Richard Sherman says “boring” Super Bowl talk is hurting the NFL

In the days following the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots, fans across social media as well as analysts on sports talk shows were calling it boring.

Former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman couldn’t agree less, and in fact argues that calling that kind of game boring is harming the league.

Sherman pushes back on “boring” Super Bowl narrative

On his podcast, the former Seahawks All-Pro pushed back hard against the idea that the Super Bowl was dull, arguing that the criticism misunderstands what actually happened on the field. And worse, it encourages the NFL to keep tilting the game further toward offense.

“After watching this game, people are like, ‘oh, this is so boring,‘” Sherman said. “It was not boring. It wasn’t a boring game.”

To Sherman, the matchup wasn’t lacking excitement. It was a case study in preparation, execution, and defensive dominance. Sherman framed the game as a contrast between two teams that entered the Super Bowl with very different levels of readiness.

“It was a team that was well coached and overly prepared for this moment, playing against a team that was less prepared, playing against a team that was not ready for the issues that they were going to have to deal with,” he explained.

Rather than sloppy play or conservative football, Sherman saw a Seahawks defense that identified weaknesses and relentlessly attacked them, which is exactly what championship teams are supposed to do. More than the reaction itself, Sherman is concerned about what that kind of reaction could lead to at the league level.

“I don’t like that narrative because it motivates the league to create more rules and things to help these offenses have success that they don’t deserve,” Sherman said.

From his perspective, complaints about low-scoring games pressure the NFL to continue adjusting rules in ways that limit defensive physicality and decision-making, changes he believes dilute the sport.

“This game is about running and hitting and being physical, being details like doing your job effectively,” he said. “And every time they make another route to handicap the defense and pump up the offense like you cheapen the game.”

Sherman also pushed back on the idea that fewer touchdowns automatically means worse football.

“I don’t like fans saying, oh man, it wasn’t no points and we didn’t see touchdowns and big plays,” he said. “You didn’t see sloppy defense. You see two well-coached defenses and offenses that were trying to manipulate them and trying to dictate the pace that could not.”

In Sherman’s view, the Patriots’ offensive struggles weren’t surprising.

“This New England Patriots offense has not been anything special during these playoffs,” he noted. “I didn’t expect them to be anything special this week.”

One of Sherman’s clearest arguments centered on how Seattle targeted New England’s vulnerabilities, particularly up front.

“When your first round pick, top four pick is a fish out there, they saw a weakness, an exploit,” Sherman said. “They isolated him versus multiple defenders.”

“If you feel a weakness, you see a weakness. That’s where you go,” he said. “It’s about winning the game.”

Sherman’s critique goes beyond one Super Bowl. It’s about what fans, and the league, choose to value. To him, a defensive masterclass isn’t something that needs to be fixed or apologized for. It’s proof that preparation, physicality, and execution are key.

“And that’s what the Seattle Seahawks did consistently,” Sherman said. “They prepared really well. And they showed up in the biggest moment in the biggest way.”

Sherman’s concern, essentially is that if dominance on defense is labeled “boring,” the NFL risks legislating away one of the sport’s most essential elements.

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