{"id":2567738,"date":"2026-02-09T01:51:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T06:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/seahawks-ride-their-dark-side-defense-to-a-super-bowl-title-pounding-the-patriots-29-13\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T01:53:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T06:53:53","slug":"seahawks-ride-their-dark-side-defense-to-a-super-bowl-title-pounding-the-patriots-29-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/seahawks-ride-their-dark-side-defense-to-a-super-bowl-title-pounding-the-patriots-29-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Seahawks ride their \u2018Dark Side\u2019 defense to a Super Bowl title, pounding the Patriots 29-13"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fseahawks-ride-their-dark-side-defense-to-a-super-bowl-title-pounding-the-patriots-29-13%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2567738&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Seattle\u2019s \u201cDark Side\u201d defense powered a 29-13 Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots, giving the Seahawks their second Lombardi Trophy. Sam Darnold, touted for a comeback narrative, threw a touchdown to AJ Barner and worked with a steady, turnover-free performance, while kenneth Walker III rushed for 135 yards and earned MVP honors as Seattle overwhelmed New England.<\/p>\n<p>The Seahawks\u2019 defense suffocated Drake Maye, sacking him six times and sealing the game with Uchenna Nwosu\u2019s late pick-6 after a deflection by Devon Witherspoon. Jason Myers set a Super bowl record by making all five of his field goals, helping Seattle build and maintain a comfortable lead. the Patriots finally found some offense late, but costly mistakes and Christian Gonzalez\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >early defensive plays limited<\/a> their threat. This victory marks Seattle\u2019s return to the pinnacle a decade after the \u201clegion of Boom,\u201d and Darnold became the first 2018 draft quarterback to win a Super Bowl. The game featured a halftime show led by Bad Bunny and left New England short of a potential record seventh title.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Seahawks ride their &lsquo;Dark Side&rsquo; defense to a Super Bowl title, pounding the Patriots 29-13<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) &mdash; The &ldquo;Dark Side&rdquo; defense carried Sam Darnold and the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/seattle\/\">Seattle<\/a> Seahawks to a Lombardi Trophy.<\/p>\n<p>Devon Witherspoon, Derick Hall, Byron Murphy and the rest of Mike Macdonald&rsquo;s ferocious unit pummeled Drake Maye, and the Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 on Sunday to win the franchise&rsquo;s second <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/super-bowl\/\">Super Bowl<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4450551\/bad-bunny-kid-rock-clash-super-bowl-halftime-shows\/\">Bad Bunny and Kid Rock clash in dueling Super Bowl halftime shows<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4450292\/turning-point-usa-all-american-halftime-show-watch\/\">Turning Point USA&#8217;s &#8216;All-American Halftime Show&#8217;: Everything you need to know<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4447448\/shannon-bream-new-book-biblical-overcomers\/\">Shannon Bream&#8217;s new book on Biblical &#8216;overcomers&#8217; explores &#8216;purpose&#8217; within trials<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;We never waver, man. We believe in each other. We love each other, and now we&rsquo;re world champions,&rdquo; Macdonald said.<\/p>\n<p>Darnold&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NFL\/status\/2020686171668709673\">threw a touchdown pass<\/a>&nbsp;to AJ Barner, Kenneth Walker III ran for 135 yards and Jason Myers set a Super Bowl record by making all five of his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-ravens-kicker-justin-tucker-sets-nfl-record-with-66-yard-field-goal-as-time-expires\/\" title=\"WATCH: Ravens Kicker Justin Tucker Sets ... With 66-Yard Field Goal As Time Expires\">field-goal<\/a> tries.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;To do this with this team, I wouldn&rsquo;t want it any other way,&rdquo; Darnold said. &ldquo;So proud of our guys, our defense. I mean, I can&rsquo;t say enough great things about our defense, our special teams.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Walker became the first running back to win the Super Bowl MVP award since Hall of Famer Terrell Davis did it with Denver 28 years ago.<\/p>\n<p>Uchenna Nwosu punctuated a punishing defensive performance by&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NFL\/status\/2020693977473908778\">snagging Maye&rsquo;s pass in the air<\/a>&nbsp;after Witherspoon hit his arm and running it back 45 yards for a pick-6.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We went through a lot, but we believed,&rdquo; Witherspoon said. &ldquo;All of you all doubters out there who said all that other stuff, you all don&rsquo;t know what&rsquo;s going on in this building. We&rsquo;re one of one over here.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Seattle won its first Super Bowl a dozen years ago behind its &ldquo;Legion of Boom&rdquo; defense, then was denied a repeat when New England&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=U7rPIg7ZNQ8\">Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson<\/a>&nbsp;at the goal line. The Seahawks hadn&rsquo;t been back to the Super Bowl since.<\/p>\n<p>Darnold become the first quarterback in the 2018 NFL draft class to win a Super Bowl, ahead of Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson.<\/p>\n<p>Labeled a bust, dumped by two teams and considered expendable by two others, Darnold proved his doubters wrong while helping the Seahawks go 17-3.<\/p>\n<p>After leading the NFL with 20 turnovers in the regular season, Darnold <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-defector-emails-pipeline-to-obama-admin-seen-as-currency\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden Defector Emails: &#039;Pipeline&#039; to Obama Admin Seen as &#039;Currency&#039;\">didn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t have any in three playoff games. He wasn&rsquo;t particularly sharp against a solid Patriots defense but protected the ball and made enough plays, finishing 19 of 38 for 202 yards.