On Feb. 8, 2026, the Seattle Seahawks, led by Sam Darnold, defeated the New England Patriots and their quarterback Drake Maye 29-13 during super bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The Seahawks defense dominated the Patriot offense which struggled to find their footing for much of the game.
After multiple possessions the Seahawks broke through the Patriots defense, quickly, followed by two first downs. But after three stops by the Patriot defense, the Seahawks were forced to settle for a field goal which Jason Myers, the single-season scoring leader for a kicker, nailed.
The Seahawks defense showed no signs of slowing down in the second quarter. Linebackers Derick Hall and Byron Murphy were the frontrunners in a pass rush that sacked Maye for the first of six times. The Seahawks got the ball back halfway through the second half and leaned on Kenneth Walker again for huge gains to set themselves up for another two field goals, 42 and 47 yards giving Seattle a 9-0 lead at halftime.
Seattle’s star defense, nicknamed the ‘Dark Side’ engulfed the Patriot’s receivers and limited their yardage gains. The game was dominated by both teams’ defense as both continuously made big stops to stall forward progress. Seattle had to settle for another Myers field goal, due to the Patriots on-point defense, extending the lead to 12-0.
“I’ll tell you what, this is the power of 12 as one,” Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald said. “This is a heck of a job. When you do it together, this is what you can do. How about the 12s?”
The fourth quarter finally saw the game’s first touchdown. After a forced fumble by Seattle, the Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold led a quick 45-yard drive. Darnold found tight end AJ Barner for a 16-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 19-0 with 13 minutes and 24 seconds remaining in the game.
The Patriots mounted a late comeback with a 35-yard passing touchdown to Mack Hollins but Seattle’s defense forced another turnover in the next Patriots drive. Jason Myers finished the night with a Super Bowl-record five field goals, sealing the 29-13 victory at the end of the game.
“It’s okay to be disappointed. We have to be disappointed and upset together,” Patriot head coach Mike Vrabel said.
Both teams expressed hopeful sentiments for the next season and future of the programs with the Patriots especially hoping to create a more complete offensive system around quarterback Drake Maye, according to an article by sports analyst Ryan O’Leary.
The Seattle Seahawks hope to recreate this successful season again with the majority of their key players having contracts for the following season, according to sports analyst Connor Benintendi.
The Seahawks finished the 2025-26 season with an impressive 14-3 record. Tight end AJ Barner, who caught the game’s only offensive touchdown, summed up the season’s end.
“I think it’s the journey that makes it special. All the work we put in, the sacrifice, the brotherhood, that’s what makes it special.”