Super Bowl LX delivered a statement performance from the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks made Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium look easy. By halftime, New England had managed just 51 yards and hadn’t sniffed the red zone. Seattle’s defense suffocated them all night while Kenneth Walker III put on a show, grabbing MVP honors with 131 rushing yards at 5.2 per attempt, plus 26 receiving yards.

For New England, it stung. They’d gone from a 4-win disaster in 2024 to 14-3 AFC East champs. Their playoff run was surgical, just 26 points allowed across three games against the Chargers, Texans, and Broncos. But their 12th Super Bowl appearance ended in disappointment.

Here are five things that stood out from the game:

5. Walker bailed out a shaky Darnold.

Sam Darnold wasn’t sharp. He missed throws that should’ve buried New England early. But Kenneth Walker III picked up the slack and carried Seattle on his back. The Patriots entered the game having held every playoff running back under 40 yards. Walker defied that, racking up 135 yards on 27 carries. 

He had runs of 30 and 29 yards in the second quarter alone, finishing with five carries of 10-plus yards. He ran with patience you don’t usually see from him, waiting for holes like Le’Veon Bell used to. Darnold’s completion percentage was 9.4% below expected ugly numbers. But Walker’s performance kept Seattle rolling when the passing game stalled. Now he’s headed for free agency with a Super Bowl MVP trophy in hand.

4. Seattle’s defense proved why they’re #1.

The league’s best defense showed up when it mattered most. Mike Macdonald’s unit confused Drake Maye from the opening snap. Early DB blitzes wrecked New England’s blocking schemes, including a sack from corner Devon Witherspoon. Then the defensive line took over. Six sacks total. Two interceptions. 

Every time the Patriots seemed ready to make a run, Seattle shut the door. Derick Hall got two sacks. Byron Murphy II had two. Witherspoon and rookie Rylie Mills each added one. The secondary blanketed receivers for three quarters, forcing Maye to scramble through his progressions while the rush closed in. Too often, he had nobody open. The cherry on top? Uchenna Nwosu’s pick-six off another Witherspoon pressure to seal it.

3. Drake Maye crumbled when it counted.

Maye picked the worst possible moment to have his worst game. Mike Macdonald’s defensive scheming had him seeing ghosts. The post-snap rotations rattled him, and pressure came from everywhere. He held the ball too long, threw off-target, and looked nothing like the quarterback who’d been brilliant all season. 

Final line: 27-of-43, 295 yards, two touchdowns, two picks. But here’s the kicker, 48 of those yards came in the first half. The rest was garbage time padding. The running game gave him nothing (42 yards on 13 carries), and the offense went nowhere when it mattered. Five straight punts in the first half. Four total first downs. Three consecutive three-and-outs to start the third quarter. By the time Maye found some rhythm in the fourth, Seattle was already celebrating.

2. New England’s defense ran out of gas.

Mike Vrabel’s defense fought hard to keep it competitive. Christian Gonzalez broke up two touchdowns that would’ve blown it open early. They pressured Darnold on 41.5% of his dropbacks and made him uncomfortable even without generating many sacks. They held Seattle to 1-for-4 in the red zone and 4-for-16 on third down. But eventually, the offense’s failures caught up to them. 

When your offense gives you nothing, there’s only so long you can hold. A Maye fumble gave Seattle a short field for their first touchdown. The pick-six ended any hope. The defense shouldn’t feel bad; they did their job. If the offense had shown up before the fourth quarter, this might’ve been a different game.

1. Special teams matter more than you think.

Jason Myers carried Seattle’s offense for three quarters, drilling four field goals. His fifth in the fourth quarter set a Super Bowl record. Oh, and he made a tackle on a kickoff too. When points were hard to come by early, Myers’ reliability gave Seattle a cushion. And punter Michael Dickson was brilliant, pinning three punts inside the 7-yard line. Those field position swings were huge, keeping New England’s offense backed up and letting the defense tee off. Sunday was a complete team win for Seattle. All three phases dominated.