MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Byrnes

Seattle Seahawks (17-3) @ New England Patriots (17-3): Seattle 29-13

During the pre-season, this writer included in a column, a list of predictions for the 2025 NFL season. Among them was the question, “Will Sam Darnold make the Vikings regret letting him walk?”. Darnold, Super Bowl-MVP RB Kenneth Walker III, and the Seahawks defense answered that question by dominating the stumbling Patriots, and winning Super Bowl LX 29-13.

After winning 14 games for Minnesota, the Vikings let Darnold walk in order to use their young quarterback JJ McCarthy. Given the Vikings went 9-8, missing the playoffs, and McCarthy struggled with 12 interceptions in 10 games (6-4), it is safe to say the “Learing Centers” aren’t the only regrets in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”. 

Darnold (202 yards passing-td) had a quiet yet error-free game, and Walker (135 yards rushing/ 26 yards receiving) dominated New England with seven plays over nine yards, wearing the Pats down with long chunk plays, and his 27 carries were his most since 2023.

Walker took over primary running back duties when teammate Zach Charbonnet went down with a season-ending knee injury, in the second-quarter of the wild card game versus the San Francisco 49ers, and he responded with three consecutive playoff games with over 110 total yards and four scores. 

In one of the best defensive efforts in Super Bowl history, Seattle not only held the Patriots scoreless through three quarters, they only allowed 80 yards of offense going into the last stanza.

While the total yardage in the game was nearly identical (335-331) and the Patriots actually had more first downs (14-11), they had no answer for the Seahawks defense. Seattle rushed only four players most of the game and New England’s starting two rookies (LT Will Campbell, LG Jared Wilson) had no answer for the rush. 

The Seahawks actually broke the record for “sacks in a Super Bowl” twice but one was nullified with a penalty, and the other, with the fact that the ball was intercepted instead of a strip sacked, and they settled with six sacks on the day.

Linebacker Ernest Jones IV led the team with 11 tackles, and teammates LB Derick Hall and DT Byron Murphy II each had two sacks Sunday. Seattle intercepted Pats QB Drake Maye (295 yards passing-2 tds/ 37 yards rushing) twice, including a 45-yarder returned for a touchdown by LB Uchenna Nwoso.

Maye had one of the worst games in SB history, beginning the game with punts on eight of the first nine drives. Through three quarters, five of the ten Patriots drives were 3-and-outs, and he managed just 80 yards through the air.

Maye, 2nd in regular season-MVP voting, accounted for all three New England turnovers over four consecutive series spanning the end of the 3rd-quarter and into the fourth, fumbling in addition to his two interceptions. Many of his throws were off target, receivers struggled to adjust to his inaccuracy, and until the 4th-quarter had only the games opening-drive exceed ten yards.

While the offense sputtered the Patriots defense disregarded bad field position repeatedly and did keep it close for three quarters.

Darnold wasn’t the only one who garnered some extra satisfaction with the win. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who left the LA Rams on a sour note, got to claim his second ring after beating his old team in the NFC Championship Game 31-27, to reach the Super Bowl, and led the Seahawks with six catches for 61 yards Sunday.

Seattle K Jason Myers had an outstanding day and set a Super Bowl Record with five field goals (33, 39, 41, 41, 26).

As for controversies, the NFL lost well over 20 million live-halftime viewers, by allowing Jay-Z to choose Puerto Rican rapper/singer Bad Bunny as his halftime show. The controversial music artist has openly shown disdain for the country and President Trump in the past, and half of the fan base chose a Kid Rock faith-based halftime show, ditching the NFL and its advertising.

Bunny praised other countries, acted as a revolutionary in his act, and did so in Spanish. Advertisers are not happy with the development and the NFL must change course.