After nursing an injured groin for a month, the late announcement that safety Kam Chancellor would start may have been some gamesmanship on Pete Carroll’s part. To say the Patriots were unprepared for Kam would be a grave understatement. Having seen the Seahawks defense give up a hundred yard rusher to the Cardinals and the Saints, plus 128-yards to the Bills’ LeSean McCoy and Tyrod Taylor, whizkid offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels clearly thought LeGarrette Blount could exploit this soft run defensive. My, oh, my was he wrong. As a run defender, Kam is second to none as far as safeties are concerned, and the man was everything this defense had been missing. Mean and ferocious, fast and decisive, Kam pushed blockers back, broke free of their blocks, and was always there for the second effort.
While essential to Seattle’s run-stuffing effort, Kam’s pass coverage skills, in recent years, had come under fire, especially when tight ends were involved. Against Ron Gronkowski, Kam’s two goal line opportunities split the difference. The first time he was on Gronk, he drew a flag, but the second time, he held his ground in a way few defensive backs could duplicate. Instead of bouncing back like a pinball when Gronk went into him, Kam managed to jam Gronk and then hold that jam long enough to disturb the route.
