Best and worst: Takeaways from Patriots' 29-13 Super Bowl LX loss to Seahawks

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When new Patriots coach Mike Vrabel arrived in January, his messaging was clear and optimistic.

He wanted the Patriots “to win the AFC East, to host home playoff games, and to compete for championships.”

In that regard, they miraculously accomplished those goals in one year, but on Sunday, after furthering their bond as a team in the unseasonably warm temperatures of the Bay Area, competing for championships was no longer enough. The Patriots’ goals had evolved. They needed to win, and they failed in their pursuit of a Lombardi Trophy, falling to the Seahawks, 29-13.

The game effectively ended when quarterback Drake Maye threw a pick-six to linebacker Uchenna Nwosu when he was in the process of being clobbered by cornerback Devon Witherspoon. The turnover gave the Seahawks a 29-7 lead. The Patriots scored on their next possession to cut the Seahawks’ lead to 29-13 when Maye flipped the ball to Rhamondre Stevenson for a 7-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed.

But the Patriots’ offense was never truly competitive in Super Bowl LX. Sure, they had one touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter when Maye completed two straight deep passes to wide receiver Mack Hollins. But ultimately, those can be counted as nothing more than a fluke. And then they scored in garbage time. In reality, the Patriots were blown out for the first time all season. They punted on their first eight full possessions. Maye turned the ball over three times. They never established the run. They could never get into a rhythm.

The Patriots’ defense, however, should stand proud after Sunday’s contest. They held the Seahawks to four field goals and just one offensive touchdown. It was far from a perfect performance, and they won’t be remembered as a historically great unit as they hoped, but they weren’t the reason the Patriots lost.

The Patriots won the coin toss and elected to defer. They bent but didn’t break, allowing a 33-yard field goal to Jason Myers on the opening drive. Seahawks quarterback hit tight end A.J. Barner and wide receiver Cooper Kupp for big gains with slot cornerback Marcus Jones in coverage.

Stevenson ran well on the Patriots’ first drive, but they ultimately were forced to punt after an eight-play, 28-yard series. Maye took a 10-yard sack after the Patriots were able to pick up two first downs, and the offense couldn’t recover.

The Patriots forced a three-and-out on the Seahawks’ next offensive series. All three of Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold’s throws went to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Darnold was 1 of 3 for 4 yards on the drive.

The Patriots picked up a first down on their first play, with Maye connecting with wide receiver Kayshon Boutte for a 21-yard pass. They went backwards on three plays before punting after Maye was sacked on third down by Witherspoon.

The Seahawks picked up one first down on a third-down throw from Darnold to Barner. He would have been stopped short if not for a missed tackle from linebacker Robert Spillane, who’s dealing with an ankle injury. Rookie safety Craig Woodson made a 5-yard tackle for loss on a rushing play from Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. Darnold then threw two straight incompletions to Smith-Njigba. Outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings came away with a pass breakup on a target to JSN in the flat.

The Patriots went three-and-out again before Myers connected on a 39-yard field goal for the Seahawks to go up 6-0. Woodson had two more tackles for loss on the drive for three on the game. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez seemingly levitated for a pass breakup on a deep pass to Shaheed on the first play of the series.

Another drive, another three-and-out for the Patriots’ offense, who went backwards again, losing 2 yards on three plays. Maye took his third sack of the game for a total loss of 30 yards.

The Seahawks’ offense went just 29 yards on eight plays before punting and pinning the Patriots back on their own 2-yard line. Outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson continued to bring pressure and delivered a second QB hit of the game.

The Patriots picked up a first down but were forced to punt from their own 12-yard line, giving the Seahawks the ball at their own 43.

The Seahawks increased their lead to 9-0 with a 41-yard field goal from Myers before the half. Gonzalez nearly prevented it with an interception, but the pass breakup still saved a touchdown. That’s two touchdowns saved for Gonzalez.

The Patriots got the ball to start the second half but went three-and-out again. The Seahawks responded with a field goal to go up 12-0. Three big plays sparked the 10-play, 69-yard drive: 16-yard completions to Shaheed and JSN and a 20-yard run from Kenneth Walker.

The Patriots went three-and-out for the second time in consecutive drives. Running back TreVeyon Henderson picked up 9 yards on first down and no gain on second down. Maye’s third-down pass was inaccurate and incomplete.

The Seahawks matched the Patriots with their own three-and-out. Defensive tackle Milton Williams finally got home for a sack on Darnold on first down.

The Patriots punted for the eighth time, going three-and-out again. Maye’s third-down throw to Boutte was off, and he started the game 7 of 16 for 56 yards.

After the Patriots’ defense forced another three-and-out and punt, Maye was strip-sacked, and Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy recovered for the turnover. The giveaway gave the Seahawks the ball at the Patriots’ 37-yard line.

The Seahawks scored on a play-action pass from Darnold to Barner for a 16-yard touchdown, increasing their lead to 19-0.

The Patriots bounced back immediately and showed some life after a streaker interrupted the game by running down the field and avoiding security guards. Maye capped off a three-play, 65-yard drive with a 35-yard deep touchdown to Hollins. That play came right after Maye hit Hollins for 20 yards in the middle of the field.

The Seahawks were forced to punt before the Patriots took over at their own 4-yard line. They showed life on a seven-play, 40-yard drive before Maye tossed it deep and straight to Seahawks safety Julian Love for an interception. That came four plays before Maye threw another reckless pass into a crowd of Seahawks that fell incomplete.

BEST

— WR Mack Hollins: Hollins led the team with four catches on eight targets for 78 yards with a touchdown. His two catches on the Patriots’ first scoring drive were the Patriots’ only real signs of life.

— S Craig Woodson: The rookie safety was a monster against the run with three tackles for loss and another defensive stop. He had a pass breakup early in the fourth quarter, as well.

— CB Christian Gonzalez: The Patriots’ top cornerback floated through the air on a pass breakup while covering Shaheed downfield. He later broke up a pass over Smith-Njigba that saved another touchdown before the half and deflected another pass late in the third quarter that was intended for Kupp.

WORST

— LT Will Campbell: The rookie tackle let up a sack and was penalized for a false start. Right tackle Morgan Moses also allowed two sacks.

— LG Jared Wilson: Another rookie, Wilson didn’t help out on the sack Campbell let up, actually knocking outside linebacker Derick Hall into Maye. He also let up a sack, as did center Garrett Bradbury.

— QB Drake Maye: Let’s call it what it was: Maye wasn’t helped by his offensive line, but he also played terribly. The second-year pro completed 27 of 43 passes for 295 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He took six sacks for a loss of 43 yards and lost a fumble on a strip sack.