5 takeaways from Super Bowl LX: Defense wins — and so does former Dallas Cowboy
In a dominant showing in a division rival’s stadium, the Seattle Seahawks led from start to finish in Super Bowl LX for a 29-13 win over the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
In just the second season under head coach Mike Macdonald, Seattle walked through the regular season with little resistance, and the same could be said for the team’s playoff journey. The 2025 NFL season has come to a close with the Seahawks hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
Here are the five takeaways from the year’s biggest sporting event:
Defense wins championships
There’s a reason it’s a cliché.
Going into Sunday night, the Seahawks (No. 1) and Patriots (No. 4) sported top-five scoring defenses in the NFL from the regular season, and those units showed up on the big stage. It was Seattle’s defense that showed up the biggest early, allowing just 51 total yards and zero points in the first half from the MVP runner-up Drake Maye and the Patriots’ offense.
And even though Seattle controlled the first half, the play from Dallas-Fort Worth natives cornerback Christian Gonzalez (two big pass breakups that prevented touchdowns) and safety Craig Woodson (seven tackles) kept New England in the game going into the break.
But even as the New England offense found its stride in the second half, two timely takeaways and close-out plays in the fourth quarter allowed Seattle to comfortably coast to its second-ever Super Bowl victory.
Kenneth Walker runs his way to Super Bowl stardom
Two things show up in the playoffs: defenses and running games. We touched on the first part, and Kenneth Walker made sure the second part held true.
The fourth-year back out of Michigan State has had ups and downs early in his career, but Sunday’s performance is his Mona Lisa, his magnum opus. From the opening play of the game (a 10-yard carry for a first down), Walker had his way with a dominant front seven for New England that ranked sixth in rushing yards allowed in 2025.
He finished the night with 135 rushing yards — tied for the eighth-most in a Super Bowl — and was named Super Bowl MVP.
Walker will now head into free agency with the most memorable performance of his career under his belt. Expect his payday to be even more fruitful.
The best team won the sport’s biggest game
There’s no asterisk on this champion. The Seattle Seahawks were the best team in football in 2025.
From tying for the best record in the NFL at 14-3 to having the league’s best defense (17.2 points allowed per game) to the league’s best offensive player (wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba), Seattle covered all the bases needed to put a claim on having the best overall team in the league this season.
In its run to the second Super Bowl win in franchise history, Seattle destroyed San Francisco in the divisional round, sent the league’s MVP (Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford) home packing in the conference championship and dismantled one of the league’s bright young squads in the Super Bowl to cap it off.
Sometimes decent-to-good teams make a Cinderella run late in the season for a Super Bowl win. Yeah, this wasn’t that.
The Seahawks will rightfully be crowned as the league’s best in 2025.
DFW products shine on big stage
More often than not, the Super Bowl has talent from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex on display. This year was no different.
Although the headlining local product, Smith-Njigba (Rockwall), didn’t produce, the handful of other local talents did. The star of the night? Gonzalez (The Colony), who finished the game with three pass deflections — including two that could have easily gone for touchdowns.
Fort Worth native Milton Williams recorded a sack for the Patriots, and DeSoto native Byron Murphy recorded two sacks for the Seahawks (along with a fumble recovery to set up the game’s first touchdown). Woodson, a South Grand Prairie product, led the Patriots with 10 tackles.
Simply put, DFW football reigns supreme — again.
DeMarcus Lawrence was right, Cowboys fans
Shortly after deciding to sign with the Seahawks in free agency last offseason, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence was asked about leaving Dallas, where he spent the first 11 years of his career.
“Made my home there, my family lives there,” Lawrence said. “I’m forever going to be there, but I know for sure I’m not going to win a Super Bowl there.”
Well, in his first year away from his previously only NFL home, Lawrence did just that and will now add a Super Bowl to his career resume. Lawrence had two tackles and a pass deflection in the win.
This story was originally published February 8, 2026 at 9:23 PM.
