SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Seattle Seahawks rode a suffocating “Dark Side” defense to beat the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX on Sunday. Kenneth Walker III paced a run-first plan and Seattle’s pass rush pressured quarterback Drake Maye, turning the rematch into a grind of sacks, takeaways and field position that finally erased the sting of Super Bowl XLIX. The game was played Feb. 8, 2026.
Super Bowl LX turns on Seattle’s ‘Dark Side’ defense
Seattle’s blueprint was simple: make Maye hold the ball, hit him when he didn’t, and make the Patriots drive the long way. In an ESPN highlights recap of Super Bowl LX, the unit’s “Dark Side” nickname fit a night in which Maye was sacked six times and New England turned it over three times.
The Patriots punted on all five of their first-half possessions and did not take a snap inside Seattle’s 43-yard line through three quarters, according to a Reuters game story. Their first touchdown didn’t arrive until Maye found Mack Hollins for a 35-yard score early in the fourth quarter.
Any comeback ended quickly. Safety Julian Love intercepted Maye to set up another field goal, then linebacker Uchenna Nwosu slammed the door with a strip sack that he returned 44 yards for a touchdown. New England added a late touchdown pass to Rhamondre Stevenson, but the outcome was settled.
Super Bowl LX MVP: Kenneth Walker III keeps the chains moving
Walker didn’t need a highlight-reel touchdown to own the night. He ran 27 times for 135 yards and added two catches for 26 yards, totaling 161 scrimmage yards, per the NFL.com MVP report. He became the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP since Terrell Davis did it for Denver in 1998.
“Honestly, I feel like I’m just a team player,” Walker said.
Special teams did the rest. Kicker Jason Myers hit a Super Bowl-record five field goals as Seattle led 9-0 at halftime and 19-0 before the Patriots finally broke through. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw just one touchdown pass — a 16-yarder to AJ Barner — but he avoided turnovers, and that was enough for Seattle’s second Lombardi Trophy and first since 2014.
“It’s unbelievable. Everything that’s happened in my career, but to do it with this team, I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Darnold said.
From Super Bowl XLIX heartbreak to Super Bowl LX closure
The matchup carried a familiar shadow. In ESPN’s recap of Super Bowl XLIX, New England’s Malcolm Butler sealed a 28-24 Patriots win with a goal-line interception that became one of the defining finishes in Super Bowl history.
For Seattle, Super Bowl LX was a decade-long response built with new faces. Walker, a second-round pick in 2022, went from draft-day projection to franchise centerpiece — a path traced in an NFL.com draft story announcing Seattle’s selection.
The Patriots, under first-year coach Mike Vrabel, were denied an NFL-record seventh Super Bowl title, and Maye finished with 295 passing yards while throwing two interceptions. For Seattle, the scoreboard and the takeaway count made the point: the Seahawks’ revenge was complete in Super Bowl LX.
