The Latest: Seahawks win second Super Bowl title | Pro Sports

New England QB Drake Maye had brief moment with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Mack Hollins, but he followed that with an interception on the next drive. Maye fumbled on the next possession, and Uchenna Nwosu ran that one back for a TD.

Drake Maye was a dependable and steadying force for the New England Patriots this season. The second-year quarterback never got the chance to be that when his team needed him most in the Super Bowl.

Maye was the NFL’s most accurate passer during the regular season and finished second in MVP voting, but he was hounded by the Seahawks’ “Dark Side” defense throughout. He threw two touchdown passes but was sacked seven times, had two interceptions and lost a fumble that led to a TD by Seattle in New England’s 29-13 loss on Sunday.

Maye finished 27 of 43 for 295 yards and there were few highlights before he and the Patriots finally found some traction in the third quarter. Left tackle Will Campbell gave up two of the sacks on Maye as the Seahawks sent several blitzes to his side of the line.

“It’s just a dream come true because a lot of people play their whole career and never make it this far. So, it’s a blessing. I thank Coach Macdonald and the team for sticking together.

“We went through adversity throughout the season, but we stayed together. You know that adversity showed who we were as a team. We got a brotherhood going on right now, and it’s special.”

He’s the first running back to win MVP since Terrell Davis in Super Bowl 32.

The Seahawks had throttled the New England Patriots all game but still had only managed a 12-0 lead in a tight game when linebacker Derick Hall made the play that would open the way for Seattle to claim its second title.

Hall sacked New England quarterback Drake Maye in the third quarter and stripped the ball away for a fumble that was recovered by defensive lineman Byron Murphy II. Five plays later, Seattle reached the end zone for the first time in the game on a 16-yard touchdown catch by tight end AJ Barner on the way to a 29-13 victory in Super Bowl 60.

It was the first turnover of the game and it essentially helped Seattle put the game away. Hall finished with two sacks after only getting two all season.

For Hall, 24, to even play in his first Super Bowl, let alone make it to the NFL, was an impressive accomplishment in its own right.

How fitting that Sam Darnold delivered the capstone of his topsy-turvy NFL career in the very same place where he recently revived it.

On the sideline of Levi’s Stadium two seasons ago, Darnold patiently paid his dues behind Brock Purdy as San Francisco’s backup quarterback and soaked up every ounce of knowledge he could from the coaches.

Back in the Bay Area on Sunday and beneath the bright lights, Darnold became a Super Bowl champion in his first year under center for the Seattle Seahawks — his fifth team in eight seasons.

“To do this with this team, I wouldn’t want it any other way. So proud of our guys, our defense. I mean, I can’t say enough great things about our defense, our special teams.

“I know we won the Super Bowl, but we could have been a little bit better on offense, but I don’t care about that right now. It’s an unbelievable feeling, man. I’m just so happy for the guys in the locker room and the coaches that put in so much effort throughout the whole season.”

Defense won this championship.

Devon Witherspoon, Derick Hall, Byron Murphy and the rest of Mike Macdonald’s ferocious unit pummeled Drake Maye, and the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 on Sunday to win the franchise’s second Super Bowl.

Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass to AJ Barner, Kenneth Walker III ran for 135 yards and Jason Myers made all five of his field-goal tries.

Seattle’s “Dark Side” defense helped Darnold become the first quarterback in the 2018 draft class to win a Super Bowl, ahead of Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson.

Labeled a bust, dumped by two teams and considered expendable by two others, Darnold proved his doubters wrong while helping the Seahawks go 17-3.

The Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl champions for the second time.

Drake Maye scrambled then flipped to Rhamondre Stevenson for a 7-yard TD with 2:21 left. The 2-point try was no good. An onside kick to follow…

Representatives for the artist say the couple invited Bad Bunny to their wedding, and he invited them to instead be part of his Super Bowl show.

During a segment where Lady Gaga joined Bad Bunny to perform “Baile Inolvidable,” they took their vows.

Bad Bunny served as a witness and signed their marriage certificate.

Devon Witherspoon hit Drake Maye as he winded up to throw and the ball went straight to Uchenna Nwosu, who ran it 44 yards for what looks like a Super Bowl-clinching touchdown.

Jason Myers sets a Super Bowl record with his fifth field goal, this one from 26 yards.

Julian Love intercepted a long pass by Drake Maye with 8:37 left, putting Seattle in prime position to lock up a Super Bowl title.

