Your Pats, who had won 16 out of 17 and not lost by more than 7 points all season, were shocked and awed Sunday by the Seattle Seahawks, losing Super Bowl LX, 29-13, at Levi’s Stadium. This wasn’t Bears, 46-10, like in New Orleans in 1986, but there were times it felt just as feeble. The Patriots were demolished and became the first team to lose six Super Bowls.
It was Starbucks over Dunks. By a lot.
“We had a really good year, one that I’m proud of,” said Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. “This game isn’t a reflection of our year. They [Seattle] are a good football team. I hope we’re able to learn from this. We understand how hard it is to get here.”
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The offense in the first three quarters was historically bad. New England punted on its first eight full possessions, then fumbled on the ninth and trailed, 19-0, four plays into the fourth quarter. The Patriots became the first team in 51 years to fail to score in the first three quarters of a Super Bowl.
There was little to celebrate on the New England sideline most of the night.Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
The dam burst at the end of the third when poor Drake Maye (two interceptions, a lost fumble, six sacks) gave the Seahawks possession on the New England 37. Less then two minutes later, Sam Darnold badly burned Patriots linebacker Jack Gibbens for a 16-yard touchdown pass. The rest of the game was for bettors only, the lowlight coming when a shirtless fan streaked across the field, avoided security, and was chased down by Patriot speedster Kyle Williams.
So much for New England’s Cinderella story. The clock ran out. The slipper wouldn’t fit. The charming narrative of the plucky Patriots, who vaulted from 4-13 all the way to the Super Bowl, can never be diminished. But it ended badly, and there will ever be suspicion that the Fortunate Sons of Vrabel merely took advantage of one of the easiest schedules in league history — the Pats played 11 games against teams who fired their coaches, plus the Jets twice — then got hot in the playoffs and advanced because of their place in the NFL’s weaker conference.
It was certainly a tough Super Bowl week for longtime Patriot owner, Robert Kraft. MAGA-Bob had his name leaked in the Epstein files, was again snubbed in his quest for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Saturday was trolled at the Duke-UNC hoop game by Bill Belichick’s 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson with an Orchids of Asia T-shirt — the Florida spa where Kraft was charged with solicitation of prostitution in 2019. (Charges were dropped.)
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And then this dismal game. The only way Kraft’s week could have gotten worse would be a second viewing of “Melania.”
Super Bowl LX was a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona 11 years ago — a game won when Seattle coach Pete Carroll failed to give the ball to Marshawn Lynch on the 1-yard line. (Thanks, Malcolm Butler!) It was the worst Seattle sports moment since they lost the Sonics.
This time around, the Pats were 4½-point underdogs against a dominant Seattle team that won eight games by at least two touchdowns and compiled the league’s largest point differential. The Seahawks did not commit a single postseason turnover.
Underdog status was nothing new to your 2025-26 Pats, who ran through a raft of Tomato Cans to go 14-3, followed by impressive playoff wins against the Chargers, Texans, and Broncos. It all vaulted the Patriots to their 12th Super Bowl, four more than any other NFL team.
Maye had never played in a Super Bowl, nor set foot on Levi’s Stadium’s real grass surface, but he attended Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara with his dad when he was 13 years old in 2016. A Charlotte native, The Drake grew up rooting for the Panthers and his dad brought him to Carolina’s 24-10 loss to the Broncos.
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“It’s a full-circle moment,” Maye said after the Pats checked into their Santa Clara hotel last Sunday. “I think that’s the biggest thing. I’m just so thankful for my dad to be able to take me to a Super Bowl. I don’t take that for granted; not every kid gets to experience that. I was able to watch my favorite team at the time and I got to see Peyton Manning’s last game — what a cool experience that was. And now, to be here and playing in one for myself, I don’t take that for granted.”
Maye was the NFL’s MVP runner-up in 2025, throwing 31 touchdown passes with only eight interceptions, running for 450 yards, and completing a whopping 72 percent of his passes. Playoff Drake was not the same player. Competing against four of the NFL’s top six defenses, Maye’s completion percentage dipped to 58, he was sacked a postseason-record 21 times, intercepted four times, and lost four fumbles.
Don’t let Maye’s Super Bowl stats (27 for 43, 295 yards, two touchdowns) deceive you. The Drake couldn’t do anything when it mattered Sunday and much of it was not his fault. His offensive line couldn’t handle the pressure.
“They played better than us tonight and they beat us,” said Maye. “They brought pressure and got us a few times. There were times I could have made a better throw or a better decision. It comes down to who makes the play and they made more than we did.”
After so much success in their first season as a pairing, Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye’s Patriots were flattened one win short of a title.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
It was 67 degrees and sunny at kickoff in this rare outdoor NFL championship event. San Francisco legend Joe Montana flipped the coin, Seattle lost the toss, and the Patriots — just like in the old days — deferred. Butler was the official ringer of the bell for the Pats before Andy Borregales kicked off.
Seattle allowed the fewest points in the NFL this year and gave a great demonstration of its prowess. New England’s defense played well for most of the night, holding the Seahawks to four field goals in the first three quarters, but it became too hard when Maye started turning the ball over.
