On Feb. 9, the Seattle Seahawks (17-3) took home the prestigious Lombardi trophy, beating the New England Patriots (17-4) by a score of 29-13 in Levi’s Stadium during Super Bowl 60. The win cemented the Seahawks’ second Super Bowl victory in franchise history.
With this win, over a decade after Super Bowl 49, the Seahawks were able to finally avenge their loss in 2015 to New England, where the score was 28-34. That game is most remembered for the last play, where the Seahawks were threatening to score a game-winning touchdown from New England’s 1-yard line. However, in a controversial play call, the Seahawks elected to throw the ball, leading to an interception by Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler.
“The game eleven years ago left all Seahawks fans heartbroken,” said junior Nishant Chaparala. “This time, we did run the ball and we ended up winning the Super Bowl.”
Beyond the rematch aspect, the game was widely anticipated by football fans all over the nation. However, neither team had an amazing start to the season. The Patriots opened their season with a 20-13 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, who have the number one overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft. In a similar story, the Seahawks opened their season with a 17-13 loss at home to the San Francisco 49ers, a division rival.
Despite week one not going as planned, both Seattle and New England finished the regular season with records of 14-3.
Due to their number one seed in the NFC conference, the Seahawks had a bye week during the Wild Card round, meaning they didn’t play. In the following week, Seattle was able to avenge their season opening loss in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, blowing out San Francisco 41-6. The Seahawks then defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Conference Championship 31-27, advancing them to the Super Bowl.
The Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round 16-3, then beating the Houston Texans 28-16 in the Divisional Round. Following their victory, they narrowly escaped the first-seeded Denver Broncos in the American Football Conference Championship game 10-7, cementing their appearance at the Super Bowl.
However, these records do not necessarily establish each team as “deserving” of their Super Bowl berth in everyone’s eyes.
“I thought the Seahawks would win because the Patriots are frauds,” said senior Tyler Nichols. “They haven’t played any real teams.”
Despite questions about their schedule, the Patriots were widely regarded as an elite team all year, with quarterback Drake Maye barely losing the league’s MVP race by a singular vote. Maye, who is in his second season with the Patriots, was drafted 3rd overall in 2024 from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Seattle was also not without their share of star players, with their wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba winning the league’s Offensive Player of the Year. Smith-Njigba was drafted 20th overall from Ohio State in the 2023 NFL draft, and he led the NFL in receiving yards this past season.
The actual game was a defensive struggle, with no touchdowns being scored until the fourth quarter. A tight contest was anticipated, however the extent of it was surprising to many.
“I predicted that the Seahawks would win in a low-scoring defensive slugfest through a series of drives that would end in field goals,” Novak said. “I was correct, but I didn’t predict just how immensely the Patriots’ offense would get stifled.”
The Patriots only had 78 total offensive yards throughout the first three quarters, a remarkably low amount. New England only converted six 3rd downs out of 15, contributing to their offensive struggles. Throughout the game, the Patriots were forced to punt on eight of their nine first possessions.
The Seahawks, led by quarterback Sam Darnold, remained comfortably in the lead the entire game. However, despite having elite receiver Smith-Njibga, the offense relied mostly on running the ball.
“Even though the Emerald City Route Artist did not have crazy stats, the Patriots had to tailor their gameplan around him,” Chaparala said. “This opened up the field for the run game and other receivers.”
The “Emerald City Route Artist,” Smith-Njigba, finished the game with only four catches for a total of 27 yards.
Seattle’s running back Kenneth Walker III won Super Bowl MVP, amassing 135 rushing yards. While it’s clear that the run game played a huge role in Seattle’s victory, there were many more complexities to the win.
“Devon Witherspoon was an important part of this defense in the win,” Chaparala said. “He played a key role in shutting down Patriots receivers, and was used to blitz several times, getting a sack and multiple pressures.”
The Patriot’s offensive line struggled to protect Maye throughout the game, giving up six sacks throughout the game.
“I was surprised to see Drake Maye struggle as much as he did,” Novak said. “He was absolutely terrified by the Seattle defense, and you could see it through his terrible play.”
Drake Maye ended the game with 295 passing yards, throwing two interceptions. He finished with two touchdowns and 27 completed passes out of 43 attempts. Sam Darnold finished with 202 passing yards, with one touchdown and 19 completed passes out of 38.
Maye’s two touchdowns came in the fourth quarter, which New England entered trailing 12-0. Neither team had scored a touchdown until Sam Darnold threw a touchdown to wide open tight end AJ Barner about two minutes into the fourth quarter.
The Patriots responded by scoring a touchdown on their next drive, however they then gave up another field goal and had a disastrous interception returned for a touchdown, practically sealing the Seahawks victory.
“The game wasn’t really exciting since one team was winning the whole time,” said junior Gabby Chan. “I was surprised by how much of a blowout the game turned out to be.”
The Patriots were seeking their seventh Super Bowl win, which would have set the record for the most Super Bowl wins by any franchise. Following their loss, the Patriots now hold the record with most Super Bowl losses by any franchise, with a total of six.
While the stakes were high for the Patriots, the game was also crucial for many Seahawks players.
“Sam Darnold was considered a bust and truly rewrote his career,” Chaparala said. “He redefined what a quarterback career in the NFL could look like going from top draft pick, to ‘bust,’ to backup, to Super Bowl champion.”
Darnold, in his 8th season, was selected third overall from USC. He is currently on his fifth NFL team, which many consider to be an indication of his lack of skill.
“He had a rocky start to his career,” Chan said. “His role in leading his team to the Lombardi trophy truly redefined his career.”
In addition to the actual game, the halftime show draws a lot of viewers annually. This year, the show was headlined by Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny.
However, Bad Bunny’s predominantly Spanish music invited controversy as well.
“The halftime show likely helped with NFL interest in foreign nations,” Chaparala said. “But I think it’s just not as exciting to listen to an artist who doesn’t speak your language.”
Despite the language barrier for many Americans, the halftime show garnered 135 million viewers from all over the nation.
“I thought that the halftime show was well-performed and had an exciting vibe to it,” Novak said.
The anticipation of the halftime show also played a role in people’s decisions to watch.
“It was muy bueno,” Nichols said. “Bad Bunny’s performance excited me, even if I don’t speak Spanish.”
Next season will kick off on Sept. 10. The Seahawks look to remain atop the league, with the Patriots not far behind.