Maye was trying to find Kyle Williams with a pass in the middle of the field, but the ball was horribly underthrown. Love camped under it, made the catch and returned the ball 35 yards to New England’s 38.

Trailing 19-0 after Drake Maye’s fumble that set up Sam Darnold’s touchdown pass, Maye made sure Super Bowl 60 won’t be a shutout.

Maye finally got a little time to operate in the pocket and threw a 35-yard TD pass to Mack Hollins.

It brought instant life to a Patriots offense that had punted on eight of its first nine drives and saw Maye sacked five times.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba cleared concussion testing and is back on the field with about 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Drake Maye lobs a 35-yard touchdown pass to Mack Hollins.

In an ad for Amazon’s new Alexa+, Hemsworth is convinced the AI-powered assistant is going to try to kill him. The actor runs through a range of different scenarios of how that could play out, but changes his tune after Alexa offers to book him a massage (and a cinnamon scrub).

Some marketing experts aren’t sure how the message will land. “I suspect this is meant to be funny, but it might reinforce some people’s very real concerns about AI,” said Tim Calkins, a clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University.

Alexa+ isn’t the only example of AI taking over — at least commercial breaks — Sunday night. Amazon-owned Ring also marketed an AI-powered “Search Party” that it says can help people find lost dogs. Other big names included Google’s Gemini and Oakley Meta’s AI-enabled glasses.

Drake Maye lobs a 35-year touchdown pass to Mack Hollins.

Seattle finally punches into the end zone on Sam Darnold’s 16-yard TD pass to AJ Barner.

Among the more heartstring-pulling commercials Sunday night, two different advertisers have used songs by the late children’s show host Fred Rogers.

Lady Gaga sung his classic “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” in a tearjerker for Rocket Companies. Meanwhile, the National Football League features “You Are Special” to promote its work with youth sports organizations.

Kimberly Whitler, a marketing professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, said Rogers’ music reflected larger calls for unity seen this year. “A key thread running through this year’s Super Bowl ads was a desire for peace, harmony, community, and neighborliness,” she said.

Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall strip-sacked Drake Maye, and the fumble was recovered by defensive lineman Byron Murphy II. It was the first turnover of the game by either team. Hall, who had a career-high eight sacks in 2024, was limited to just two in the 2025 season.

Smith-Njigba was taken to the locker room in the third quarter. The NFL’s leader in yards receiving during the regular season has three catches for 24 yards.

Veteran Cooper Kupp has led the Seahawks with five receptions for 52 yards while Smith-Njigba was kept quiet. Smith-Njigba was targeted by quarterback Sam Darnold nine times.

Trump has criticized the NFL’s decision to have the Puerto Rican singer as the halftime entertainer, so the president’s critique was expected. Bad Bunny sang exclusively in Spanish.

“Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World,” Trump said on social media. “This ‘Show’ is just a ‘slap in the face’ to our Country,” which Trump claimed is “setting new standards and records” daily.

“There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD,” he added before again urging the NFL to immediately replace its new kickoff rule. Trump said it’s “ridiculous.”

Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum reunited to depict their younger selves in a “Jurassic Park” themed ad for Xfinity. But this time, disaster is avoided after a network modem is plugged in.

The spot also shows Samuel L. Jackson, in a clip the Comcast-owned telecommunications company confirmed was taken from the original 1993 film. This isn’t the first time Super Bowl viewers have seen some Jurassic Park nostalgia during ad breaks. Back in 2018, Goldblum relived his time outrunning a T-Rex in a “test drive” for Jeep

Knight was injured in the third quarter.

Jason Myers has tied a Super Bowl record with his fourth field goal. He joined Jake Elliott, Harrison Butker, Ray Wersching and Don Chandler.

Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers makes a field goal during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Myers also became the first player to score 200 points in a season, breaking the NFL’s season scoring record, including the playoffs. Myers is 48 of 55 on field goals on the season, including the postseason, and has not missed an extra point.

The sun hung low when Bad Bunny emerged in Puerto Rico’s sugar cane fields during his half time show, surrounded by jibaros in pavas (rural farmers in traditional straw hats), viejitos playing dominos (an affectionate term for older men) and a piragua stand (shaved ice) — undeniable symbols of Puerto Rico.

From a small Caribbean island with a complicated colonial history, to the world: The artist born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio brought Puerto Rican culture to the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, for his 2026 Super Bowl halftime show in what was always going to be a landmark moment for Latinos.

He started with his huge reggaeton hits, “Tití Me Preguntó” moving into “Yo Perreo Sola,” as he remerged on top of the casita (“little house”) from his Puerto Rican residency — Cardi B was a guest at his pari de marquesina, a house party.

Jason Myers makes his fourth field goal of Super Bowl 60, this one also from 41 yards

The second half is underway and the Patriots will need to buck history if they are going to win the Super Bowl.

New England trailed 9-0 at the break, becoming the 15th team that failed to score a point in the first half of a Super Bowl. The previous 14 teams all lost, including Kansas City last year against Philadelphia and the Rams in Super Bowl 53 against the Patriots.

At Vetra, an American pub in Milan, fans from Italy, Canada, the US and elsewhere danced, clapped and sang along as Bad Bunny sang a melody of his greatest hits.

At the end his show, the singer called out several countries, and fans at the pub cheered when their respective one was called.

Lady Gaga was the first guest star to join Bad Bunny at his Super Bowl halftime show, appearing as though she were performing at a wedding. The seemingly marrying couple parted to show her on the stage, and she joined Bad Bunny in performing “Baile Inolvidable”

Gaga did her own Super Bowl halftime show in 2017.

Bad Bunny then broke into his “NuevaYol” in a faux shopping center parking lot.

Bad Bunny began his halftime performance in a sugar cane field, walking past pickers and food stands as he performed his hit “Tití Me Preguntó.”

He carried a football and wore an all-white football jersey with the number 64 and his real last name, Ocasio.

He then stood atop a tiny pink house with dancers in the front yard and performed “Yo Perreo Sola” and stood atop a pickup truck as he did “EOO.”

The game was expected to be a matchup of two stingy defenses.

It was in the first half, and it was a very busy day for both special teams.

The Patriots punted on five of their six drives. That counts a final possession that was just a one-play kneel down with 11 seconds left.

Seattle got three field goals from Jason Myers.

The Seahawks have settled for field goals but hold a two-score lead heading into halftime thanks to kicker Jason Myers’ third conversion. He made a 40-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

It hasn’t been pretty for Seattle’s offense, which ranked fifth in scoring in the regular season. Sam Darnold, who is fresh off his second straight Pro Bowl season, was nearly picked off by cornerback Christian Gonzalez on third down. Instead, the pass fell harmlessly to the turf for Darnold’s 13th incompletion of the first half. Darnold is 9 of 22 for 88 yards.

The Seahawks continue to run the ball well, though. Kenneth Walker III has 94 yards on 14 carries, but 59 of those came on two runs. Otherwise, New England has done a solid job of slowing him down.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had the most yards receiving of any player in the NFL in the regular season, was targeted seven times and only caught one pass for 4 yards. Veteran Cooper Kupp has been Seattle’s best offensive player with four catches for 44 yards.

New England managed just four first downs, 51 total yards and converted only 2 of 7 third downs in the first half against the stingy Seahawks defense.

The 51 yards are second-fewest in a first half over the last 35 Super Bowls — and the only team with fewer in that 35-year stretch was the Chiefs with 23 last season. The only time the Patriots had fewer was -19 against the Bears in Super Bowl 20.

Two different advertisers have featured songs from the Backstreet Boys in their Super Bowl spots.

T-Mobile showed the band singing a version of its 1999 hit “I Want It That Way.” And cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase used a karaoke scroll of “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).”

“By using ‘Everybody,’ we were signaling that crypto has moved past that early adopter phase,” Coinbase chief marketing officer Cat Ferdon told the AP ahead of the game. “It’s mainstream, it’s accessible and it’s for everybody.”

Drake Maye was sacked three times and hit five times in the first half. Asked about his QB’s protection at halftime, New England coach Mike Vrabel said he need better protection from the whole offensive line.

“From all sides,” Vrabel said. “We have to do a much better job.”

Bad Bunny will look to distill a 10-year career and a heavy load of cultural expectations into a 13-minute halftime show when he takes the stage in a few minutes.

The 31-year-old has been rising to every moment in a monumental year. A week ago, he won the Grammy for album of the year for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” a love letter to his native Puerto Rico that was the most streamed release of 2025.

He said this week that fans didn’t need to learn Spanish to enjoy his set — but they should be prepared to dance.

Jason Myers connects for his third field goal of the first half, this one from 41 yards.

Artificial intelligence is filling a lot of commercial breaks this Super Bowl. And the rivalry between the makers of ChatGPT and Claude is in the spotlight.

