Super Bowl 2026: Seattle Seahawks beat New England Patriots in California as Drake Maye stifled by defensive masterclass
By Will Conroy
Published 09/02/2026 at 10:28 GMT
React to this story
The Seattle Seahawks produced a defensive masterclass to become Super Bowl champions for the second time on Sunday night, as they beat the New England Patriots 29-13 in Santa Clara, California. Masterminded partly by British coordinator Aden Durde, Seattle's 'Dark Side' defence managed to stifle New England and their quarterback Drake Maye, denying the Patriots a record seventh Super Bowl win.
The Seattle Seahawks celebrate after winning their second Super Bowl
Image credit: Getty Images
The Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 on Sunday night to become Super Bowl champions for the second time.
Mike MacDonald’s side delivered a sensational defensive display at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, with Briton Aden Durde playing a crucial role as defensive coordinator.
The 46-year-old became the first overseas coach to win a Super Bowl, and the first-ever British-born coordinator to coach in the United States' biggest game.
Durde has been pivotal in masterminding Seattle's 'Dark Side' defence, and the rewards were reaped in California on Sunday.
New England quarterback Drake Maye, who narrowly missed out on this season's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, was nullified by the Seahawks, who claimed six sacks, forced three turnovers and scored a defensive touchdown.
"We were the better team; we're the best team. We loved each other, we believed in each other, and now we're champions," Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald told NBC.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/02/09/image-3e5f5c2e-0e79-472d-9707-bc2ed1108cf0.jpeg)
Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde
Image credit: Getty Images
"We went to the dark side tonight. We love our players - they made it happen. They made it come to life."
MacDonald’s side were 9-0 up at half-time before Maye’s first turnover led to the first touchdown of the game as Sam Darnold’s pass found AJ Barner early in the fourth quarter.
Linebacker Uchenna Nwosu then returned an interception for a 45-yard touchdown as Jason Meyers kicked a record five field goals.
Julian Love's fourth-quarter pick put to bed any threat of a Maye fightback as Seattle denied the Patriots a record seventh Super Bowl win.
The victory also saw Darnold crown his remarkable comeback story, having previously been written off as a starting NFL quarterback.
The Seahawks are the fifth team the 28-year-old has represented during his eight-year career, and the third in the last three years.
But after signing a $100.5m deal with the organisation last off-season, he has now won the game’s biggest prize.
"My team-mates and my coaches, they believed in me," Darnold told NBC.
"Since the first training camp, every single day we came to work. Shout-out to our offensive line for everything they did in the game. But I've also got to shout out our defence.
"We did it. It's been such a special journey with these guys. So much hard work has been out into this, and we did it."
- Vonn 'in stable condition' after crash in women's downhill
- Malinin 'blown away' as Djokovic stunned by American's winning routine
- Why Szoboszlai was sent off in wild end to Man City win
As Darnold triumphed, it was Maye who suffered, coming up against the fast, physical defence that Durde and Macdonald have developed in their two seasons together.
Devon Witherspoon, Derick Hall and Rylie Mills had only registered 2.5 sacks between them all season, but all three got to Maye in the first half.
The Patriots earned just four first downs before the interval and 52 yards in total.
The ‘Dark Side’ defence will go down in Seattle history alongside the 'Legion of Boom', the defence that led them to their previous Super Bowl win in 2014.
Kenneth Walker, meanwhile, starred on the ground with 135 rushing yards as he won Super Bowl MVP.
Watch the best sporting action live and on-demand via TNT Sports and discovery+
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement