The Seattle Seahawks' suffocating defense dominates the New England Patriots, clinching the Super Bowl XL title. Kenneth Walker shines as MVP in dominant team effort, rushing for 135 yards.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Seattle Seahawks were the No. 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs for a reason. They were the best team in the best division — the NFC West — and went 14-3 during the 2025 regular season.
And to get to Super Bowl XL, they had to beat the other two great teams in their division — the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams — in the playoffs. So getting a shot at the New England Patriots — who were also 14-3 this year, but with a much easier schedule — was a much-deserved reward for a job well done.
That job? Oh yeah, they finished it. Emphatically.
The vaunted Seattle defense completely dominated Drake Maye and the Patriots, winning 29-13 for their second Super Bowl title. They also won in 2014.
The Seahawks sacked Maye six times and forced two interceptions, shutting them out through the first three quarters. It was about as dominant a performance as we've seen from a defense in a while.
And it helped make them champions in Mike Macdonald's second year as Seattle's head coach.
"I'm so happy," said Seattle cornerback Devon Witherspoon. "It's hard to find the words right now, but, man, I love this team, bro. I love the group of guys that we have here, I love what we've established around here. I just can't wait to celebrate with my guys."
Here's the game story from Seahawks Roundtable writer Timm Hamm.
Seattle slowly and methodically built their lead throughout the first three quarters, kicking four field goals to get up 12-0, and the making it 19-0 when quarterback Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass to tight end A.J. Barner.
The Patriots put up some points late but never got closer than 12 points. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye threw two interceptions for New England, while Seattle QB Sam Darnold was 19-for-38 passing with that touchdown pass to Barner. Kenneth Walker rushed for 135 yards and won named MVP.
"He's been doing it all year," Seattle running back Zach Charbonnet said of his teammate Walker, a former Michigan State star. "He's the best there is, man. Love to have him."
Walker rushed for 1,027 yards during the regular season and added 313 more in the playoffs. A second-round pick in 2022, he's in a contract year, so his timing was excellent.
Darnold already got his money, signing a three-year, $105.5 million free agent contract with Seattle last March. What he got Sunday was vindication, after struggling through stops with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings.
Darnold is the first quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl with his fifth team. He's also the first quarterback from the highly touted 2018 draft class to win a Super Bowl. Darnold was the No. 3 overall pick of the Jets. Baker Mayfield (No. 1 overall pick), Josh Allen (No. 7), Josh Rosen (No. 10), and Lamar Jackson (No. 32) are still waiting for their title.
“I didn’t not believe that I would be (the first 2018 QB champion),” Darnold smiled. “It’s special, man. And it’s not about that – to me, it’s never been about that. I’m just doing the best that I can. Because, every single day, I want to be the best quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. That’s really what it comes down to.”