The New England Patriots lost Super Bowl 60, 29-13, to the Seattle Seahawks, and the 13 points are somewhat misleading about how much of a struggle the game was for New England’s offense. The Seahawks' defense dominated the Patriots and almost single-handedly decided the outcome of the game.
Following the action, Patriots players were asked about Seattle’s challenging defense. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson was specifically asked if the Seahawks defense did anything that New England wasn’t expecting.
Stevenson made it clear that wasn’t the case. The Patriots expected what Seattle brought; they just couldn’t handle it. That makes the disappointing performance even worse.
Asked Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson if there were things Seattle’s defense did up front, with pressure, etc. that New England wasn’t expecting.
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) February 9, 2026
Stevenson: “Didn’t really do nothing we weren’t expecting.” pic.twitter.com/xJW7QkDl9C
Rhamondre Stevenson says Seahawks defense didn’t do anything Patriots weren’t expecting
The veteran running back explained that the game came down to execution, and New England’s offense just needed to execute better.
Unfortunately, that’s what the film also showed. Seattle’s dominance wasn’t a matter of the Patriots being out-schemed; they were just being outperformed. That’s a tough pill to swallow, because that’s essentially just the Seahawks flexing their talent and proving they’re the better team.
Seattle’s defense did that by recording six sacks and forcing three turnovers — including a game-sealing 45-yard pick six, that was a result of a quarterback hit. While the Patriots’ 331 yards and 4.9 yards per play may not seem that bad, most of that production came late in the game, when many people thought the game was already decided.
New England trailed 19-0 entering the fourth quarter, and finally got on the board by scoring a touchdown with just over 12 minutes left. Trailing 29-7 with just over two minutes left in the game, the Patriots got their second touchdown of the night, but it was ultimately too little too late.
This game, and especially Seattle’s defensive dominance over New England’s offense, should make it clear to the Patriots that there’s more work to be done. The franchise can’t just run things back and hope to get a redo in next year’s Super Bowl.
If the Patriots are going to get back to the big game and come out victorious, they need to make significant improvements on the offensive side of the ball.