Key Takeaways in the Aftermath of Super Bowl 60
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16 Sept 2026Key Takeaways in the Aftermath of Super Bowl 60
The Seattle Seahawks are champions of the National Football League (NFL) after winning Super Bowl 60 Sunday night. They defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 in a game that most found to be far less exciting than the final score would indicate.
A Game Recap
For those who didn’t watch the game or didn’t see the whole thing, the Seahawks built a 12-0 lead midway through the third quarter. From there, the Seattle defense took over and forced three Drake Maye turnovers that led to 17 Seattle points. The first turnover was a Maye fumble that gave the Seahawks the ball deep in New England territory.
Sam Darnold threw his only touchdown pass of the game to A.J. Barner. In the fourth quarter, a pick six by Uchenna Nwosu made the score 29-7 with about 10 minutes left in the game. A late New England touchdown pass to Rhamondre Stevenson finished the scoring.
Kenneth Walker III powered the Seahawks with 135 yards on 27 carries and almost had a late touchdown that was called back on a holding penalty. Walker III was named the game’s MVP.
Read more: NFL Historical: The Greatest Super Bowl MVP Performances
Sam Darnold Is No Longer a Draft Bust
The Seahawks win likely changes the narrative about Sam Darnold for good. While he’ll never be confused with Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson, he won’t be called a bust any more. It’s likely that Darnold will play for several more years in Seattle and may have an opportunity to make deep playoff runs given the state of the team’s defense.
Defense Still Wins Championships
Most of the league has embraced the idea that you have to hire an offensive-minded coach and build a team full of weapons on that side of the ball. However, the Seahawks proved that you can still win with a dominating defense and special teams.
Sam Darnold completed a mere 50% of his passes for 202 yards against New England’s middling defense. Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught four passes on ten targets for 27 yards while leading receiver Cooper Kupp caught six passes for 61 yards.
Therefore, the idea that you have to have an elite quarterback and elite receiver to win a championship was sort of discarded on Sunday. This may cause teams like the Buffalo Bills to rethink their offseason strategy as they are considered a team that needs an elite receiver to compete in the AFC.
Will the Patriots Be Back?
It has been reported that Drake Maye had a painkilling injection in his shoulder just prior to the Super Bowl. That may have explained why he played so poorly against Seattle. However, it doesn’t explain why he played so poorly against the Broncos in the AFC title game or explain his pedestrian performances against the Chargers and Texans in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
The Patriots will return many of their key members on offense and defense next year, so they should still be a threat to make the playoffs. It’s worth noting that Dan Marino made his first Super Bowl appearance in his second season, and he never made it back. Joe Burrow made the Super Bowl in his second season and has yet to get back there either.
Read more: NFL Historical: Super Bowl Moments That Broke Hearts
It’s also almost a given that the Bills, Chiefs and Ravens are going to retool and be as strong as ever next year. At a minimum, the AFC could be an interesting conference in which most teams outside of Las Vegas or Cleveland have a legitimate shot of winning.
The League Turns Its Attention to Collective Bargaining Matters
Recently, both Commissioner Roger Goodell and representatives from the NFLPA have said that an 18-game schedule is unlikely anytime soon. The truth is that the NFLPA doesn’t have a permanent leader in place, so negotiations can’t happen just yet. However, the belief is that the NFL will add another game to the schedule as soon as logistically possible.
In addition, many are linking the selection of Bad Bunny to headline the Super Bowl halftime show to potential expansion overseas. It’s speculated that the league might put an entire division in Europe, and the NFL would likely consider putting teams in any country that has a large enough fanbase.
Read more: The Super Bowl Shows Equality Might Not Be Dead After All
What to Know About the Offseason
The 2026 league year starts on March 11, which is the first official day of free agency. There is a legal tampering period that starts on March 9 during which contract negotiations can take place. The NFL Draft starts on April 23 and takes place in Pittsburgh. Training camps are expected to start in the middle of July while the preseason runs through the month of August. The first regular season game takes place on Thursday Sept. 10 likely featuring the Seahawks at home. Typically, the NFL releases the schedule sometime in May.
Although the NFL offseason is upon us, there is still plenty for fans to look forward to. The next seven months are sure to full of enough intrigue and drama to tide us over until the 2026 regular season is ready to get started.
