Super Bowl 2026 Shockers: Patriots’ Unseen Strategy Sparks 49ers’ Epic Collapse!

The journey of the Seattle Seahawks throughout the 2025 NFL season was nothing short of a rollercoaster saga—tumultuous beginnings softened by an emphatic finish. They stumbled out of the gate with a loss to their NFC West nemeses, the San Francisco 49ers, only to rebound spectacularly by clinching the division title and securing the top seed, again surpassing the 49ers in Santa Clara. Their postseason mirrored this theme of redemption, as they decimated the 49ers at Lumen Field before sealing the deal with a memorable Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots—ironically, back on 49ers turf in Santa Clara. This crowning achievement not only capped a milestone season but also heralded the Seahawks’ coronation as two-time Lombardi Trophy holders. As I wrap up the final Enemy Reaction for 2025, this one feels extra sweet—especially since the Hawks themselves were the protagonists in this grand finale. While Pats Pulpit will blaze up the live reaction maps for the Patriots faithful, I’ll be weaving in insights from Niners Nation and other SB Nation NFL corners, painting a vivid picture of fan allegiance and emotion during this epic showdown. Ready to dive in? LEARN MORE

The Seattle Seahawks started their regular season by losing to the San Francisco 49ers, ended their regular season by winning the NFC West and top seed over the 49ers in Santa Clara, started their postseason by vanquishing the 49ers at Lumen Field, and ending it with a Super Bowl triumph over the New England Patriots… in Santa Clara. A storybook end to a milestone season for the Seahawks, who now boast two Lombardi Trophies.

It’s the final Enemy Reaction of the 2025 season. Traditionally, I do Enemy Reaction for the Super Bowl regardless of who is playing. The fact that the Seahawks were in it and won it makes this the sweetest one of all. While Pats Pulpit will be the focus for their game thread live reactions, you know that I’ll be pulling from Niners Nation and other SB Nation NFL sites to sprinkle in some knowledge on which fanbases were rooting for which team.

Cooper Kupp sets up opening drive field goal (3-0 SEA)

Bonus reaction from 49ers, Vikings, Bills, and Broncos fans!

Bonus reactions from 49ers, Vikings, Jets, and Raiders fans

Bonus reaction from Jets, Giants, 49ers, and Rams fans!

Bonus reaction from 49ers, Jets, Bills, Dolphins, and Broncos fans!

Bonus 49ers meltdown!

Post-Game: Patriots defense deserved better fate (Matt Vautour, Mass Live)

The Patriots gave up 29 points on Sunday. Seven of those came on an interception return for a touchdown. Seven more were off of a short field set up by a strip sack. Everything else was a field goal.

The New England defense played a huge role in the Patriots getting to this game and they played well enough to give them a chance to win it.

They played championship defense. They deserved better.

They made terrific tackles, athletic pass breakups and kept the pressure on Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. But they’ll go home empty-handed.

Late in the third quarter, the Patriots were lucky to be down just 12-0 with the ball. Thanks to the defense’s outstanding effort, they had a chance to make it a game with one good drive.

But when Maye dropped back to pass on third and six from the Patriots’ 44, Derick Hall broke through the line and punched the ball out. Hall recovered it at the New England 37. Five plays later, the Seahawks were in the end zone with a 19-0 lead and the game was all but over.

Because of that, Christian Gonzalez’s incredible night will be overlooked by history. He had three pass breakups, including two diving lunges that saved touchdowns.

Post-Game recap: Lack of adjustments on offense was surprising (Ian Logue, PatsFans.com)

As it was, the Seahawks were having their way with both rookie Will Campbell and fellow rookie Jared Wilson, both of whom spent the entire night getting manhandled. So the fact that there was no adjustment there was probably one of the more surprising developments of the night.

Campbell’s another player who, like Maye, had a solid year prior to getting injured. He hasn’t looked like himself since coming off the injured reserve, and he’ll benefit greatly from a full offseason to both get healthy and get stronger.

The same can be said for Wilson, who also needs to bulk up this offseason. For Wilson, the thought is that he might be the future replacement for Garrett Bradbury at center, which will likely mean the team will continue adding depth on the offensive line this offseason.

For now, it’s disappointing, but for a team that enjoyed a fair amount of good fortune for most of the year, some bad luck and injuries down the stretch ultimately caught up to them. In the meantime, it’s still a young team that ended up with a 2025 season that absolutely exceeded expectations, which should make what happens this offseason even more intriguing heading into 2026.

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Post-Game Video: The real best Super Bowl reaction

And so ends the 2025 NFL season. The Seahawks played in 20 of the 285 combined regular season and postseason games, winning 17 and losing three by a combined nine points. This was a historic Seahawks team and while we can debate whether or not they’re as good as the 2013 Super Bowl squad, I believe the 2025 Seahawks just completed the greatest and most exhilarating season in franchise history.

That’s the end for Enemy Reaction this year. Let’s pick this back up in September for more fun, more meltdowns, and ideally the last Enemy Reaction for 2026-27 is a Seahawks Super Bowl victory at the home of the LA Rams.

Thanks for reading and go ‘Hawks!