The New England Patriots’ season came to an end in disappointing fashion Sunday night when they fell to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60.
New England’s offense couldn’t get much going, and Seattle’s defense was just too much for Drake Maye and the Patriots in the 29-13 loss.
Maye was sacked six times and threw two interceptions.
Here’s what’s being said about the Super Bowl 60 loss.
“Seattle’s dominant defensive front was a bad matchup for Drake Maye and a Patriots offense that came into the Super Bowl struggling. Eight of the Patriots’ first nine possessions Sunday ended with a punt, and the other ended with a kneel-down to close the first half. When the third quarter finished, the Patriots had 78 yards of total offense and as many first downs — five — as the Seahawks had sacks.
“To its credit, the Patriots defense was holding its own. It shut down star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and made life miserable for Darnold. Through those same three quarters, four field goals by Seattle’s Jason Myers represented the only scoring. Running back Kenneth Walker III ripped off a few long runs, but the end zone remained a myth to both teams until well after the sun went down. Seattle punter Michael Dickson had a monster night and may have been the MVP of the game if nobody had scored any touchdowns (the honor went to Walker).”
“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 opening drive and twice in the fourth quarter.
“New England’s defense was nearly as stingy throughout, especially cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who had fingertip breakups on a pair of 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.”
“Drake Maye picked an awful night for an awful performance. The Patriots quarterback looked flustered by Macdonald’s post-snap rotations, and Maye struggled with what he was seeing, clutching and holding the pigskin in ways we haven’t seen most of his magical campaign. With the pass rush coming from seemingly every angle, Maye panicked at times, which led to wayward passes that were completely off the mark. The Pats QB finished 27-of-43 passing for 295 yards with two TDs and two INTs.
“However, the overwhelming majority of that production came well after the Pats trailed by double digits – 48 passing yards in the first half. Maye had little support – 42 rushing yards on 13 RB totes – as the Pats offense sputtered when things mattered. New England punted on all five of its non-kneel first-half possessions, generating just four total first downs. With the game still within reach, the offense crapped out, going three-and-out on its first three possessions of the third quarter — its one first down on four drives in the quarter came via penalty.
“Maye made a few plays in the final frame, but it was far too little, far too late from the MVP runner-up.”
“The Seahawks delivered one of the best defensive performances in Super Bowl history. The Patriots finished with 331 yards of offense, but more than a third came on two garbage-time drives that each covered over 100 yards with New England down multiple scores late in the fourth quarter. The so-called “Dark Side Defense” conjured images all night of the famed “Legion of Boom” unit that led Seattle to its last Super Bowl victory — and by the end of the evening, it was hard to argue this group wasn’t worthy of the comparison.”
“The Mike Vrabel-Drake Maye Patriots are arguably further ahead of schedule than the (Bill) Belichick-(Tom) Brady Patriots were in 2001. We’re talking about a 2025 Pats team with a first-year head coach, a second-year quarterback and 30 new players on the roster compared to a year ago – a record number for a Super Bowl entry. But this was a group that reclaimed the AFC East throne that had been abdicated to the Buffalo Bills following Brady’s flee south to Tampa in 2020.
“And New England will doubtless be better next year – what with a year of experience, a valuable Super Bowl lesson, another first-round pick plus additional rookie influx, $40 million or so in projected cap space to chase a needed pass rusher like Trey Hendrickson and, who knows, maybe they try to broker a reunion with Vrabel and Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown, who played for him with the Tennessee Titans.”
“Long before the start of this week, the Seahawks’ defensive staff had screenshotted every snap of this Patriots offensive line. Its tendencies to jump-set. Its tendencies to drop back vertically or at an angle. Its footwork. New England planned to counter by adjusting the timing by which Drake Maye set his hands under center. Maybe — just maybe — by throwing the line off its keys it would be harder to rush. Harder to plug up OC Josh McDaniels’s game plan like a washrag in the drain pipe.
“The Patriots had 48 net yards gained at halftime, and 13 net passing yards on 25 plays. Then came the third quarter, when the full effect of Seattle’s brick-by-brick assassination—à la Montresor and Fortunato—was laid bare. By the time the Patriots had a lane to throw, Maye would subconsciously drift toward the teeth of Seattle’s interior rush. If he managed to find the sliver of open space the Seahawks’ secondary provided, the ball would ricochet off the fingertips of his wide receivers.”