Anthropic, the AI developer behind Claude, is using its gameday slots to point out that its chatbot doesn’t have ads — in apparent jab to OpenAI, which is beginning to bring digital advertising on its free and cheaper versions of ChatGPT. That struck a nerve with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who shared a social media post earlier this week calling his competitor’s ads funny but “deceptive.”

Meanwhile, OpenAI aired an ad Sunday about Codex, its coding agent.

If the Patriots are going to get anything going on offense, they’ll need to keep Drake Maye upright.

Maye is first QB to be sacked three times on the first four drives of a Super Bowl since Tom Brady in Super Bowl 42 vs the Giants.

Maye is 5-of-7 passing for 39 yards.

While the Seahawks have struggled to throw the ball, Walker is finding holes and making the Pats pay.

Walker ran for 55 of his 71 yards in the game on Seattle’s second scoring drive. It was the most in a single drive in the Super Bowl since Willie Parker had 75 — all on one run — for the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Seahawks in Super Bowl 40.

Since reserve running back Zach Charbonnet went down with a season-ending knee injury against the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round, Walker has taken on the role of bell cow and run with it. Including the Super Bowl, Walker has run the ball 47 times for 249 yards rushing and four touchdowns in the playoffs.

Walker continuing to dominate on the ground would buoy the Seahawks’ chances of hanging onto their lead.

In a surprise movie teaser from Netflix, Brad Pitt appears to be stepping back into a familiar role.

According to Variety, Pitt is reviving his part as stuntman Cliff Booth from Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood.” Tarantino wrote the script for the coming sequel, the outlet reported, but David Fincher has stepped in to direct.

“And away we go,” Netflix posted on social media shortly after the ad aired.

Both the Seahawks and Patriots have a pair of players dealing with injuries early in the second quarter.

Linebacker Jahlani Tavai is questionable with a shoulder injury for the Patriots. Safety Ty Okada is also questionable while being looked at for a calf issue.

Pepsi took its own spin on the debacle in an ad for its zero sugar soda, while taking aim at the brand’s top competitor. A Coca-Cola loving polar bear is shown having an existential crisis after discovering the taste of Pepsi Zero Sugar, and soon finds a companion who also prefers the drink. The couple is exposed on a concert’s big screen — but they choose to dance it off as Queen’s “I Want To Break Free” plays in the background.

Jason Myers connects from 39 yards.

The Seahawks have made a meal on opposing offenses this season, blitzing weak points in offensive lines.

Through the Patriots’ first two drives, the target has been rookie left tackle Will Campbell.

It resulted in Campbell yielding a pair of sacks and helped contribute to two Patriots’ punts.

From the first play of the Patriots’ opening drive, the Seahawks’ fan base made its presence felt. Seattle’s “12s”, as the Seahawks’ passionate fan base is known as, made all sorts of noise at Levi’s Stadium shortly after New England took over on offense.

Typically, Seahawks fans create a difficult environment for foes at Lumen Field. Today, they’ve taken over the home of one the Seahawks’ fiercest rivals, the San Francisco 49ers.

Seattle’s opening drive was aided in large part by a 23-yard, juggling reception by Kupp along the sideline. Replays showed Kupp may have been bobbling the ball as he went out of bounds, but the Seahawks rushed the next play to preempt a review.

Regardless, quarterback Sam Darnold and the Seahawks’ offense showed it can move the ball against the Patriots’ defense. Darnold completed 2 of 4 passes for 38 yards, and Kenneth Walker III ran for 13 yards on three carries.

Seattle’s offense slowed in the red zone, though, and failed to capitalize on a 1st and 10 at the New England 17-yard line.

Green Day hardly sanitized its songs pre-game, but the audience didn’t hear some of its most incendiary lyrics.

The live audience — including former NFL MVPs standing on the stage — heard Billie Joe Armstrong sing “subliminal mindf— America” during “American Idiot.” The line was made inaudible for the telecast.

The songs were all abbreviated, and Green Day didn’t perform the second verse of “American Idiot,” where Armstrong in recent years has sung “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda.”

“Holiday” also ended before its bridge, where Armstrong, referring to President George W. Bush, sings “Sieg Heil to the President Gasman.”

Jason Myers caps Seattle’s opening drive with a 33-yard field goal.

Seattle received the ball to start the game after New England won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half. The game opened under blue skies and 67-degree weather at Levi’s Stadium.

