Santa Clara, Calif. – The Patriots magical season came to a disappointing end in a 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on Sunday.

Obviously, the result of the Super Bowl wasn't what the Patriots hoped. New England punted on its first eight possessions before Seattle hit the exclamation point by strip-sacking QB Drake Maye in Pats territory to break the game open with the game's first touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Seattle was just the better team; their pass rush was relentless, the Seahawks mix of disguise and pressure confused Maye, and Seattle's offense got enough explosive plays from their run and play-action pass game to pull away.

Although it didn't end the way anyone wanted, let's not lose sight of what the Patriots accomplished in their first season under head coach Mike Vrabel. New England tied a league record with a 10-win turnaround, Maye was the runner-up for MVP, both Vrabel and OC Josh McDaniels won Coach of the Year honors, and there was an influx of talent from both the draft and free agency that helped the Patriots reach the Super Bowl – that all still happened.

"We're 307 days into what hopefully is a long, successful relationship and program. It's okay to be disappointed. We have to be disappointed and upset together," Vrabel said of his message to his team. "Like I always do, I tell them I'm appreciative of them. I'm thankful. I'm grateful that I get to coach them. Part of our identity is not being a frontrunner. Every year somebody's going to lose this game and we have to remember what it feels like and that it's not repeated."

When the dust settles from this season, we should appreciate the 2025 Patriots for bringing football back to Foxborough. It's been a few years since New England had meaningful games to look forward to and this was one of the most likeable teams this scribe has ever been around: Maye is a rising star who is still just 23 years old, Vrabel is a top coach who is the right man for the job, and the mood in the post-game locker room was one of disappointed mixed with hope because the Patriots are building something special here.

"He was the heartbeat," Maye said of his head coach. "I look forward to my relationship with him for a long time. He's a great person and a hell of a football coach."

That said, they were outclassed by the Seahawks on Sunday night, which raises big-picture questions about this team, especially on offense. Maye didn't perform well in the playoffs, seeing his EPA per drop-back decrease from a league-best output in the regular season (+0.313) to a far less efficient -0.28 in the postseason. On Sunday, Maye's EPA per drop-back of -0.36 was one of the lowest in Super Bowl history.

Maye's struggles in the playoffs will be over-analyzed in the coming weeks and months. He faced arguably the four best defenses in the league and managed an injury to his right throwing shoulder in the Super Bowl. Still, Vrabel likes to say his best players need to play well for his team to win and Maye wasn't at his best in the playoffs. There will also be big-picture questions about the left side of the offensive line. Was rookie LT Will Campbell's knee injury worse than what was reported or are we discussing him moving inside to guard? Is third-round rookie Jared Wilson's future at left guard or center? TBD on both.

Although it mostly felt like a young quarterback and offensive line being put on its heels, New England needs to keep stacking talent at the offensive skill positions, which could include a splash move for a high-end playmaker. Offensively, the Pats only averaged 15.3 points per game in the playoffs. On Sunday night, the issues for New England's offense in the postseason were its undoing, with credit to Seattle, the most complete team in the NFL this season.

Here are five takeaways from the Patriots loss to the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on Sunday night.

1. Seahawks Defense Flexes Its Mettle to Limit QB Drake Maye in Super Bowl LX

The Patriots run of playing four elite defenses met its final boss in the Seahawks on Sunday, who were just terrific in how they sequenced plays together to shut down Maye and company. Due to some late-game success, Maye threw for 295 passing yards with 27 completions. However, he also threw two interceptions and was sacked six times. The negative plays were what drove Maye's efficiency down and led to this game unraveling for the Pats offense, which couldn't find a rhythm throughout the postseason.

Early on, Seattle got New England's offense into some long-yardage situations, which allowed the Seahawks to land some early punches with blitzes. However, the plan was mainly to play cover six (22 snaps) and cover three (12), with Seattle ultimately only blitzing on 13.2% of Maye's 53 drop-backs. When the Seahawks did blitz, the scheme of the night was Seattle blitzing CB Devon Witherspoon out of the slot. Witherspoon logged four total pressures with a sack and a QB hit that caused an interception, where the Seahawks created a 2-on-1 on the running back by blitzing over the right side.

Although the Seahawks won the day, Maye hit back-to-back big plays that got the Patriots on the board. First, he hit WR Mack Hollins on a deep dig pattern for 24 yards and then connected with Hollins again for a 35-yard touchdown. However, the next two drives weren't as fruitful when Maye got a tad too aggressive looking for the big play. Following their first scoring drive, the defense got the Patriots the ball back down 19-7 with 10:40 left, so the game was still there for the taking. Unfortunately, Maye started big-play hunting and threw a pick that led to a Seattle touchdown, which broke the game back open for the Seahawks.

A very emotional Maye, who was choked up at times while answering questions post-game, spoke about how he hopes to grow in OC Josh McDaniels's system with more experience, adding that he hopes there aren't any major changes to New England's offense. Maye and McDaniels will need to find answers to cover six and DB blitzes, which became a blueprint against the Pats offense in the postseason.

2. Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker Wins Super Bowl MVP with 135-Yard Performance

The other disappointing development in Sunday's loss was that the Patriots run defense faltered against Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker, who was named the game's MVP. With standout DT Milton Williams healthy, New England's run defense had been dominant, but that wasn't the case in the Super Bowl.

Seattle didn't do anything out of the ordinary with their zone runs, sequenced off play-actions, screens, and limited drop-back passing. The Seahawks seemed to be determining run types at the line of scrimmage based on coverage shell and defensive front, cycling through inside and outside zone schemes with the occasional changeup (pin-pull sweeps). Walker did most of his damage on the edges, rushing for 114 yards on 21 carries that hit outside the tackles, setting up bounces and winning foot races to the edges.

Although they only had a 25% rushing success rate (14th percentile), Walker had five 10-plus yard runs and forced eight missed tackles, as the most consistent threat for either team. He was the best offensive player in the game and that's why he went home with the Super Bowl MVP.

3. Patriots O-Line Losses Battle with the Seahawks Dominant Defensive Front

Coming into Super Bowl LX, the prevailing thought was that the game would be decided in the trenches and that the Patriots O-Line would need to at least hold up against the Seahawks front.

New England's offensive line, which started two rookies on the left side for the first time in Super Bowl history, didn't need to win the matchup. However, they couldn't let it be lopsided in Seattle's favor, either, and unfortunately, that's the way it unfolded. By the numbers, Maye was under pressure on 52.8% of his drop-backs. Some of that was on Maye holding the ball with an average time to throw of 2.83s, but the Seahawks also overloaded the protection several times and won 1-on-1 matchups on other occasions. In particular, the Pats all-rookie left side had some struggles. According to NextGen Stats, LT Will Campbell allowed a sack and 14 total pressures, the most in a single game by any player this season, while first-year LG Jared Wilson allowed two sacks.

Campbell seemed to struggle with his set points and strike timing, allowing Seattle's edge rushers into his chest to generate power. Wilson also lost to power on a bull-rush sack by Seahawks DT Rylie Mills. Campbell has the makeup and athleticism to remain outside at left tackle. Still, he'll need to become a true technician at the position, which will help him better manage length disadvantages. That said, we have to acknowledge the possibility that Campbell and Wilson both move one spot to their right in the future.

4. CB Christian Gonzalez a Bright Spot in Matchup vs. Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Looking at a few bright spots for the Patriots in Super Bowl LX, Gonzalez was absolutely terrific, covering Smith-Njigba on 15 routes and only allowing one catch for 16 yards on three targets.

Gonzalez registered three pass breakups in the game, including knocking away a would-be touchdown intended for Smith-Njigba and a deep post route intended for WR Rasheed Shaheed. On both pass breakups, the Pats were in cover six, leaving Gonzalez 1-on-1 on the backside with two of Seattle's best receivers, including the Offensive Player of the Year.

On his pass breakup against Shaheed, Gonzo has the backside coverage in cover six (quarter-quarter-half) vs. a deep post, the most challenging route to cover in that coverage. Shaheed appears to have a step as he breaks on the big post, but Gonzalez runs the ball down and swats the pass away upon arrival to prevent a possible big play – tremendous closing speed.

As for the pass breakup against Smith-Njigba, Gonzalez is playing the same assignment as the Shaheed play. This time, JSN stems him outside to open an inside path to the skinny post. Gonzalez once again gets a little out of phase in the initial stages of the route, but is able undercut the route by Smith-Njigba and nearly intercepts the pass while preventing a TD.

The Patriots might've come up short in Super Bowl LX, but Gonzalez was one of the best players in the game and continues to be a cornerstone piece for New England's defense.

5. Rookie S Craig Woodson Another Possible Building Block in the Pats Secondary

The other bright spot on a defense that kept the Patriots alive all postseason long was fourth-round rookie Craig Woodson. Woodson had an outstanding playoff run, logging a team-high 10 tackles with three run stuffs while allowing zero completions on three targets in coverage. Woodson's play continued to improve with each game and he peaked in the playoffs.

Woodson's best play came when he chased down Shaheed on an end-around, one of the fastest players on the field for either team. The rookie spoke about his growing confidence after proving he can make plays against top competition in the postseason. Based on his play to end the season, it appears that New England has a starting-caliber safety in Woodson.

The Patriots season came to a disappointing end in their loss to the Seahawks, but nobody, fans or pundits, expected New England to finish as AFC champions. Now, the Patriots need to take the sting from losing the Super Bowl and use that as fuel for next season. Recently, the Eagles went from losing the Super Bowl to Kansas City to reversing the script two years later, using that initial loss as motivation for their 2024 title. The only way this loss can really damage New England is if it doesn't use it as a motivational tool to keep building on the solid foundation that Vrabel laid in his first season as head coach.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer