Tag: Super Bowl

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Seahawks ride their ‘Dark Side’ defense to Super Bowl title, pounding Patriots 29-13

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 set a Super Bowl record by making all five of his field-goal tries.

Walker became the first running back to win the Super Bowl MVP award since Terrell Davis 28 years ago.

Uchenna Nwosu punctuated a punishing defensive performance by snagging Maye’s pass in the air after Witherspoon hit his arm and ran it back 45 yards for a pick-6.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind feeling, bro,” Witherspoon said. “You talk about a group of guys who battle every day, who believe in each other and believe in their coach, you can’t describe this group no better. It’s just a one-of-a-kind feeling. I was just so happy to battle with these guys. We went through a lot, but we believed. All of you all doubters out there who said all that other stuff, you all don’t know what’s going on in this building. We’re one of one over here.”

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.

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald hold the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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

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.

After leading the NFL with 20 turnovers in the regular season, Darnold didn’t have any in three playoff games. He wasn’t particularly sharp against a solid Patriots defense but protected the ball and made enough plays, finishing 19 of 38 for 202 yards.

“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,” Darnold said. “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.”

The Seahawks sacked Maye six times, including two apiece by Hall and Murphy. Hall’s strip-sack late in the third quarter set up a short field and Darnold connected with Barner on 16-yard scoring toss to make it 19-0.

Julian Love’s interception set up another field goal that made it 22-7 with 5:35 left.

The Patriots (17-4) punted on the first eight drives, excluding a kneel-down to end the first half.

“We had a really good year, one that I’m proud of,” New England coach Mike Vrabel said. “But this game wasn’t a reflection of that. We were outcoached and outplayed.”

Down 19-0, Maye and the Patriots’ offense finally got going. He hit Mack Hollins over the middle in traffic for 24 yards and then lofted a perfect 35-yard TD pass to Hollins down the left side to cut the deficit to 19-7.

Tom Brady once led Bill Belichick’s Patriots to the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, when New England rallied from a 28-3 deficit against Atlanta for a 34-28 overtime victory. (JapanToday)

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NFL chief Goodell shrugs off Bad Bunny Super Bowl critics

National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday stood by the choice of Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny to headline next year’s Super Bowl halftime show, a decision President Donald Trump has branded “absolutely ridiculous.”

Speaking in New York after the league’s annual autumn meeting, Goodell said he had no qualms about picking the Grammy-winning entertainer, who is wildly popular across the United States, for the NFL showpiece despite the backlash it had drawn from Trump and right-wing critics.

“He’s one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world,” Goodell said of the decision. “That’s what we try to achieve. It’s an important stage for us. It’s carefully thought through.”

Goodell said the NFL’s picks for the high-profile halftime show frequently elicited “blowback or criticism.”

Bad Bunny, real name Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, had already sparked right-wing ire after saying he would skip the United States during his upcoming world tour due to fears of immigration raids at his concerts.

The Latin megastar brought a fresh wave of controversy after being named to headline the Super Bowl last month, with right-wing critics infuriated at the choice of an artist who sings mostly in Spanish.

In an interview on Newsmax, Trump, who has regularly sparred with the NFL, said he had “never heard” of Bad Bunny.

“I don’t know who he is,” Trump said. “I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s, like, crazy.” He went on to brand the decision “absolutely ridiculous.”

Other conservative critics have joined the pile-on.

“Is the @NFL incapable of reading the room?” Sebastian Gorka, Trump’s Senior Director for Counter Terrorism, posted on X last month shortly after the announcement.

Former racing driver turned right-wing commentator Danica Patrick said separately on X: “No songs in English should not be allowed at one of America’s highest rated television events of the year.”

Bad Bunny has said his halftime act was “for my people, my culture, and our history.”

Puerto Rico, where Bad Bunny hails from, is a U.S. territory in the Caribbean. In June, Bad Bunny posted video footage on his social media channels from an ICE raid that took place on his home island.

Super Bowl halftime shows have traditionally attracted the biggest names in the music industry, including the likes of Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Prince and Paul McCartney.

More recent performers have included this past year’s headliner Kendrick Lamar, the rapper who cut out profanity but still performed a viral diss track of his rival Drake. (JapanToday)

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Bills, Eagles lose unbeaten records in day of upsets

The previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles both slumped to shock defeats in the NFL on Sunday as the injury-hit Baltimore Ravens suffered a humiliating blowout.

The Bills — regarded by many as favourites for this season’s Super Bowl — were stunned 23-20 by the resurgent New England Patriots in a pulsating duel at Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye showed composure beyond his 23 years to engineer the game-winning drive in the final minute of the fourth quarter, setting up Andy Borregales’ 52-yard field goal.

The Bills dropped to 4-1 for the season while the Patriots improved to 3-2.