The opening kick went for a touchback, giving the Seahawks the ball at the 35.

There have been only two times in the past 25 Super Bowls that the team that received the opening kick scored a touchdown on that possession. The Philadelphia Eagles did it three years ago when Jalen Hurts scored on a 1-yard run in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Devin Hester also returned the opening kickoff for a score for Chicago against Indianapolis in Super Bowl 41.

The Patriots called heads and got it from Joe Montana’s coin toss. New England deferred, so Seattle gets the ball first.

Singer-songwriter Charlie Puth delivered a sweeping and soulful rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The 34-year-old from New Jersey stood at a Rhodes electric piano as he sang and was backed by a choir and horn section.

His delivery felt slow and deliberate, but it took him 1 minute, 56 seconds to sing, which is slightly faster than average for a Super Bowl anthem.

San Francisco Bay Area punk-pop vets Green Day took the pre-game stage and performed a snippet of their song “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” to a parade of former Super Bowl MVPs.

Local heroes Steve Young, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice were among those who walked out during the song meant to celebrate 60 years of Super Bowls. Bay Area native Tom Brady was also there, as was Peyton Manning.

Billie Joe Armstong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool then blasted into the harder and less sentimental stuff, including “Holiday,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “American Idiot.”

For those who are just joining for the NFL season’s final sprint, here are the fundamentals of the game:

When a team has the ball, they will attempt to either run or throw the football down the 100-yard-long field in hopes of getting it into the end zone, thus scoring a touchdown, which is worth 6 points (a successful extra point kick after the touchdown would make it 7).

The other team will seek to stop their opponent by either tackling the player with the ball, knocking the ball to the ground or intercepting the ball.

Teams have sets of offensive and defensive players. When a team has the ball, their offensive players take the field, pushing forward and protecting the player with the ball.

The team without the ball has its defensive players take the field, attempting to stop their opponents from advancing. The team with the ball has four chances (called “downs”) to move 10 yards down the field.

If they successfully advance 10 yards, the number of downs resets. If they fail, the ball must go to the other team.

Coco Jones, a 28-year-old singer-songwriter and actor from Columbia, South Carolina, wore a white gown and was backed by a string octet as she performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song that has become known as the unofficial Black national anthem.

Written by James Weldon Johnson, the song has been performed at the Super Bowl each year since 2021, the first Super Bowl after the protests surrounding the killing of George Floyd, when Black Lives Matter sentiment, and the song, became especially prominent.

Drake Maye found time for a pregame smooch on the field with his wife, Ann Michael Maye.

The New England Patriots quarterback met his future wife in middle school, and they have been a couple for a decade, attending the University of North Carolina together. While her husband was the runner-up for NFL MVP in his second season, Ann Michael Maye became a star on social media for her baking videos.

Drake Maye was asked about his wife’s newfound fame at Super Bowl Opening Night.

“Keep being you,” he said. “You’re the better half of me and I love you. It’s such a special moment for me to follow your journey. I know you do it for something bigger than yourself and that’s what makes it special.”

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) speaks during a news conference on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in San Jose, Calif., ahead of Super Bowl 60 between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Darnold has excelled in the playoffs, completing in two games 37 of 53 passes for 470 yards and throwing four touchdown passes with no interceptions.

In the hours leading up to kickoff at Super Bowl 60, a small airplane dragging a “12s” flag circled around Levi’s Stadium.

The Seahawks’ “12s” flag tradition pays homage to the team’s fan base, and the “12th man” has helped create a difficult environment for visiting teams at Lumen Field’s over the years. Before every Seattle home game, a giant flag raising ceremony takes place in the south end zone.

The No. 12 was the first jersey number retired by the Seahawks in 1984. It is one of only five jersey numbers retired by Seattle, alongside Kenny Easley (45), Walter Jones (71), Steve Largent (80) and Cortez Kennedy (96).

Seattle’s last trip to the Super Bowl memorably ended with Marshawn Lynch not getting the ball on the 1-yard line.

Lynch was on the sideline with a camera for Seattle’s return to the Super Bowl stage, taking pictures before the Seahawks played the New England Patriots.

Lynch was famously reticent to talk to the media as a player but has become a credentialed photographer in his retirement.

Brothers Frazier and Curt Hollingsworth came to the Super Bowl standing out in bright orange Denver Broncos jerseys. Frazier wore Von Miller’s 58 and Curt had on a No. 7 John Elway.

