A big reason the New England Patriots find themselves set to play the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX is the success of their pass rush, which leads the NFL in postseason sacks. Outside linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson has been helping spearhead the defensive unit in that department during the playoffs, with a team-high three sacks and 14 quarterback pressures, the second-highest total league wide.
K'Lavon Chaisson is 2nd in QB pressures this postseason with 14, per @NextGenStats.
— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) January 26, 2026
Chaisson and Milton Williams both have 6 quick pressures (less than 3 seconds), which leads the league.
After signing a one-year, $3 million pact with the Patriots back in March, Chaisson played well above the value of his deal during the regular season. The 20th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft recorded career-highs in sacks (7.5, second on the team), forced fumbles (two, first on the team), tackles for loss (10, tied for first on the team), quarterback pressures (23, tied for first on the team), and quarterback hits (18, second on the team).
He’s continued to come up big for New England during the team’s playoff run, especially with their regular season sack leader, Harold Landry III, dealing with a knee injury that caused him to miss the AFC Championship Game and play just 11 snaps during the Divisional Round.
The impact of Chaisson’s ability to disrupt opposing signal callers, even in Landry’s absence, was on full display when he laid a hit on Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud that forced an errant, arcing pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones, helping the team win their second postseason contest.
K'Lavon Chaisson could swing Super Bowl LX for the Patriots
Getting after Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold should be among New England’s top priorities going into Super Bowl LX. According to Pro Football Focus, Darnold has struggled this season while under duress, as they gave him a 49.3 grade when facing pressure which ranks 26th league-wide, as opposed to his 91.7 grade from clean pockets, the NFL’s sixth best mark.
In order to exploit this potential weakness, the Patriots will need Chaisson to make an impact during the Super Bowl, especially with Landry’s status for the big game still uncertain.
Darnold hasn’t had defenders in his face all that often this season, being hurried on only 34.5 percent of his drop-backs which is the 11th-lowest in the NFL. Applying pressure to Seattle’s two-time Pro Bowl signal caller could force a game changing miscue from a player New England fans fondly remember for “seeing ghosts” amid a four-interception performance against their team on Monday Night Football in 2019.
In the meantime, Chaisson is looking forward to what he calls “an exciting matchup” against Seattle’s “real challenging offense.” Though the sixth-year pro acknowledged he’s been playing well in the postseason, he gave much of the credit for that to his teammates.
"I think the defense, we’ve just been clicking and we’ve been all on the same page," Chaisson said. "I'm going to keep giving credit to the defensive backs … keep giving credit to my other linemen. … So, with everybody being on the same page, everybody continues to be confident in what we can build … I think a lot of the individual success comes from everybody, for sure."