“It was awesome. What a team win, man,” Maye told NBC television after the win. “These guys right here, they balled out. Defense played great. And what an atmosphere. It felt good.”

The Bills had been the last unbeaten team standing after reigning Super Bowl champions Philadelphia were beaten 21-17 at home by the Denver Broncos earlier Sunday.

The Eagles looked poised to extend their unbeaten start after opening up a 17-3 lead early in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field.

But the Broncos showed huge character to battle back, with quarterback Bo Nix leading touchdown drives for JK Dobbins and Evan Engram to make it 17-16 before a bold two-point conversion put them 18-17 ahead.

A 36-yard Wil Lutz field goal gave Denver a four-point cushion before the Eagles’ final possession ended with an unsuccessful hail Mary attempt from quarterback Jalen Hurts as time ran out.

Denver quarterback Nix saluted a superb Broncos defensive performance after the visitors forced Philadelphia into punting seven times while recording six sacks on Hurts.

“We just kept stopping them on defense and we just started putting drives together,” Nix said. “Our defense just played incredible. They just kept getting us the ball back no matter what happened, they never wavered, and we just scored when it mattered,” he added.

In other games the Ravens’ season lurched from bad to worse with a humiliating 44-10 beatdown at home by the Houston Texans.

The Ravens, missing a slew of starters including quarterback Lamar Jackson, slumped to 1-4 for the season after an offensive onslaught led by Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Stroud tossed four touchdowns with 244 passing yards from 23-of-27 attempts as Houston improved to 2-3.

The defeat though was another brutal loss for Baltimore, who were strongly tipped to challenge for the Super Bowl before the season kicked off.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh described the team’s mood as “complete disappointment” and challenged his organisation to regroup.

“We’re gonna have to find a way to turn it around and figure out who we are this next week,” Harbaugh said. “We’re gonna have more than half the season left and we’re gonna have to find ourselves.”

A thrilling game in Seattle saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers snatch a 38-35 victory over the Seahawks with a field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter.

A seesaw duel saw Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold throw for four touchdowns and 341 yards but it was not enough against a Tampa Bay side who improved to 4-1 for the season.

Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield was once again the talisman for the visitors, hitting Sterling Shepard with the game-tying touchdown with just over one minute remaining, before Chase McLaughlin’s 39-yard field goal clinched victory.

The Detroit Lions are also standing on 4-1 after bringing up their fourth straight win in a 37-24 defeat of the Cincinnati Bengals. Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw three touchdowns with 258 yards to spark Detroit.

In Los Angeles, the Washington Commanders rallied from a 10-point deficit to score 27 unanswered points in a 27-10 defeat of the Chargers at SoFi Stadium.

The Indianapolis Colts, who suffered their first defeat of the season against the Los Angeles Rams last week, got back to winning ways with a blowout 40-6 rout of the Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Dallas Cowboys moved to 2-2-1 with a 37-22 defeat of the winless New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford while the New York Giants lost 26-14 at the New Orleans Saints.In London, the Minnesota Vikings improved to 3-2 after grinding out a 21-17 win over the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (JapanToday)

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Bad Bunny Super Bowl show has MAGA hopping mad

Supporters of President Donald Trump, including a senior White House official, have lashed out after Latin megastar Bad Bunny was named as the headliner for next year’s Super Bowl halftime show.

The Grammy-winning Puerto Rican rapper had already sparked right-wing ire after saying he would skip the United States during his upcoming world tour due to fears of immigration raids at his concerts.

But Trump’s Make America Great Again movement was doubly infuriated by the naming on Sunday of an artist who mainly sings in Spanish as the star performer for the NFL’s flagship event in February.

“Is the @NFL incapable of reading the room?” Sebastian Gorka, Trump’s Senior Director for Counter Terrorism, posted on X late Monday after the announcement.

Gorka’s comment accompanied a post by a conservative podcaster calling Bad Bunny “a rapper with a catalog of vulgar lyrics in Spanish and English” — including one aimed at Trump.

Former racing driver turned right-wing commentator Danica Patrick said separately on X: “No songs in English should not be allowed at one of America’s highest rated television events of the year.”

Sage Steele, a former host on sports network ESPN who appeared in the White House’s “new media” seat at a briefing earlier this year, called Bad Bunny “DEMONIC” and added: “NFL…I just don’t get it.”

The artist himself said in a statement released by the NFL that his naming as Super Bowl halftime act was “for my people, my culture, and our history.”

Puerto Rico, where Bad Bunny hails from, is a U.S. territory in the Caribbean. In June, Bad Bunny posted video footage on his social media channels from an ICE raid that took place on his home island.

Super Bowl halftime shows have traditionally attracted the biggest names in the music industry, including the likes of Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Prince and Paul McCartney.

More recent performers have included this past year’s headliner Kendrick Lamar, the rapper who cut out profanity but still performed a viral diss track of his rival Drake. (JapanToday)