Although expectations were low for what the New England Patriots could accomplish during the 2025 season, they were heightened the moment they made the Super Bowl to face the Seattle Seahawks last week. Their "Cinderella" comeback could end on the best note ever by winning their seventh Lombardi Trophy, but not every story has a happy ending.
Instead, they lost in a blowout despite the defense playing at an all-time high, which made the loss even worse.
As if that wasn't bad enough, hearing what some Seahawks players had to say in the immediate aftermath of the game and in the days since puts the entire situation under a microscope more than it already was, particularly the coaching staff, who seemingly didn't prepare the team well enough for the Seahawks' defense.
Star cornerback Devon Witherspoon essentially confirmed that with his admission about the Patriots' offensive line.
Devon Witherspoon says the Seahawks had a secret edge over the Patriots' offense in Super Bowl LX
While speaking to SiriusXM NFL Radio after the win, Witherspoon revealed that Seattle picked up on the offensive line's tells, allowing them to know what play would be run before it happened.
It was clearly a death sentence for an already struggling group that only exacerbated the issue and ultimately led to the Patriots' demise.
"I knew what was going on. We had a good tell on what they like to do and how they like to play and how they were going to attack us. Coach put us in the best position to win. That's our coach right there, that's why we always stand beside him and always have his back.
We had a tell on their guards and their tackles, how they like to set, they're going to overset on certain rushes, they're going to fall for certain moves any time a group of guys get after them, and today I think we did that."
Although most of the conversation since the loss has centered around specific players, mainly Will Campbell and Drake Maye, this certainly puts a new spin on who might be more to blame for the offense's struggles.
The Seahawks watched film on their opponent and picked up on things that apparently Josh McDaniels and Co. overlooked, which led to an easy win for Seattle in Santa Clara.
While it's far from an explanation for why the Patriots looked totally unprepared for the task at hand, it does provide more context that has been lacking, which could help explain why they performed at their absolute worst after an impressive season.
It will need to be something they adjust going into next year if they want another shot at making the Super Bowl, and hopefully, they'll make the right changes to increase their chances.