Super Bowl LX went three quarters without a touchdown, and Seattle still won 29–13
In Santa Clara on February 8, 2026, the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29–13 in a game with no touchdown until the fourth quarter. Seattle's Dark Side defense did the damage, running back Kenneth Walker III took MVP, and New England became the first franchise to lose six Super Bowls.
Seattle owned the first three quarters without ever reaching the end zone: four field goals built a 12–0 cushion. The Seahawks finally crossed the goal line in the final period, New England replied with a touchdown to trail 19–7, and then a string of Patriots turnovers gifted Seattle 10 unanswered points. Walker ran for 135 yards and set up several of the kicks, the first running back chosen as MVP since Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII in 1997. Plenty of sports outlets later ranked it among the worst Super Bowls because both offenses sputtered, though Seattle's defenders earned praise.
Seattle had narrowly missed the playoffs two years running. A contract dispute ended with quarterback Geno Smith traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, and Sam Darnold signed the same day. Under second-year coach Mike Macdonald the offense climbed to third in points, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba topped the league with 1,793 receiving yards to win Offensive Player of the Year. The defense jumped from 12th to first in scoring. As the NFC's top seed, Seattle routed the San Francisco 49ers 41–6 and edged the Los Angeles Rams 31–27 to reach its first Super Bowl in 11 years.
New England's revival was steeper. The Patriots had spent the two previous seasons at 4–13, bottom of the AFC East. First-year coach Mike Vrabel, who played on the club's first three title teams, worked with quarterback Drake Maye, taken third overall in 2024. Maye led the league with a 72% completion rate and a 113.5 passer rating and was runner-up for MVP, while Vrabel collected his second Coach of the Year award. Playoff wins over the Chargers, the Texans and, in snow, the Broncos 10–7 made New England the first team unbeaten in nine road games.
It was the Bay Area's third Super Bowl and the second at Levi's Stadium, after Super Bowl 50 in 2016; the NFL chose the venue on May 22, 2023. The two clubs had met once before on this stage, when New England took Super Bowl XLIX. NBC's coverage, also streamed on Peacock, reached around 125 million viewers worldwide, the network's largest audience ever despite a 2% dip on the prior year. Bad Bunny headlined halftime, joined by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin.
Source: Super Bowl LX