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The blowout will reinforce the notion that the Seattle-Rams NFC Championship game was the de-facto Super Bowl of 2026. Maybe so, but that shouldn’t take away from the magic ride that got the Patriots to Super Bowl LX.
Remember this team fondly. Just try not to think about the last game.
It was bad.
Head coach Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye, and other Patriots speak after losing Super Bowl LX to the Seahawks.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at daniel.shaughnessy@globe.com. Follow him @dan_shaughnessy.
A federal judge on Wednesday permanently barred President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing most of his first executive order on elections, part of which sought to require people to show documentary proof of citizenship when they register to vote.
The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper in Boston effectively converts a preliminary injunction she issued a year ago, in which she temporarily blocked many of Trump’s efforts to overhaul elections, into a permanent ban.
Casper rejected the administration’s argument that the lawsuit to block the changes brought by Democratic state attorneys general was premature because the rules had yet to be implemented. Instead, she agreed that the Constitution gives states and Congress the authority to regulate elections, and that Trump’s requirements violated the separation of powers.
The Constitution “does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” she wrote.
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Among other proposed changes, Trump’s order would have required people to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote, prevented mail ballots from being counted if they arrive after Election Day, even if they were postmarked by then, and punished states that failed to comply by withholding certain federal money.
It was the latest in a string of rulings against the elections executive order Trump signed just months after taking office for his second term. He has since signed another executive order on elections, seeking to create a national voter list and limit mail balloting. That directive also faces multiple legal challenges.
Last fall, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., overseeing a separate challenge to the first election executive order by civil rights and Democratic Party-aligned groups blocked the government from taking steps to include the proof-of-citizenship requirement on the federal voter registration form. That judge later barred the Secretary of Defense from requiring documentary proof of citizenship when military personnel register to vote or request ballots.
In an apparent nod to the difficulty of implementing a proof-of-citizen requirement by executive order, Trump is pushing legislation in the Republican-controlled Congress to create such a mandate. The SAVE America Act has passed the House but has stalled in the Senate, leading Trump to advocate for eliminating the filibuster that is blocking the legislation.
On Wednesday, he abruptly cancelled the expected signing of a bipartisan housing bill, saying he won’t sign legislation until Congress passes his proof of citizenship requirement for voting.
Three days after an alleged carjacker hit and killed a woman in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood, members of the community came together to honor her life.
A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday evening for 32-year-old Mabinty Janneh of Dorchester. She died after being hit Saturday afternoon on Blue Hill Avenue.
Ibraim Matos, 37, of Hyde Park, is charged with murder in the crash. He allegedly stole a vehicle and drove it onto the sidewalk, fatally hitting Janneh.
Ibraim Matos of Hyde Park has been charged with murder in the deadly crash.
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Heartbroken family, friends and community members gathered near the site of the crash to remember Janneh Tuesday.
“We need justice for Mabinty,” said her aunt, Mbalu Tarawally.
“I just felt like I needed to be present,” said Rev. Dr. Barbara Simmons. “If the family lost a person, the least I can do is come here and show my face.”
“She was young, vibrant. Hard worker. Wants to do everything,” said Ahmad Thorley, a family member of Janneh.
The suspect in a deadly carjacking and crash in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood appeared in court to face charges including murder.
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Witnesses said Matos dragged Janneh several hundred feet after hitting her.
The stolen Toyota RAV4 crashed into an MBTA bus, and people at the pulled Matos out of the car and holding him there until police arrived.
Matos pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of leaving the scene of personal injury and death and motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation, along with murder and carjacking. His defense attorney spoke briefly on Monday, saying they will evaluate “where we stand” in a few weeks after the mental health evaluation.
Boston taxis will be able to pick up passengers who request Uber and Lyft rides under a new pilot program announced by Mayor Michelle Wu Tuesday.
Customers who get a cab through a ride-hailing app will still see the cost upfront on their phone as opposed to the typical taxi fare structure.
“The goal of the pilot is to give Boston passengers more options to hail a taxi and to allow Boston’s licensed taxis to participate directly in meeting the demand for trips generated through Uber and Lyft,” the city said in a news release.
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Wu said the yearlong pilot will allow cab drivers to earn more while reducing wait times for passengers.
“We’re thankful for the collaboration and advocacy from our taxicab drivers to introduce this new transportation service, and excited to support the people who keep our city moving,” the mayor said.
The program excludes taxi trips to Boston’s Logan Airport, and allows the Hackney Division to make exceptions during some special events in the city.
Uber’s website informs users “you might get matched with a Boston taxi driver.”
“If so, you’ll enjoy the same 24/7 availability and affordable prices you know with UberX while riding to your destination in a cab,” Uber says.
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The city said it expects taxi drivers will now be able to “access a significantly larger number of trips than most currently serve.”
“This change is a major boost for taxi drivers in Boston and the passengers we serve,” said Balwinder Gill, who has owned and operated a Boston taxi for 25 years.
