Uncover the Shocking Statistics That Sealed the Seahawks’ Legendary Super Bowl Triumph Over the Patriots
Ever wondered what it truly takes to stamp your defense as one of the all-time greats on the grandest stage? Well, Super Bowl 60 answered that question with the Seattle Seahawks’ relentless “Dark Side” defense dismantling the New England Patriots in Santa Clara. This wasn’t just a win; it was an emphatic statement from the NFL’s top defensive unit in 2026, a team that didn’t just play the game—they rewrote defensive dominance, echoing the legendary “Legion of Boom” of 2013. And while Sam Darnold’s mistake-free performance sparked some surprise chatter, it’s the jaw-dropping stats — sacks, punting masters, and third-down nightmares for New England — that truly illuminate how Seattle cruised to a 29-13 blowout, leaving fans and analysts alike buzzing. So, if a mere scoreline doesn’t quite capture the story, let’s dive into the dozen definitive numbers that laid the foundation for this one-sided Super Bowl spectacle. LEARN MORE
We’ve got some of the key stats, facts and data points that tell the story of a one-sided Super Bowl 60 in which the Seahawks cruised to a win over the Patriots in Santa Clara.
The Seattle Seahawks had the NFL’s best defense in 2026.
On Sunday night, they ensured that defense would go down as one of the best in league history.
A garbage-time New England Patriots touchdown won’t obscure that fact to anyone who watched Seattle’s dominant 29-13 win in Super Bowl 60.
A Seahawks team that allowed a league-low 292 points in the regular season and comfortably led the NFL in defensive expected points added already rated comparably to the 2013 “Legion of Boom” defense heading into Super Sunday.
The 2013 unit ranks fourth with a minus-7.96 defensive TRACR among all teams dating back to 1991, while this year’s “Dark Side” defense sat seventh at -7.67. And then the Seahawks finished the season with an exclamation point.
In the process, they delivered a Super Bowl to Sam Darnold, who didn’t make any crippling errors and now joins Trent Dilfer in the “whoa, that QB won a Super Bowl?” pantheon.
Here are 12 numbers that tell the story of Super Bowl 60, in case “29-13” doesn’t do it on its own. (It doesn’t.)
6
Sacks by the Seahawks, one off the Super Bowl record. We’ll eventually see where their pressure rate checks in, but I’ll guess it was at least 50% – an astonishing number in an NFL game.
The Seahawks got sacks with a four-man rush. They got sacks on blitzes, most notably the nickel blitz by Devon Witherspoon that led to the game’s most memorable play (which was changed from a sack and fumble to an interception shortly after the game):
Devon Witherspoon brings the heat and Nwosu finishes the play
Super Bowl LX on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/kvQIdjdPgs— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2026
Really, they got sacks whenever they wanted. It was an outrageous defensive showing.
Twice, Witherspoon did a brilliant job weaving through the right side of the New England line. He was unblocked both times but still had to take the most efficient route to Drake Maye, and he did.
A tragic offside penalty on the Patriots’ last drive (which didn’t really affect the play) was all that separated Seattle from a record-tying seventh sack.
6.5
The average yardage to the sticks that the Patriots faced on their third downs. That includes several double-digit-yardage attempts in the first half.
With rookie left tackle Will Campbell looking every bit as overmatched as he looked on paper, these downs were desperate situations for New England. (Campbell was No. 1 on our list of players most likely to cost their team the game, and he delivered.) The Patriots didn’t convert a third down of longer than 8 yards and were 6 of 15 on them overall.
The Seahawks were, amazingly, worse on third downs: 4 of 16, including three run plays on 3rd-and-12 or longer. But that mainly spoke to the confidence Mike Macdonald had in his defense.
33, 39, 41, 41 and 26
The distances of the five field goals made by Seattle kicker Jason Myers, who beat the Patriots all by himself. Very workmanlike, though I suspect people will overstate his performance.
Missing more than one of those field goals would’ve been catastrophic, given the near-robotic state of NFL kicking.
8
Punts by Seattle’s Michael Dickson. Hang on, though, to understand the majesty of them.
47.3
The average net yardage of those punts, in a world where 42 or so is pretty solid.
