SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Seattle Seahawks throttled the New England Patriots 29-13 to win their second Super Bowl, riding a suffocating defense, Jason Myers’ record-breaking fifth field goal and a game-changing takeaway returned by Uchenna Nwosu.
New England quarterback Drake Maye was sacked six times and intercepted twice as Seattle kept the Patriots scoreless until the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Under relentless pressure, Maye also fumbled on a record-setting takedown — the 20th time he was sacked this postseason — a turnover that helped break open a game Seattle controlled from the outset.
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Seattle’s offense leaned on discipline and field position while the defense dictated everything. Kenneth Walker powered a no-frills ground attack and became the first running back in 28 years to be named Super Bowl MVP, while quarterback Sam Darnold managed the game amid his own share of heat and delivered the night’s first offensive touchdown.
New England’s opening half was a lesson in frustration. The Patriots’ first five drives ended in punts and netted just 52 total yards. Maye was sacked three times in the first four possessions and forced several throws off his back foot as Seahawks rushers rotated waves of pressure off the edge and up the middle.
Seattle also had to grind. Darnold frequently scrambled and threw under duress, and the Seahawks needed Myers’ accuracy to cash in early dominance. After a pair of back-to-back runs by Walker pushed Seattle deep into Patriots territory in the second quarter, Myers split the uprights for his second field goal. On the final snap of the half, Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez broke up a Darnold dart to Jaxon Smith-Njigba at the goal line, and Myers’ 41-yarder made it 9-0 at the break.
No team has won a Super Bowl after failing to score in the first half, and New England could not flip that history. The Patriots opened the third quarter with another punt, and Darnold and Walker nudged Seattle back into range for Myers to extend the advantage from 41 yards.
The defensive dam then burst on both sides, but Seattle seized the pivotal moments. After another New England punt, Darnold was swarmed for a sack, only for the Seahawks to answer with two more sacks of Maye. The second takedown set a postseason record for most sacks absorbed by a quarterback with 20 and jarred the ball loose. Seattle recovered and struck immediately — Darnold finding tight end AJ Barner on a 16-yard strike for the game’s first touchdown and a 19-0 cushion.
New England finally stirred when Maye connected with Mack Hollins on a 35-yard touchdown, a high-trajectory throw that cut the deficit and offered a flicker of life. But another hurried throw under pressure turned into an interception, and Myers’ fifth field goal — a Super Bowl record — stretched the lead to 22-7.
Moments later, the Seahawks’ pressure authored the play of the night. Collapsing the pocket again, Seattle forced the ball to pop free, and Nwosu snatched it in stride, racing 45 yards to the end zone. The return sent the Seahawks’ sideline into celebration and effectively sealed the championship at 29-7.
Maye, who finished second in the season’s MVP voting, added a late touchdown to Rhamondre Stevenson to cap the scoring, but the damage was long done. Seattle’s defense had diced up protections, disguised coverages and forced New England to play off schedule all night.
For the Seahawks, the formula was ruthless and simple: win the line of scrimmage, tilt the field and trust their playmakers to finish. Walker’s early-down bursts set a steady rhythm, and even when Seattle stalled, Myers’ unerring leg turned promising drives into points. Darnold weathered pressure and avoided the critical mistake, delivering the one red-zone strike Seattle needed to force New England to chase.
For the Patriots, the lessons were harsher. An offensive line that held up most of the year unraveled against Seattle’s speed and stunts. With down-and-distance against him, Maye’s timing evaporated, and Seattle’s rushers pinned their ears back. Two interceptions and the lost fumble told the story as clearly as the sacks did.
Seattle’s second Lombardi Trophy arrives on the back of a defense that looked impenetrable on the biggest stage — the kind of performance that revives a franchise identity and travels year to year. The Patriots, kept off the board until the fourth quarter and forced into desperation, leave with a sobering blueprint of where they must toughen up to return.
On a night defined by pressure, poise and points off turnovers, the Seahawks had more of each — and they are champions again because of it.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
