The Patriots went into Super Bowl LX with a lot of momentum, but a lot of doubt from those betting on the game, as nearly every analyst picked the Seahawks to walk out with the Lombardi Trophy.
Based on the defensive gauntlet New England faced on the road to the Super Bowl, their odds looked good against another impressive group, but their struggles were on full display early and often, putting them behind for the first three quarters.
Beyond the problems with the rookies on the left side of the offensive line, another weakness that was infuriating throughout the regular season reared its ugly head on the biggest stage on Sunday: the defensive tackling woes.
What had been perhaps the defense's biggest weakness became a noticeable problem against an explosive Seahawks offense, even with WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba sidelined briefly with a potential concussion.
It got to the point that even former Patriots players chimed in on social media, most notably Patrick Chung, who had a simple message about the defense's performance.
Tackle
— Patrick Chung (@PatrickChung23) February 9, 2026
It's as simple as that.
The Patriots' biggest weaknesses were the main conversation of their Super Bowl LX performance
It was clear early on that this matchup would be a defensive-heavy game, as the Patriots held Sam Darnold and the Seattle offense to just field goals until midway through the third quarter, while the Seahawks kept New England scoreless until the fourth quarter.
The main reason on the Patriots' side was their weak defensive tackling, which ultimately led to big runs by RB Kenneth Walker and breakaway plays by TE AJ Barner.
Fortunately, players like CB Christian Gonzalez and S Jaylinn Hawkins came to play and helped keep things in check by breaking up several pass attempts by Darnold. Had it not been for their efforts, this surely would have gotten way out of hand.
They did their job enough to keep Seattle out of the end zone for the majority of the game, but it wasn't enough in the end,.