SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The bullies are back.
The Seattle Seahawks, who rode a dominant defense to their first Super Bowl title 12 years ago, did it again Sunday, stifling Drake Maye and the New England Patriots in a decidedly defensive 29-13 victory at Levi’s Stadium.
Encouraged by a raucous, pro-Seattle crowd, the Seahawks sacked Maye six times and picked him off twice, one of which was returned 45 yards for a touchdown by defensive lineman Uchenna Nwosu. The Patriots didn’t score until the fourth quarter and Seattle also forced a fumble.
Praising his players, coach Mike Macdonald had to shout to be heard above the din of fans gathered in the southeast corner of the stadium.
“They made it happen,” he said of his dream of winning the Super Bowl. “They brought it to life. And we won the game.”
The victory gives the Seahawks their second Super Bowl title and avenges their painful Super Bowl loss to the Patriots 11 years ago. That game ended with an instantly controversial play call from the 1-yard line — a throw into the crowded middle of the defense instead of a handoff to defensive end Marshawn Lynch, who had rushed for 102 yards at that point. The ball was intercepted with 20 seconds remaining, a brutal and stinging defeat felt in Seattle over the past decade.
The Seahawks didn’t need any last-second scores in this one. They forced eight punts and allowed the Patriots to cross the 50-yard line just three times – on their first drive and twice in the fourth quarter.
New England’s defense was almost as stingy throughout, especially cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who had fingertip breakups on two passes in the first half, a deep ball to speedster Rashid Shaheed and another to Jaxon Smith-Njigba at the goal line just before halftime.
Smith-Njigba, who won offensive player of the year last week, was targeted 12 times, catching just four passes for 27 yards. He left the field after a hard tackle in the third quarter and was checked for a head injury, but returned in the fourth quarter.
At first, the match didn’t seem like a defensive brawl. Seahawks fullback Kenneth Walker gained 10 yards on the first snap, and Darnold connected on consecutive throws to tight end AJ Barner and receiver Cooper Kupp, setting up a 33-yard Jason Myers field goal three minutes into the contest. Myers was also good for 39 and 41 yards in the first half and accounted for all of the first half scoring.
The Seahawks’ best offensive weapon was Super Bowl MVP Walker, who finished with 135 yards rushing and another 26 yards receiving. This included runs of 30 and 29 yards early in the second quarter, setting up Myers’ second field goal.
Darnold, meanwhile, completed just 19 of 38 passes for 202 yards. But he was sharp on Seattle’s first drive of the second half, hitting Shaheed on third down to get the Seahawks out of the shadows of their own end zone and later picking up 11 yards with his legs. Then, after the defense forced a Maye fumble late in the third quarter, Darnold hit Barner, who had weaved through the Patriots’ defense, for a 16-yard score that put Seattle ahead 19–0.
Seattle’s Derick Hall forces a fumble against Drake Maye during the third quarter Sunday. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The stars of the game were Seattle’s swarming young defenders, who appeared to be the second coming of the legendary Legion of Boom units that led the team to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in 2013-14.
It wasn’t a coincidence.
Not only did both versions have defense-minded head coaches – Pete Carroll at the time, Macdonald now — but also team president Jody Allen and general manager John Schneider made it clear to Macdonald when he was hired in 2024 that they wanted to maintain the loose, brash, defense-focused identity that Carroll had established.
“It’s something that Jody and John cared about, (something) they wanted to keep on our team,” Macdonald said heading into Sunday’s game. “And I think that’s really cool. Our spirit is kind of unique to us. And it’s evolved and changed since we took over. But it’s still rooted in the foundation of the Seahawks that a lot of people know.”
Sunday’s performance highlighted how well Schneider and the personnel department have drafted in recent years. The last three drafts included cornerback Devon Witherspoon, safety Nick Emmanwori, defensive lineman Derick Hall and defensive tackle Byron Murphy, all 25 and under. Hall and Murphy each had two sacks.
The Seahawks have also done a masterful job of peppering their roster with gray in a few key spots.
Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak described the team Wednesday as “a bunch of misfits” who were brought together and gelled. Indeed, many of the key contributors were castoffs from other teams.
That included wide receiver Kupp, a former Los Angeles Rams star who was unceremoniously dumped during the offseason and picked up by its original team. Kupp led the Seahawks in receiving with six catches for 61 yards. Another former Rams player, linebacker Ernest Jones, led the team with eight tackles.
The Patriots, meanwhile, missed an opportunity to win the NFL’s seventh Super Bowl title. Still, they enter the offseason with a good sense of the future.
Dominant from 2001 to 2018, the team became mediocre, then bad, after the departure of quarterback Tom Brady in 2020. The experiments with Mac Jones at quarterback and Jerod Mayo as head coach failed.
But the franchise didn’t stay at the bottom for very long. Newly appointed first-year head coach Mike Vrabel 2025 AP Coach of the Yeargave the team the same blue-collar spirit and grit he showed as a player. Maye led the NFL in completion percentage (72%) and passer rating (113.5). And his composure throughout the playoffs, especially in the snow and wind of Denver two weeks ago, belied his 23 years.
Sam Darnold hugs coach Mike Macdonald after Sunday’s victory. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
For Darnold, it was a story of redemption.
He has won just 13 of 38 starts with the New York Jets, the team that drafted him third overall in 2018. He began to restore his reputation last year by leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record. But when he threw an interception, lost a fumble and was sacked nine times in a playoff loss to the Rams, the criticism that he “sees ghosts” when under pressure returned.
Darnold said the biggest lesson learned from the tough seasons in New York was to “hunt” bad plays and not be so hard on himself. He said he understood that mistakes are part of the game.
“It’s not always going to be perfect,” he said last week. “That’s why everyone loves this game and people consider it one of the best reality shows out there.”
On the winning podium, Darnold made sure to thank his offensive line, tight ends, receivers and running backs. But he reserved his most enthusiastic praise for his defensive teammates.
“Our defense, man,” he called to the crowd. “Hey, 12s, make some noise for our defense!”
