Seattle Seahawks Shut Down New England Patriots in 29-13 Final to Win Super Bowl LX
In the biggest game of the NFL season, the Seattle Seahawks thoroughly outclassed the New England Patriots in a defensive battle to win Super Bowl LX and clinch their 2nd Lombardi trophy in franchise history.
Seahawks Vaunted Defense Sets the Tone and Seals the Deal
There is perhaps only a handful of dominant defensive performances that have powered teams to a Super Bowl victory ever, and in the Seahawks case, they own at least two of those kinds of games on the biggest stage. Following in the footsteps of the legendary “Legion of Boom” defense that won Seattle its first-ever Super Bowl over 12 years ago, this season’s Seahawks defense aptly nicknamed “The Darkside”, put on a similar performance tonight.
Seattle’s defense relentlessly swarmed Patriots star QB Drake Maye all game, as they recorded over 6 sacks and forced 3 turnovers, which included a 45-yard pick-six by Seahawks linebacker, Uchenna Nwosu, to put Seattle up 29-7 with 4:27 left in the 4th quarter. Much of the defensive gameplan by Seattle came to fruition early on in the game, as they held New England to just 52 yards of offense in the first half. The Patriots would end the night just 6 for 15 on third down conversions, their single worst mark in a game this season.
Seahawks Offense Does Just Enough to Win
While the Seahawks’ defense was busy pestering the Patriots’ offense all night, their offense was struggling against the Patriots’ stout defense as well. Thankfully for Seattle, they have running back Kenneth Walker III on their team, who capped off his tremendous postseason with an MVP performance tonight. Walker III would gash the Patriots’ top 10 rush defense for over 135 yards on the ground as he accounted for nearly half of Seattle’s total yards on offense. Walker III’s 135 rushing yards rank as the 4th-most in Super Bowl history
After taking home this year’s Super Bowl MVP, Walker III became just the 8th running back in NFL history to win the prestigious award, joining an exclusive list that includes Hall of Fame backs such as Emmitt Smith and Terrell Davis. The Seahawks would have to heavily rely on Walker III’s legs, as the passing game could not find its footing for the majority of the game.
Seahawks star QB Sam Darnold would go 19 for 38 with 202 yards and 2 touchdowns in his worst outing this postseason. Much of Darnold’s struggles stemmed from being unable to get the ball to his favorite receiving target in Jaxson Smith-Njigba, who met his match out on the perimeter tonight. The 2025 NFL Offensive Player of the Year finished with just 4 catches for 27 yards, as the Patriots’ top cornerback, Christian Gonzalez, thoroughly shut down the superstar receiver.
Super Bowl Stage Proves to be too Much for Drake Maye
After putting together a stellar 2025 season that saw Maye come within one vote of the NFL MVP award on Thursday, it was a performance to forget for the Patriots’ budding young superstar. Despite throwing for over 295 yards and 2 touchdowns, Maye struggled with both his accuracy and ability to quickly decipher the Seahawks’ defense throughout the game, as he missed on numerous throws that would’ve broken open the game for New England.
Much of Maye’s struggles can be laid upon the feet of his offensive line and the Patriots’ poor rushing attack. New England would only manage to rush for 79 yards on the ground, with Maye being the leading rusher for the Patriots with 37 yards. The Patriots’ offensive line had struggled mightily coming into the game, as they had given up 15 sacks through their first 3 playoff games. That bad play by the offensive line would also net them a very much unwanted NFL record, as they surpassed the 2022 Cincinnati Bengals for the most sacks given up in a single postseason at 21 tonight.
Seahawks Return to Glory Could Signal the Rise of a New Dynasty
Although tonight’s Super Bowl win doesn’t quite fit the definition of a dynasty, as it’s only Seattle’s first time hoisting the trophy in 12 years, the foundation of a future one is firmly in place now. Much of that is due in part to the youth of the Seahawks roster, as they rank as the 4th-youngest team in the league. Seattle is also one of the more financially flexible teams heading into the 2026 offseason, as they currently possess over $73.3 million in cap space.
That level of financial flexibility, combined with youth, provides two distinct advantages for the Seahawks. These advantages are rooted in their ability to keep the core of their defense on rookie deals for at least 3 more seasons, which also allows them to both resign key players and further open up their checkbook in the near future. Some key players that are set to be free agents for Seattle in 2026 include running back Kenneth Walker III and star safety Coby Bryant.
While it’s still early to tell if the Seahawks rattle off more Super Bowl wins in the coming years, Seattle will almost certainly be one of the league’s top contenders heading into next season.
