Just how dominant was the Seattle Seahawks’ defense in their 29-13 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX? Well, it was impressive enough for Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt to go there.
Brandt offered that in the middle of the game, he heard people comparing the Dark Side’s performance to the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. In Super Bowl XXXV, the Ravens’ defense turned in one of the greatest performances in Super Bowl history, crushing the New York Giants 34-7.
But Brandt didn’t stop there. What he said next is the kind of thing that should make members of the Patriots start throwing punches. He essentially claimed that the Seahawks robbed New England of its manhood in front of an international audience.
NFL analyst puts Super Bowl LX in brutally honest perspective
Brandt said the game “felt like adults versus teenagers where it’s like ‘I think we need to get the teenagers off the field because they’re not ready.’”
That is a devastating accusation for an NFL team to hear, but it did capture the game for a lot of viewers.
The final numbers do not accurately reflect what happened on the field. At least not when the game was on the line.
New England punted on their first five drives. The only thing that broke the string was the end of the first half when the Pats knelt to run out the clock. They had 51 total yards at halftime.
The only reason the game was not already over was that New England’s defense came to play. Seattle moved the ball between the 20s, but Mike Vrabel’s defense continually stiffened in the red zone and held Seattle to field goals. The Pats were still within two scores when the second half began.
Then three consecutive three-and-outs to begin the final half of the 2025 season. Halftime adjustments? It didn’t matter. Seattle was beating New England’s offense at every turn.
The offensive line was helpless. Maye was increasingly rattled. The running backs were stuffed, and the receivers were blanketed.
When New England finally did manage a first down in the second half, Derick Hall quickly followed it with his second sack of the night, resulting in a fumble. Through three quarters, Seattle held New England to fewer than 100 total yards and was pitching a shutout.
The adults-teenagers metaphor was most apparent in one play early in the second quarter. New England was still only down 6-0 and faced a second and seven from their own 38-yard line. Drake Maye dropped back to pass.
Seattle rookie Rylie Mills, who played a grand total of 28 snaps during the season due to a lingering injury, bull rushed the Patriots guard Jared Wilson. Wilson is also a rookie, but he has been New England’s starter for most of the year. He outweighs Mills by about 20 pounds. Nonetheless, Mills manhandled Wilson, driving him straight back into Maye and sacking the QB.
This came after Pats’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had called for a run on third-and-five on the previous drive. The play was stuffed, and New England punted. On TV, color analyst Chris Collinsworth called it a concession on the part of McDaniels. He knew he had no answers for this defense.
New England got desperate and hit on a couple of big plays in the fourth quarter. That made the final stats look more balanced, but it changed nothing. On the two drives after the Pats did manage to score, Seattle intercepted Maye both times, one of them resulting in a pick-six.
Everyone knew that Seattle’s defense was going to give New England trouble. But New England had overcome several excellent defenses on their way to the Super Bowl. Patriot fans had faith in McDaniels to figure out a way to attack.
It was hopeless from the opening kickoff. When a little-used rookie lineman can manhandle a starting guard – when the OC concedes a punt on third-and-five in the close game – when eight of the first ten drives end with punts, and the others end in a kneel down and a turnover – that is indeed a pretty clear indication that we are watching a major mismatch.
When Seattle’s defense was on the field, it did appear that to a man – players and coaches included – it was adults going up against teenagers. As Brandt concluded his brutal analysis, the Pats’ offense “never had a chance.”