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The Seattle Seahawks are champions of the National Football League (NFL) after winning Super Bowl 60 Sunday night. They defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 in a game that most found to be far less exciting than the final score would indicate.
A Game Recap
For those who didn’t watch the game or didn’t see the whole thing, the Seahawks built a 12-0 lead midway through the third quarter. From there, the Seattle defense took over and forced three Drake Maye turnovers that led to 17 Seattle points. The first turnover was a Maye fumble that gave the Seahawks the ball deep in New England territory.
Sam Darnold threw his only touchdown pass of the game to A.J. Barner. In the fourth quarter, a pick six by Uchenna Nwosu made the score 29-7 with about 10 minutes left in the game. A late New England touchdown pass to Rhamondre Stevenson finished the scoring.
Kenneth Walker III powered the Seahawks with 135 yards on 27 carries and almost had a late touchdown that was called back on a holding penalty. Walker III was named the game’s MVP.
Read more: NFL Historical: The Greatest Super Bowl MVP Performances
Sam Darnold Is No Longer a Draft Bust
The Seahawks win likely changes the narrative about Sam Darnold for good. While he’ll never be confused with Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson, he won’t be called a bust any more. It’s likely that Darnold will play for several more years in Seattle and may have an opportunity to make deep playoff runs given the state of the team’s defense.
Defense Still Wins Championships
Most of the league has embraced the idea that you have to hire an offensive-minded coach and build a team full of weapons on that side of the ball. However, the Seahawks proved that you can still win with a dominating defense and special teams.
Sam Darnold completed a mere 50% of his passes for 202 yards against New England’s middling defense. Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught four passes on ten targets for 27 yards while leading receiver Cooper Kupp caught six passes for 61 yards.
Therefore, the idea that you have to have an elite quarterback and elite receiver to win a championship was sort of discarded on Sunday. This may cause teams like the Buffalo Bills to rethink their offseason strategy as they are considered a team that needs an elite receiver to compete in the AFC.
Will the Patriots Be Back?
It has been reported that Drake Maye had a painkilling injection in his shoulder just prior to the Super Bowl. That may have explained why he played so poorly against Seattle. However, it doesn’t explain why he played so poorly against the Broncos in the AFC title game or explain his pedestrian performances against the Chargers and Texans in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
The Patriots will return many of their key members on offense and defense next year, so they should still be a threat to make the playoffs. It’s worth noting that Dan Marino made his first Super Bowl appearance in his second season, and he never made it back. Joe Burrow made the Super Bowl in his second season and has yet to get back there either.
Read more: NFL Historical: Super Bowl Moments That Broke Hearts
It’s also almost a given that the Bills, Chiefs and Ravens are going to retool and be as strong as ever next year. At a minimum, the AFC could be an interesting conference in which most teams outside of Las Vegas or Cleveland have a legitimate shot of winning.
The League Turns Its Attention to Collective Bargaining Matters
Recently, both Commissioner Roger Goodell and representatives from the NFLPA have said that an 18-game schedule is unlikely anytime soon. The truth is that the NFLPA doesn’t have a permanent leader in place, so negotiations can’t happen just yet. However, the belief is that the NFL will add another game to the schedule as soon as logistically possible.
In addition, many are linking the selection of Bad Bunny to headline the Super Bowl halftime show to potential expansion overseas. It’s speculated that the league might put an entire division in Europe, and the NFL would likely consider putting teams in any country that has a large enough fanbase.
Read more: The Super Bowl Shows Equality Might Not Be Dead After All
What to Know About the Offseason
The 2026 league year starts on March 11, which is the first official day of free agency. There is a legal tampering period that starts on March 9 during which contract negotiations can take place. The NFL Draft starts on April 23 and takes place in Pittsburgh. Training camps are expected to start in the middle of July while the preseason runs through the month of August. The first regular season game takes place on Thursday Sept. 10 likely featuring the Seahawks at home. Typically, the NFL releases the schedule sometime in May.
Although the NFL offseason is upon us, there is still plenty for fans to look forward to. The next seven months are sure to full of enough intrigue and drama to tide us over until the 2026 regular season is ready to get started.