Super Bowl 60, to many, was a boring defensive battle that led to minimal scoring from both sides. However, this Super Bowl broke many records and brought many firsts.
Leading up to the game, Drake Maye was rumored to have an injury earlier in the week. Sam Darnold also had an injured oblique during the NFC championship, so both quarterbacks were heading into the game not at 100%. The Seahawks had a promising drive to begin the game with a questionable bobbled catch by Cooper Kupp. They walked away with only a field goal, which would quickly become a common theme that night.
Throughout the first half, the Patriots' offense either fizzled with a three-and-out or produced a costly turnover in their territory. The Patriots’ defense held the Seahawks to three field goals in the first half, making a 9-0 score going into Bad Bunny’s halftime show. In the second half, the game had its first touchdown, going to Seahawks tight end AJ Barner. This was also the Seahawks' only offensive touchdown. The Patriots did respond with a quick touchdown by Mack Hollins. This gave a bit of hope that was quickly snuffed out by another Jason Meyers field goal and a Drake Maye pick-six to seal the game. The Patriots scored a late touchdown by Rhemondre Stevenson made the final 29-13.
Bad Bunny performed the halftime show with a well-produced concert. Prior to the concert, people were skeptical about the selection. Bad Bunny would be the first half time proformence
to be done almost entirely in Spanish. Afterwards
For guest appearances, Bad Bunny brought out Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, who both had minor but great parts. There were cameos by other The total song count was 14, featuring hits like “Tití Me Preguntó" & my favorite song of his, “DTMF.” Overall, it was a good halftime show that followed up Kendrick Lamar's 2025 halftime show performance very well.
This game, though boring for most of it, did break some records. With the loss, the Patriots became the franchise with the most Super Bowl losses. They have become the first team to lose a Super Bowl in every timezone in the US.
“It just means that we have appeared in more Super Bowls than anyone else,” Journalism Teacher Ms. Newman said. “With great success comes the risk of great failure.”
Seahawks kicker Jason Meyers made five field goals in the Super Bowl, a new record, beating several previous kickers who had four. Jason Meyers scored more points himself than the Patriots combined. Kenneth Walker becomes the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP since 1998, when Terrell Davis won it for the Broncos. Walker had an impressive game with 135 yards rushing on 27 carries. He also added 26 passing yards to 161 yards. He would have had a touchdown, but the play was called back on a offesive holding. Walker’s 137-yard game was also the most in a Super Bowl since Terrell Davis, who had 157 yards rushing.
Drake Maye joins a list of notable quarterbacks who lost their first Super Bowl appearance, quarterbacks such as Joe Burrow, Brock Purdy, Jimmy Garoppolo, Dan Marino, Donovan McNabb, Cam Newton, Matt Ryan, and Steve McNair. All of these quarterbacks have also never returned to a Super Bowl after their initial loss.
Sam Darnold has completed the ultimate comeback story. Darnold began his journey as the Jets quarterback, being drafted third overall in the 2018 draft. Darnold’s biggest moment that year was being caught on a mic saying, “I’m seeing ghosts out there.” He was traded to Carolina in April 2021 for just a sixth-round pick.
Darnold had some initial success in Carolina, but by the end of the year, he was cut. He was picked up by the 49ers as a backup to Brock Purdy. There, he got daily reps as the scout team QB against the 49ers' elite defense in practice. Then, following the end of the 2023 season, he signed with Minnesota on a one-year contract. The Vikings had just drafted JJ McCarthy in the 2024 draft. Darnold was projected to back up McCarthy until the rookie QB suffered a season-ending injury. Darnold was named the starter for the 2024 season and led the Vikings to an impressive 14-win season, but had a terrible wild-card game.
The Vikings decided to go with JJ McCarthy over Darnold and let him go in free agency. The Seahawks scooped him up, and he helped them to a 14-win season, becoming the second quarterback ever to have back-to-back 14-win seasons. The narrative around Darnold after his lackluster ending in Minnesota was that he could not win ‘the big one.’
In the NFC Championship this year, he threw 25 completions in 36 attempts with 346 yards and 3 touchdowns. In the Super Bowl, he threw 19 completions on 38 passes with just over 200 yards and a touchdown. He did not have a turnover in any playoff game and became the first starting QB to win the Super Bowl with his fifth team.
Even though this game could be considered boring, it was a record-breaking, feel-good, and great ending for what was a spectacular NFL Season.
Sean '26
Advanced Journalism Student