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I know we won the Super Bowl, but we could have been a little bit better on offense, but I don&rsquo;t care about that right now,&rdquo; Darnold said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an unbelievable feeling, man. I&rsquo;m just so happy for the guys in the locker room and the coaches that put in so much effort throughout the whole season.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Seahawks sacked Maye six times, including two apiece by Hall and Murphy.&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NFL\/status\/2020684418369912865\">Hall&rsquo;s strip-sack<\/a>&nbsp;late in the third quarter set up a short field and Darnold connected with Barner on 16-yard scoring toss to make it 19-0.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NFL\/status\/2020691306520187315\">Julian Love&rsquo;s interception<\/a>&nbsp;set up another field goal that made it 22-7 with 5:35 left.<\/p>\n<p>The Patriots (17-4) punted on the first eight drives, excluding a kneel-down to end the first half.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Just reminding them that we&rsquo;re 307 days into what hopefully is a long, successful relationship and program, and it&rsquo;s OK to be disappointed,&rdquo; New England coach Mike Vrabel said.<\/p>\n<p>Down 19-0, Maye and the Patriots&rsquo; offense finally got going. He hit Mack Hollins over the middle in traffic for 24 yards and then lofted a perfect 35-yard TD pass to Hollins down the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/another-eyewitness-account-from-the-stop-the-steal-event-at-the-us-capitol-including-a-memorial-to-ashli-babbit-pictures-video\/\" title=\"Another Eyewitness Account from the Stop the Steal Event at the US C...itol \u2014 Including a Memorial to Ashli Babbit (Pictures, Video)\">left side<\/a> to cut the deficit to 19-7.<\/p>\n<p>Tom Brady once led Bill Belichick&rsquo;s Patriots to the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, when New England rallied from a 28-3 deficit against Atlanta for a 34-28 overtime victory.<\/p>\n<p>But Maye, who was runner-up to Matthew Stafford for the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/nfl-mvp-awards-1f6a4d94a8ffcdd5844855c5d4ba510a\">AP NFL MVP award<\/a>&nbsp;in the closest race in two decades, didn&rsquo;t come close. He had a chance to narrow the gap, but his ill-advised pass into triple coverage was picked by Love and the Patriots trailed by 15 when they got the ball back with 5:35 left.<\/p>\n<p>Then came Nwosu&rsquo;s touchdown, a fitting way to cap an overwhelming effort by the NFL&rsquo;s stingiest defense.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Definitely hurts. They played better than us tonight,&rdquo; Maye said.<\/p>\n<p>Maye&rsquo;s 7-yard TD pass to Rhamondre Stevenson late in the game only made the margin smaller.<\/p>\n<p>The Seahawks took a 3-0 lead on Myers&rsquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/indianapolis-colts-release-kicker-rodrigo-blankenship-after-missing-potential-game-winning-field-goal\/\" title=\"Indian...olis Colts Release Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship After Missing Potential ...-...ning Field Goal\">33-yard field goal<\/a> on the game&rsquo;s opening drive. Myers connected from 39 and 41 yards to extend the lead to 9-0 at halftime. He was good from 41 on Seattle&rsquo;s first drive of the third quarter to make it 12-0.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-patriots-player-of-the-game\">Patriots player of the game<\/h2>\n<p>Cornerback Christian Gonzalez made two outstanding plays to prevent potential touchdowns in the second quarter. He raced back and leaped in the air to slap away a deep pass to Rashid Shaheed that could have been a 76-yard TD.<\/p>\n<p>On Seattle&rsquo;s last drive in the first half, Gonzalez knocked down a pass to All-Pro wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba that would have been a 23-yard TD.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mills-gets-a-two-for-one-sack\">Mills gets a two-for-one sack<\/h2>\n<p>Rylie Mills&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NFL\/status\/2020657001202884987\">pushed left guard Jared Wilson into Maye<\/a>&nbsp;and took both of them down on one of Seattle&rsquo;s sacks.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4441271\/patriots-seahawks-usa-250-patches-super-bowl-semiquincentennial\/\">PATRIOTS AND SEAHAWKS TO SPORT &lsquo;USA 250&rsquo; PATCHES AT SUPER BOWL FOR SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bad-bunny-shines-at-halftime\">Bad Bunny shines at halftime<\/h2>\n<p>Bad Bunny headlined a visually stunning&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/bad-bunny-super-bowl-2026-halftime-show-review-fbcd3dff50a4c6b0548bfa4712677eb0\">halftime performance<\/a>&nbsp;that also featured appearances by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. The Grammy-winning Puerto Rican artist entirely in Spanish.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-patriots-denied-a-record-7th-title\">Patriots denied a record 7th title<\/h2>\n<p>The Patriots failed to win the franchise&rsquo;s seventh Super Bowl, which would have set an NFL record. They&rsquo;re tied with the Steelers with six championships.<\/p>\n<p>Vrabel, the AP NFL Coach of the Year, was aiming to become the fifth person to win a Super Bowl as a player and head coach and the first to do both with the same team.<\/p>\n<p>The 23-year-old Maye became the QB to start a Super Bowl but couldn&rsquo;t become the youngest to win it. Ben Roethlisberger still holds that mark.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Seahawks win Super Bowl with rugged defense<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2634,"featured_media":2567739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Super-Bowl.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[73336,11840,69111,35594],"class_list":["post-2567738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-dark-side-defense","tag-patriots","tag-seahawks","tag-super-bowl"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Super-Bowl.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2634"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2567738"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2567742,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567738\/revisions\/2567742"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2567739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2567738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2567738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2567738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}