The Patriots defense was very good, even sensational at times, but couldn’t force that needed big mistake

New England Patriots

The defense didn’t lose this game, by any means. The problem, the lament, is that the Patriots needed them to win it.

By Chad Finn

February 9, 2026 | 8:59 AM

4 minutes to read

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots’ most recent game …

Despite the outcome, there’s much to laud about the Patriots’ defensive performance in their 29-13 loss to the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.

But there are going to be some lingering laments that trail them into the offseason, too.

The Patriots held the Seahawks’ Sam Darnold — who overcame his Jets upbringing to emerge as a Brad Johnson-caliber Super Bowl champion QB — to 19-of-38 passing for 202 yards and a touchdown.

The Seahawks were just 4 of 16 on third down, and superstar receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was held to four catches on 10 targets for 27 yards. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez played a sensational game, including batting down a pass intended for Smith-Njigba near the goal line late in the first half that looked like it would be a touchdown when Darnold released it.

Rookie safety Craig Woodson made 10 tackles — 7 solo, including corralling speedy Rashid Shaheed for a 5-yard loss early in the game. Woodson, playing a Devin McCourty-type of game, had three tackles for a loss and a pair of passes defensed.

Confession: I found myself earlier Sunday wondering what kind of gameplan ol’ Bill Belichick might scheme up to stop Smith-Njigba and remind Darnold about the ghosts in his past. What Mike Vrabel and his defensive coaches, including play-caller Zak Kuhr, cooked up was more than sufficient.

The defense didn’t lose this game, by any means. The problem, the lament, is that the Patriots needed them to win it.

With Drake Maye and the offense being suffocated by a Seahawks defense that analytics — particularly For The Numbers’ DVOA metric — indicated was one of the best of all-time, it became clear early the New England defense was going to have to force Darnold into mistakes, preferably of the catastrophic kind.

He seemed willing to cooperate early, throwing multiple passes into coverage. But Darnold — who threw 14 interceptions and lost six fumbles in the regular season, but did not commit a turnover in the playoffs — never gave the Patriots their Ty Law-picking-off-Kurt Warner moment.

The Seahawks led just 3-0 at the end of the first quarter and 9-0 at halftime. But their defense — which sacked Maye six times, sped him up all night, and allowed him just 48 passing yards in the first half — can make a 9-point lead feel insurmountable.

The Patriots defense did its job, and well. Unfortunately, it needed to do a little more than that.

Some further thoughts, upon immediate review …

Three players who were worth watching

Players suggested in the Unconventional Preview: Milton Williams, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Stefon Diggs.

Kenneth Walker III: The Seahawks shifty running back set the tone for what would be a Super Bowl MVP performance with a 10-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. His two biggest runs in a 27-carry, 135-yard effort — a harsh reminder that the Patriots run defense regressed over the season — came in a span of two plays early in the second quarter.

First, he dodged multiple would-be tacklers and broke free for 30 yards down the left sideline, finally getting knocked out of bounds at the Patriots 46-yard line. After a Darnold incomplete pass, Walker got loose again, picking up 29 yards down the right side to the Patriots 17. That drive ended with a Jason Myers 39-yard field goal for a 6-0 Seahawks lead.

Walker didn’t find the end zone, though for a fleeting fourth-quarter moment he appeared like he would. His apparent 49-yard touchdown run just before the two-minute warning was called back due to a holding penalty.

Devon Witherspoon: One of two cornerbacks taken before Gonzalez in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Witherspoon set the tone early for the Seahawks defense as a blitzer. On the Patriots’ first possession, his pursuit of Maye forced a throwaway on third and 9. On the second possession, Maye had no escape. Witherspoon blitzed on third and 15 and sacked Maye for a 10-yard loss. Witherspoon finished with four tackles, that sack, and three QB hits.

Mack Hollins: Honestly, we probably should go with Seattle tight end AJ Barner in this spot, since he had four catches for 54 yards, including the backbreaking 16-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter to put the Seahawks up, 19-0. But Hollins is worthy of a note. He broke the seal on the end zone with a 35-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth, immediately after a 24-yard catch in traffic.

Grievance of the game

This isn’t a grievance from the game, but one that I’m presuming will emerge, at least among national talking heads — that the Patriots didn’t belong here. This team went 9-0 on the road this season, won 10 in a row at one point, became the first Patriots team to win a playoff game in Denver, and finished with 17 wins in 21 games.

Seattle was the better team — on this night, the much better team. But the Patriots earned everything they got, and they should be remembered well.

THREE NOTES SCRIBBLED IN THE MARGINS

Predicted final score: Patriots 28, Seahawks 24

Final score: Seahawks 29, Patriots 13

Myers made all five of his field-goal attempts, and Seahawks punter Michael Dickson was downright exceptional, averaging 47.9 yards on seven kicks, placing three inside the 20 … Treyveyon Henderson contributed a 38-yard kick return late in the game. He should have been in the role all season … Here’s to a Patriots offseason that goes as well as the last one.

Chad Finn

Sports columnist

Chad Finn is a sports columnist for Boston.com. He has been voted Favorite Sports Writer in Boston in the annual Channel Media Market and Research Poll for the past four years. He also writes a weekly sports media column for the Globe and contributes to Globe Magazine.