Frazier, a Broncos fan from Colorado, bought the tickets. He offered one to Curt, a Patriots fan — but only on the condition he wore the Elway top.

“He made me wear this ridiculous jersey,” cracked Curt, eight years younger.

Curt represented New England by sporting red and white argyle socks and a navy blue and white striped sweater under the jersey. Before the game, the siblings chose not to sit in their $3,200 seats in the southwest corner in favor of standing room behind a standing bar top on the main concourse near midfield. Frazier also attended Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium 10 years ago.

The Halftime Show Margarita will cost Super Bowl fans $23 — and $36 for a double. Jeanine Minton and her co-workers at Levi’s Stadium had sold three singles and a couple of doubles already some 2 1/2 hours ahead of kickoff.

All concessions are going for a pretty penny. A premium draft peer is running patrons $22.50 while a souvenir popcorn and soda combo is $25. Thirsty fans looking to hydrate with water can snag an Aquafina bottle for $8.

Most other snacks and drinks are a tad more affordable, though. Jack Link’s beef jerky, coffee and hot chocolate can all be purchased for $6. Perhaps the least expensive concession item in the main concourse is a bag of mixed nuts, which costs $4.

Reggaeton boomed near a popular beach in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Sunday evening as hundreds of Bad Bunny fans lined up to enter an exclusive outdoor watch party after being selected via an online lottery system.

Some had never watched a Super Bowl and didn’t even know what teams were playing. All they cared about was watching Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, the island’s beloved superstar.

“He has brought honor to Puerto Rico,” said Sheila Aponte, 53, of Bayamón, where Bad Bunny was born. “We Boricuas are so proud of him.”

Aponte was not lucky enough to get an invitation, but she and her partner toured the premises out of curiosity as he sipped a Medalla, the local beer.

New England’s season has a Cinderella-like feel to it, but the belief and trust that Vrabel’s players have in him is very real. They feel like they are taking the field with a guy who gets what they’ve gone through.

And that could be the thing that gets this Patriots team over the hump.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, dominated this season in a way that they expected of themselves. En route to rattling off the most regular-season wins in franchise history, Seattle nicknamed its defense the “Dark Side.”

The confidence this group exudes is abundantly clear, whether it be in practices, games or media availabilities.

For Seattle, this Super Bowl is not merely a shot at redemption for 11 years ago but a chance to separate itself as one of the best teams in franchise history.

Seattle’s offense, which ranked fifth in the NFL in points per game, is a multidimensional unit, even though it is led by the league’s leading receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has put a system in place that brings out the best in its players, both in the run and passing games.

Quarterback Sam Darnold is fresh off his second Pro Bowl season and has shown that he’s not afraid of slinging the ball downfield or even making a few mistakes.

The Seahawks’ run game is surging, too, led by running back Kenneth Walker III, who is in a contract year. He has a penchant for running outside the tackles and busting runs around the right and left sides of the offensive line.

And then there’s veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who continues to lead on and off the field in his first season with the Seahawks after eight standout ones with the Los Angeles Rams.

New England wouldn’t be here without the play of Drake Maye. But he’ll have to find a way to put points on the board against a Seattle defense that finished in the top seven in the league in sacks and interceptions.

It doesn’t seem impossible: Maye is the first quarterback in history to win three games against top-five defenses in a single playoffs — the Chargers (No. 5), Texans (No. 1) and Broncos (No. 2). The Seahawks are No. 6.

The Patriots also are in a good position because of a defense that finished the regular season ranked in the top 10 in total defense, rush defense, pass defense and points allowed.

New England’s defense has allowed just two touchdowns this postseason.

That’s helped silence voices from the outside that were critical of the Patriots’ regular-season schedule, which ranked as the easiest in the NFL, with opponents finishing with a combined 113-176 record.

New England receiver Mack Hollins is honoring coach Mike Vrabel by wearing the former linebacker’s Walsh Jesuit (OH) High School Warriors No. 84 jersey.

It’s on theme for Hollins and the Patriots this season after Vrabel arranged for a team viewing of the 1979 movie “The Warriors.” The coach has referred to his players as “Road Warriors” throughout the season, when they’ve gone 9-0 away from Massachusetts.

After an AFC championship game win at Denver, Vrabel harkened back to the movie, screaming, “Warriors! Come out to play!”

Hollins walked into the stadium that day barefoot and clanging two bottles together, repeating the line by one of the movie’s characters.