Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has revealed his team's biggest challenge is having too much time before their much-anticipated Super Bowl clash against the New England Patriots on Sunday.
The Seahawks finished as top seed in the NFC with a 14-3 regular-season record.
They then beat the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams to secure their spot at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
The Patriots, meanwhile, came through the AFC Championship game 10-7 against the Denver Broncos to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2019.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
They will be looking to deliver a record seventh title.
The last time the Seahawks reached the Super Bowl was in 2015, where they faced the Patriots with a now-infamous finale.
Trailing the New England Patriots 28-24 with 20 seconds remaining, the Seahawks had a 2nd-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
Instead of handing the ball to star running back Marshawn Lynch, quarterback Russell Wilson threw a quick slant intended for receiver Ricardo Lockette, which was intercepted by Patriots rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler to seal New England's victory.
Mike Macdonald has revealed his team's biggest challenge is having too much time before their much-anticipated Super Bowl clash
|GETTY
Tom Brady won the Super Bowl MVP and won the game 28-24.
Despite his side being seen as favourites to erase those painful memories, Macdonald feels that just focusing on what has got them this far is the best way through all of the pre-match hype.
He said: "I think the biggest challenge (is) we have too much time."
Quarterback Sam Darnold is fit from the left side strain he carried through the playoffs.
LATEST SPORT NEWS
The last time the Seahawks reached the Super Bowl was in 2015
|GETTY
Safety Nick Emmanwori is also expected to recover from a low ankle sprain picked up during Wednesday’s practice.
Macdonald added: "I think the important part is how well we can streamline it for our guys, make sure we are always in our wheelhouse about what we execute, what we do well.
"And when you have extra time, that is hard because we are trying to find solutions and try to find answers for our guys, but sometimes you have just got to shut up and let the guys go play.”
Macdonald, though, knows the Seahawks will have to make sure they can nullify the Patriots’ fluid offence driven by quarterback Drake Maye, who has returned to fitness following an injury to his right throwing shoulder.
Quarterback Sam Darnold is fit from the left side strain he carried through the playoffs
|GETTY
He told a press conference: "We have to play great football. They are a really good offence, really complementary.
"If you don’t force them to, they will run at every snap, so (we) have got to be able to control the game and put it in our terms.
"We drill the fundamentals of tackling and finishing every day.
"We do it as a team, we do it in our warm-up before games. It is part of our DNA and the guys take a lot of pride in it."
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter