The Vince Lombardi Trophy is headed back to the Pacific Northwest.
The Seattle Seahawks stymied the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, on Sunday, claiming the franchise’s second Lombardi in four appearances.
It was all Seattle from the get-go, as Mike Macdonald’s elite defense never allowed Drake Maye and the Patriots offense to find a rhythm.
Sam Darnold wasn’t always at his best, but he was supplemented by a robust running game pioneered by Kenneth Walker III.
New England had a chance to become the only team to win seven Super Bowls, but will remain tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers at six wins. This marked the franchise’s 12th appearance in the ultimate showdown.
Let’s dive into the Big Game further with winners and losers:
WINNER: Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks
The game’s biggest weapons were mostly kept quiet in this one. The only main and consistent threat was Seattle’s RB1 Walker III, who has taken on a bigger load with Zach Charbonnet out.
Walker III finished the game with 135 rushing yards on 27 carries and no touchdowns, good for 5.0 yards per carry. On a night where field goals was the headline, Walker III stood out.
LOSER: Drake Maye, Patriots
That might go down as the worst quarterback performance in Super Bowl history. Wherever it ranks, it’s there somewhere.
Maye couldn’t do anything the entire night, mainly relying on quick checkdowns and late scrambles to pick up yards. New England didn’t have any game changers on offense the entire season, and team weaknesses always come back to bite when it matters most.
Maye fumbled twice, with one returned for a touchdown, along with a pick. He completed 27 of 43 passes for 295 yards, two touchdowns and two picks, while rushing for 37 yards on five tries. Most of his yardage came when the game was out of reach, though.
Here are five things to know about Drake Maye, quarterback for the New England Patriots.
WINNER: Jason Myers, Seahawks
Five-for-five. Myers set a Super Bowl record with five field goals in the win. He was the reliable source of points for Seattle all night, as the offense managed just one touchdown — set up by a defensive turnover.
He offered a real case to win Super Bowl MVP, which no kicker has ever done, of course.
LOSER: Stefon Diggs, Patriots
With the lack of mavericks on New England’s offense, most of the attention came down to Diggs. The 32-year-old isn’t who he was in his prime, but he’s been the Patriots main star. But him alone is far from enough nowadays and it showed.
Diggs was held to just three catches on three targets for 37 yards and no scores. New England will need to upgrade that department in the offseason.
WINNER: Christian Gonzalez, Patriots
On the bright side for New England, the defense kept the team in the game before it eventually blew open.
Christian Gonzalez made his case as arguably the best cornerback in the game with this performance, coming up with three crucial and jaw-dropping pass breakups.
He kept Jaxson Smith-Njigba in check and asserted his authority wherever he was on the field. New England can continue to build its defense around him.
We’re here in Milan for the Olympics, but the Super Bowl is just days away. We found out the three reasons why almost everyone in this Italian city seems to be rooting for New England in Sunday’s big game.
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