In Super Bowl LX, Mike Macdonald put on an absolute pressure clinic, specifically utilizing slot blitzes that the Patriots had no answers for.
This 3rd-and-9 on New England’s opening drive set the tone. Macdonald would bring a 5-man double-edge blitz that ultimately yielded a free rusher vs. a 6-man protection.
One key to this pressure was that the Seahawks had Dime personnel (6 DB’s) on the field, and that enabled them to have speed off of both edges. The presence of speed allowed them to hold their disguise until the last moment and blitz from distance.
First, take a look at this from the sideline angle. The Patriots motioned to a 3x1 formation. The Seahawks responded with a 2-shell look pre-snap (as they did for most of the night), 5 men on the line of scrimmage, Devon Witherspoon in the slot far away from the pressure look, and safety Nick Emmanwori lurking off the edge to the other side:
