The New England Patriots are just hours away from their Super Bowl LX matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. The Patriots have defied the odds to make it this far, and if they're going to pull off the upset today, they'll need a few things to go their way.
Perhaps the most important key to success in the game will be New England finding a way to mitigate the impact of Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III. The good news for the Patriots is that they have one of the best run defenses in the NFL, led by a familiar force on their defensive line.
Milton Williams has been a revelation for the Patriots since signing a four-year, $104 million contract with the team in the offseason that made him the highest-paid player in franchise history.
Though he's missed a handful of games this season due to injury, when healthy, the Patriots' run defense has been nearly unstoppable. In fact, no running back has rushed for more than 53 yards in a game against the Patriots this year with Williams in the lineup (h/t Yahoo Sports).
If the Patriots are going to win their seventh Super Bowl in their storied history tonight, they're going to need Williams and the run defense to be at their best.
Milton Williams might be the key to the Patriots winning Super Bowl LX
Williams has helped anchor one of the better run defenses in football this season. The Patriots allowed just 1,729 rushing yards in 2025, ranking sixth among all defenses. Williams has been a big part of that.
The former Eagles standout finished the regular season with 3.5 sacks, 53 pressures, 20 run stops, 14 tackles for loss, and just three missed tackles in 12 games. He's been even more dominant this postseason.
Williams helped secure the Patriots a Wild Card Round victory over the Los Angeles Chargers with a two-sack performance, highlighted by a crucial sack on quarterback Justin Herbert late in the fourth quarter.
He followed that up with an eight-pressure performance two weeks later against Jarrett Stidham and the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. Williams is now set to appear in his third career Super Bowl at just 26 years old.
Walker has been hugely important to Seattle's success this season, especially as of late, following a season-ending torn ACL suffered by backfield-mate Zach Charbonnet.
The Michigan State product has been held under 50 rushing yards in just six of the 19 games he has played this season, including the postseason. He has been especially productive in the playoffs, totaling nearly 200 rushing yards and four touchdowns across two games.
The Patriots have a chance to make history tonight with their seventh Super Bowl victory, but if they’re going to get it done, they’ll need their run defense to show up. Thankfully, they have Milton Williams anchoring the middle of their defense.