On Feb. 8, 2026, the final game of the 2025-2026 National Football League (NFL) season saw the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots meet in Super Bowl LX. Reported by ESPN, the two teams met in Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, 11 years prior. This game is most famous for the ending, when Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepted Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson at the goal line in the final seconds to give New England a 28-24 victory. This time, the Seahawks were victorious, as their defense led them to a 29-13 victory over the Patriots.
According to the NFL, the Seahawks earned a first round bye in the playoffs as the first seed in the NFC, meaning they did not need to play in the Wild Card round. The Seahawks started their playoff journey in the Divisional round with a dominating 41-6 win over the sixth seed San Francisco 49ers. The NFC Championship saw them win a close game against the fifth seed Los Angeles Rams to make it to the Super Bowl.
The Patriots started their journey in the Wild Card as the second seed in the AFC. They moved on from this round with a 16-3 victory over the seventh seed Los Angeles Chargers. Their Divisional round game saw them leave with a 28-16 win over the fifth seed Houston Texans. They then traveled to Denver to face the Broncos in the AFC Championship, and left with a 10-7 victory, putting the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
ESPN reports that the game started with Seattle receiving the ball, and they were able to score three points from a 33 yard field goal by Seahawks kicker Jason Myers. The Patriots then responded with a punt, followed by a Seahawks punt. Both teams exchanged punts again as the first quarter came to a close, with both teams locked in a defensive battle.
The second quarter began, and the Patriots offensively punted again, as they were not able to gain any momentum on offense. Seattle responded with a field goal by Myers from 39 yards out, putting the score at 6-0. Both teams then exchanged punts again, followed by another New England punt. The Seahawks were able to score a third field goal before halftime, as Myers connected on a 41 yard field goal. The teams went into the halftime break with Seattle leading 9-0.
New England started the third quarter with a punt, and the Seahawks responded with another 41 yard field goal by Myers, putting the score at 12-0 in Seattle’s favor. Then, both teams exchanged punts twice. However, at the end of the third quarter, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II.
The fourth quarter started with Seattle scoring the first touchdown of the game, as Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold threw a 16 yard touchdown pass to tight end AJ Barner, extending their lead to 19-0. The Patriots quickly responded with their first points of the game, as Maye found wide receiver Mack Hollins for a 35 yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 19-7. A forced punt by the Patriots defense gave their offense some momentum, but Maye was picked off by Seahawks safety Julian Love. The Seahawks responded to this turnover with another field goal by Myers, this one from 26 yards out. Already trailing by 15 points, Maye threw another pick, and Seattle linebacker Uchenna Nwosu took the ball back for a 45 yard touchdown, extending the Seahawks lead to 29-7. New England responded to this with a late touchdown, as Maye found running back Rhamondre Stevenson for a seven yard touchdown, but they were unsuccessful in converting the two-point conversion, with the score at 29-13. Another Seattle punt forced by New England’s defense led to a few plays by their offense, which ran the clock out, ending the game.
According to CBS Sports, for Seattle, Darnold led the team in passing with 19 completions for 202 yards and a touchdown on 38 attempts. Running back Kenneth Walker III led the team in rushing with 135 yards on 27 carries. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp led Seattle in receiving with 61 yards on six catches. For the Patriots, Maye led the team in passing with 27 completions for 295 yards and two touchdown passes on 43 attempts, while throwing two interceptions. He also led the team in rushing with 37 yards on five carries. Hollins led the Patriots in receiving with four catches for 78 yards, and a touchdown.
Yahoo Sports reports that Walker was named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP), becoming the first running back since the 1997-1998 season, and the eighth running back in the history of the NFL to win this award.
As the Seahawks celebrate their championship victory, the NFL wraps up another season and heads into the offseason.
