The New England Patriots will have the opportunity to claim their seventh Super Bowl on Sunday after a seven-year hiatus. They'll face the NFC's premier squad in the Seattle Seahawks, and to little surprise, they're underdogs against the 14-3 NFC West champions by 4.5 points.
While the Drake Maye-led Patriots are a talented team, likely Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the league's best defense headline a more talented Seattle squad. A hallmark of Seattle's offense, aside from Smith-Njigba, has been the run game.
After hitting the 90-yard mark just once during his first 14 games, Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker has eclipsed that mark three times in the last five weeks. Zach Charbonnet's injury complicates things for Seattle's backfield, as Walker's 3.3 yards per carry last week was far from ideal.
Still, bottling the run will be a necessity for the Patriots' success on Sunday, and getting linebacker Robert Spillane back in the middle of their defense could be the X-factor.
Robert Spillane's status is massive for New England's Super Bowl hopes
The Patriots' run defense begins with their defensive tackle pairing, but Spillane is what holds the run force together. When the Patriots were missing him in Week 15 against Buffalo, James Cook ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns en route to a Bills win. That's telling, because the Patriots have won 13 consecutive games, including the playoffs, with Spillane in their starting lineup.
#Patriots LB Robert Spillane on his ankle injury:
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) February 3, 2026
“We’re recovering. We're getting better every day. We're on the right track where we need to be. And the goal is, obviously to go out there and be dominant.”
The Rams' defense features Nate Landman, an afterthought free agent who quickly became a captain and the team's leading tackler. While he's had a very solid season, he isn't on the level of Spillane. And the Rams' interior isn't as good as New England's. Nonetheless, they were able to hold Walker and Seattle's run game in check.
In games in which the Seahawks have a 100-yard rusher, they average 34.3 points per game and sport an undefeated 5-0 record; conversely, New England allowed just one 100-yard rusher with Spillane on the field this year.
Covering Smith-Njigba and avoiding turnovers will be key, but containing the Seahawks' run game will be massive in ensuring the Patriots are competitive in the Super Bowl. Spillane may be the key facet in containing Walker and Co.