Sides & Totals: <strong>27-11<\/strong> (71%) lifetime on Super Bowl plays<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A $100 bettor has won <strong>$13,069<\/strong> following Warren's betting recommendations this season. Join for $50 off <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/superbowl-package\/?utm_source=site&utm_medium=article-text\">HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t<div class='sfa-image-adds' style=\"margin-bottom: 20px;\">\n\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/newsletter\/'>\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Sharp-Football-Analysis-Newsletter-Ad.jpg\" class=\"attachment-size-full size-size-full\" alt=\"Sharp Football Analysis Newsletter\" \/>\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<p>How Sam Darnold handles the blitz and pressure that New England is looking to bring surely will go a long way to determining the outcome of this game, particularly if the Seahawks aren\u2019t able to run the ball as efficiently as they would like.<\/p>\n<p>The Seahawks have not played very many defenses this year that blitz at an above average rate.<\/p>\n<p>The NFL average blitz rate is 26%, and the Seahawks played only 5 games out of 19 total against teams that blitzed at a 27% rate or higher for the season:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">#1 Vikings (48%)<br \/>\n#2 Falcons (35%)<br \/>\n#5 Bucs (31%)<br \/>\n#7 Steelers (30%)<br \/>\n#12 Colts (28%)<\/p>\n<p>Minnesota, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis all blitzed Darnold at above average rates, while the Bucs went the opposite direction and blitzed at below average rates (24%).<\/p>\n<p>Darnold in those 5 games when blitzed:<\/p>\n<p>36 of 60 (60%), 8.1 Y\/A, 5:4 TD:INT, -0.01 EPA\/attempt, 52% success, 44% pressure rate, 9% sack rate<\/p>\n<p>Darnold in those 5 games when the defenses decided not to blitz:<\/p>\n<p>70 of 99 (71%), 8.1 Y\/A, 4:0 TD:INT, +0.27 EPA\/attempt, 52% success, 25% pressure rate, 3% sack rate<\/p>\n<p>Patriots de facto DC Zak Kuhr recently stated his blitz rates are on a matchup basis. As a result, he is trying not to tip his hand as to how he will approach this game with his blitz rate.<\/p>\n<p>Will it be #1 of all teams like it\u2019s been thus far in the postseason? Or will it be #23, as it was the first 8 weeks of the season?<\/p>\n<p>My guess is he will try to get pressure with four, and if that doesn\u2019t work, he\u2019ll go right back to blitzing in order to get pressure on Darnold.<\/p>\n<p>After all, Sam Darnold has some of the largest splits in the NFL with vs. without pressure of any quarterback.<\/p>\n<p>Out of 36 qualifying QBs with 200+ attempts this year, Darnold\u2019s ranks\u2026<\/p>\n<p>When kept clean:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">#7 EPA per attempt (+0.32)<br \/>\n#1 Y\/A (9.4)<br \/>\n#8 completion rate (75%)<br \/>\n#3 explosive gain rate 15+ yds (21%)<br \/>\n#15 INT rate (1.8%)<\/p>\n<p>But when pressured:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">#23 EPA per attempt (-0.40)<br \/>\n#12 Y\/A (6.5)<br \/>\n#10 completion rate (52%)<br \/>\n#18 explosive gain rate 15+ yds (14%)<br \/>\n#31 INT rate (5.6%)<\/p>\n<p>So, pressuring Darnold will be a priority for the Patriots. Will they need to blitz in order to record that pressure?<\/p>\n<p>If the Patriots decide they need to blitz, this is what Darnold has done against the blitz the entire season (not just against top blitz rate teams as split out above).<\/p>\n<p>When blitzed:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">#16 EPA per attempt (+0.08)<br \/>\n#5 Y\/A (8.9)<br \/>\n#23 completion rate (62%)<br \/>\n#9 explosive gain rate 15+ yds (20%)<br \/>\n#34 INT rate (4.8%)<\/p>\n<p>When not blitzed:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">#11 EPA per attempt (+0.07)<br \/>\n#3 Y\/A (8.3)<br \/>\n#6 completion rate (70%)<br \/>\n#7 explosive gain rate 15+ yds (19%)<br \/>\n#21 INT rate (2.1%)<\/p>\n<p>Darnold is worse when blitzed in completion rate and has a much higher interception rate. Most of the other stats are similar.<\/p>\n<p>The focus is recording pressure, where the splits are far more dramatic.<\/p>\n<p><em>This is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's Super Bowl 60 Report, a 50+ page analysis of Patriots vs. Seahawks that looks at the big game from every angle. Warren breaks down all the key matchups to give you an edge betting sides, totals, and props. The full report is available to subscribers, and you can get our Super Bowl Package for <strong>50% off using promo code <span style=\"color: #339966;\">SB60<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/superbowl-package\/?utm_source=site&utm_medium=article-text\"><em>Click here to learn more about our Super Bowl Package!<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\t<div class='sfa-image-adds' style=\"margin-bottom: 20px;\">\n\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/newsletter\/'>\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Sharp-Football-Analysis-Newsletter-Ad.jpg\" class=\"attachment-size-full size-size-full\" alt=\"Sharp Football Analysis Newsletter\" \/>\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is an excerpt from Warren Sharp&#8217;s Super Bowl 60  [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121703,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Patriots' Blitz Strategy Could Decide Super Bowl 60 Outcome","_seopress_titles_desc":"Patriots' 41.3% playoff blitz rate leads playoffs. How Sam Darnold handles New England's pressure will determine Super Bowl 60's outcome. Full breakdown inside.","_seopress_robots_index":"","mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[14],"class_list":["post-121591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","tag-articles"],"acf":[],"featured_image_urls":{"medium":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Patriots-Blitz-SB60-Preview-300x178.jpg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Patriots-Blitz-SB60-Preview-150x150.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Patriots-Blitz-SB60-Preview-768x455.jpg","custom-size":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Patriots-Blitz-SB60-Preview-694x580.jpg","custom-size-content":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Patriots-Blitz-SB60-Preview-300x300.jpg","podcast-custom-size":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Patriots-Blitz-SB60-Preview-350x350.jpg","homecustom-size-content":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Patriots-Blitz-SB60-Preview-500x500.jpg","viz-thumb":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Patriots-Blitz-SB60-Preview-255x140.jpg","amp-wp-small":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Patriots-Blitz-SB60-Preview-100x100.jpg","amp-wp-large":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Patriots-Blitz-SB60-Preview-738x430.jpg","amp-wp-normal":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Patriots-Blitz-SB60-Preview-230x160.jpg","blog-large":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Patriots-Blitz-SB60-Preview-669x272.jpg","blog-medium":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Patriots-Blitz-SB60-Preview-320x202.jpg","recent-posts":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Patriots-Blitz-SB60-Preview-700x441.jpg"},"appp_media":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121591"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121704,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121591\/revisions\/121704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}