Sunday saw the National Football League (NFL) have its 60th Super Bowl played, with a matchup between the one-time Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (16-3) and six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots (17-3). Both teams met previously in the Super Bowl eleven years ago, where the Patriots won 28-24 with a game-ending interception made by cornerback Malcom Butler on the 1-yard line.
So how did the rematch go? If you are a Patriots fan like me, it was an agonizing experience. If you are a Seahawks fan, it was probably one of the best days ever.
Starting off with the most prevalent part of this game was the dominant performance of the Seahawks defense. They sacked Patriots quarterback Drake Maye six times in the game and held them to zero points until the fourth quarter of the game. As a Pats fan, I would say Seattle has the best defense in the NFL.
The Seattle offense was really interesting to watch, especially with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN) being the 2025 Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league in reception yards (1,793). In my opinion, JSN is a future Hall of Famer without a doubt. Even with JSN and quarterback Sam Darnold, they were held to only four field goals and one touchdown up until the fourth quarter. It does not seem like much, but when you have a dominant defense it works perfectly, as seen in this game.
The only positive for the Patriots was their defense. Defensive back Christian Gonzalez was the standout for me. He broke up two passes that helped end drives. The defense had pressure on Darnold throughout the night, but missed different opportunities for a sack (DT Milton Williams did get one). The defense did their best, but even then a couple of turnovers would have helped. They did not have an answer for running back Kenneth Walker III, Seattle’s running back and the game’s MVP, who rushed 135 yards on 30 carries and kept the Seahawks’ drives going with explosive plays.
Now for the Patriots’ offense. The only two words I can use to describe their performance are frustrating and disappointing. The most glaring problem I noticed when watching was the left side of the offensive line, where rookies Will Campbell and Jared Wilson were. They were constantly pushed in by Seattle, resulting in six sacks for Maye and being unable to move down the field due to rushed throws resulting in incompletions and failed rushing plays that gained no yards. I believe Maye is not entirely blameless. I felt that he held the ball a lot longer than he needed to and was not utilizing his own rushing capabilities as seen in the previous playoff games. Maye fumbled, resulting in it being Seattle’s ball. He also then threw the game-sealing interception which was returned for a touchdown. Before that though, he had the touchdown to wide receiver Mack Hollins, their first of the game. Maye brought life into the offense on their next possession, though they would turn the ball over, unable to capitalize.
On the topic of Will Campbell, I believe he should have been taken off the field. It was clear he was not working when he couldn’t hold Seattle back and also committed a false start which backed the Patriots up. Is it a little harsh considering it was his rookie year? Possibly, but there is a huge lesson to be learned here.
Seattle was the better team in this game, even I will admit that. New England had opportunities they just could not come through on, which is the most disappointing part considering how well they did during the regular season. Now as much as this loss hurts, it is nice to see Darnold win a ring especially considering his history and perception throughout the rest of the league. Perhaps this will finally shut his critics up.
Seattle will celebrate this one for weeks, rightly deserved. New England will learn from this and move on without a doubt, especially with their coach Mike Vrabel, who was key in turning the team around after going 4-13 the previous season. I believe New England will be back in the playoffs next season and be looking at another run to the Super Bowl just like this season.
Nathan Eliopoulos can be contacted at