Here’s where Dickson was a particular weapon. The New England offense was overmatched, and I’m not positive they would’ve scored a point if they had started every drive at midfield. But these were the net gains and ensuing field positions for the Patriots after each of Dickson’s punts:
- 50-yard punt, fair-caught at the New England 36
- 45-yard punt, returned for zero yards
- 40-yard punt, downed with no return
- 47-yard punt, returned for 19 yards before Dickson himself pushed returner Marcus Jones out of bounds. But a block in the back negated the return and turned Dickson’s punt into a 53-yard net
- 46-yard punt, downed with no return
- 55-yard punt, downed at the New England 4-yard line after Seattle inexplicably didn’t field the punt
- 52-yard punt, out of bounds at the 6 after the Patriots put on a block scheme
The average NFL punt netted 41.3 yards this year. Dickson was a bit better than that, averaging 42.2. But he stepped up his game considerably in the Super Bowl, making a firm case as the league’s best punter.
It’s not the best punting performance in Super Bowl history – that might have been the Kansas City Chiefs’ Tommy Townsend averaging a 50.8-yard net against the San Francisco 49ers two years ago – but it’s right up there.
I’d posit that on a night with few other standout performances on offense and a bunch of Seahawks defenders sharing the limelight, an argument could be made for Dickson to earn Super Bowl MVP. (In the end, it went to Kenneth Walker III.)
No punter averaged more than a 45.5-yard net during the regular season, by the way.
4 of 10
The catch rate for Seattle receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year briefly left the game in the second half after being checked for a concussion.
There are a lot of fair ways for a person to describe the Seahawks’ dominance in this game, but I think you could do worse than this one: “The best receiver in the NFL had arguably his worst game of the season, and not only will nobody remember it, but it never even came close to threatening to change the outcome.” JSN had 27 yards.
44%
The lowest completion percentage in a Super Bowl win, a record that still stands, albeit narrowly. The Seahawks pushed for some history on Sunday, but Darnold’s 50% performance kept him out of the basement.
Maye, meanwhile, had one of the least productive performances in Super Bowl history, throwing for 295 yards, giving back 43 in sacks, and turning the ball over three times. The NFL isn’t always a quarterback league and padding stats in garbage time made Maye’s night look much better than it was.
Three minutes and 45 seconds
The amount of clock time during which it felt like the Patriots finally had things working in their favor in this game. That was the period between Maye’s 35-yard touchdown pass to Mack Hollins in the early fourth quarter and the ghastly interception he threw to Julian Love on a deep corner route on his next series.
For more coverage, follow along on social media on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and X.
The post The 12 Numbers That Defined the Seahawks’ Dominant Super Bowl Win Over the Patriots appeared first on Opta Analyst.
CHECK OUT THE HOTTEST DEALS ON AMAZON!
NEW 2024Contenders Football Card MEGA Box, 1 AUTOGRAPH and 2 JERSEY Cards Per Box, 108 Total Cards - Bonus Patrick Mahomes Card-Sized Print
$139.99 (as of February 8, 2026 15:11 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
NEW 2025 ABSOLUTE Football Card HUGE Retail Box with 192 Cards, Chance for Ultra Rare KABOOM Inserts!
$149.99 (as of February 8, 2026 15:11 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
2025 Topps Chrome Baseball Update Hobby Box Factory Sealed 1 Autograhph Card Per Box
$247.99 (as of February 8, 2026 15:11 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
2025-26 Topps Chrome Basketball Mega Box
$157.99 (as of February 8, 2026 15:11 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
2023 Topps Series Two Baseball Trading Cards, 3 Packs, 16 Cards per Pack, 48 Cards Total
$19.77 (as of February 8, 2026 15:09 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
NEW 2025 ROOKIES and STARS Football Card HOBBY Direct BLASTER Box, 1 Autograph or Jersey Card Per Box!
$89.99 (as of February 8, 2026 15:11 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
2025 Topps Update Series Baseball Hanger Trading Card Box (Find Hanger Exclusive Diamante Parallels!)
$22.99 (as of February 8, 2026 15:11 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
2025 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball BLASTER box (8 pks/bx)
$39.99 (as of February 8, 2026 15:11 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Caleb Williams #323 Funko POP! Football Chicago Bears Figurine Bundle with HOFSM Protector Case
$24.99 (as of February 8, 2026 15:11 GMT +00:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Post Comment