The Seattle Seahawks put a beatdown on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, winning 29-13 in a game that never felt that close. The Seahawks defense was the story of the evening, with Sam Darnold's redemption and Mike Macdonald's crowning moment also making headlines.
For New England, it was a sobering comedown — a brutal end to an otherwise magical season. Let's dive into all the immediate takeaways and storylines.
Seahawks defense joins Legion of Boom in the history books
Seattle forced three turnovers and sacked Drake Maye six times (a seventh sack, which would've tied the Super Bowl record, was rescinded when a fumble was corrected into an interception on the scorecard). Seattle's first Super Bowl win 12 years ago was defined by the Legion of Boom, the most dominant, spirited defensive unit in recent memory. This Seahawks defense, the top-ranked group in the NFL this season, now joins the L.O.B. in the annals of NFL history.
Mike Vrabel and the Patriots built their identity around winning in the trenches, but Seattle dominated up front all night. Their pass rush overwhelmed the New England O-line, whether it was a sneaky blitz package or a straight four-man rush. The Patriots were able to pad their stats in the fourth quarter, but for 45 minutes of game time, the MVP runner-up and this New England offense could barely advance the football past midfield.
There are many special elements to this Seahawks victory, but when we look back on this game a decade from now, the first thing we'll discuss is the defense and how thoroughly it dismantled an upstart Patriots team.
Mike Macdonald joins the rank of elite NFL head coaches
Mike Macdonald is an NFL champion at 38 years old. The Seahawks' second-year head coach was asked to fill impossibly large shoes when Pete Carroll stepped away. Well, consider those shoes filled — with a chance to Macdonald to match and exceed Carroll's Seahawks legacy in the years to come.
Now, maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves. But with so much coaching turnover around the league, it's hard not to look at the Seahawks' situation with envy. Macdonald can coach for another 20, 30 years if he wants to. A marriage between coach and team almost never lasts that long. When it does, it normally means the back half of that tenure feels far less rosy than the first half. But the Seahawks have a gem. There are no two ways about it.
Macdonald is the mastermind behind the NFL's most suffocating, bludgeoning defense. He rallied the troops, put his stamp on an organization rich in history, and lifted Seattle out of the late-stage Carroll funk and back to the top of the league hierarchy. He won't be going anywhere in the near future. Seattle's got its guy.
Sam Darnold's comeback arc is complete
Sam Darnold was the No. 3 overall pick to the New York Jets back in 2018. Now, four teams and several personal transformations later, he's a Super Bowl chance. Darnold's narrative has shifted dramatically over the years — from Jets savior to all-time bust to a certified champion.
Darnold flamed out in New York. His next chapter in Carolina was similarly disappointing. It felt like the nail in the coffin. He was Brock Purdy's backup for a year in San Francisco. In Minnesota, he won 14 games and revived his career, only to crumble in the playoffs. Folks wondered aloud if Darnold was made of the right stuff. Did he possess the necessary poise to win on the grandest stage.
When the Seahawks inked Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract in free agency, the most common response was, "why did the Seahawks abandon Geno Smith?" Now we know why. Darnold threw for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns. He cut his sacks almost in half compared to a year ago. He forged an electric connection with Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Now, he's a Super Bowl champ.
This was not his greatest performance, but he did exactly what was needed. Darnold didn't make any back-breaking mistakes. He moved the chains, put Seattle in field goal position against a dominant Patriots pass rush, and now, his name is etched in the history books.
Kenneth Walker III is Super Bowl MVP — but how will we remember it?
Kenneth Walker III was named Super Bowl LX MVP after a dominant performance on the ground. In a game defined by two powerhouse defenses, Walker broke through and set up several scoring opportunities for Seattle. He registered 27 carries for 135 yards, averaging 5.0 yards per tote. He added 26 yards on two receptions, for good measure.
This was an undeniably dominant performance. Seattle's offense just does not create the separation it did without Walker's dirty work between the tackles. He deserves the MVP award. He 100 percent does.
That said... Seattle won the game on the strength of its defense. It's much harder to pick an individual "MVP" from such an interconnected, interdependent unit, but the Seahawks put Drake Maye in solitary confinement from the opening kick. The Patriots' defense mostly did its job against Seattle's offense, which didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter. Walker set up a bunch of field goals, basically.
Byron Murphy and Derick Hall both had two sacks. Josh Jobe was everywhere in the defensive backfield. Uchenna Nwosu had the game-sealing pick six. Ernest Jones led all defenders with 11 tackles. Who exactly "deserves" MVP more than Walker is up for debate. Maybe no one does. But Seattle's defense was the engine driving this win, for as awesome as Walker was.
Drake Maye wilts under the spotlight
Drake Maye's final stat line was much better than his actual performance: 240 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, one fumble. The Patriots put up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter in a comeback attempt that never really had legs. He also committed a couple back-breaking turnovers, including an interception that qualifies as one of the worst passes thrown all postseason.
Mike Tirico: "Cris, all of a sudden, there's a rhythm to the New England offense..."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 9, 2026
Cris Collinsworth: "[Drake Maye] is reading the defense now... a couple of the best plays that he's had so far..."
*Interception*
Collinsworth: "Ummmm, I've got nothing for you here." pic.twitter.com/AKlEONFhzy
This loss was not all Maye's fault. Josh McDaniels' game plan was atrocious, as was the pass protection from an inexperienced Patriots O-line. That said, under constant duress, Maye looked completely discombobulated. He was missing simple throws that he has made all season long. His decision-making was sped up, his run game was a mere footnote, and his feather-soft touch disappeared on football's grandest stage.
Maye was attempting to become the youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl at 23 years old. The record belongs to Tom Brady, who was 24. This was a lot of pressure on a second-year QB, and the circumstances never really favored Maye. He was also fighting through an injury, which surely did not help things.
That said, a lot of folks will reactively sell their Drake Maye stock. They shouldn't. That is way premature. He has such a long and fruitful career in front of him. But this was a truly abysmal performance, and if Maye cannot author a comeback narrative of his own in the years to come, folks will look back on this game with a melancholic sense of what could have been.