The Seattle Seahawks are your Super Bowl champions, defeating the Patriots 29-13 on Sunday night. After surviving a thriller against the Rams at home, the Seahawks marched into Levi’s Stadium and took down New England in dominant fashion.
But star Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon wanted more. The Seahawks held the Patriots scoreless through three quarters, and no team had ever pitched a shutout in the Super Bowl. After the game, Witherspoon was asked if Seattle was aware of the history they could have made by holding out for that final quarter.
“I mean, we were aware,” Witherspoon said after the game. “Like I said, we kinda let off the gas a little bit, and like I said we’re gonna go back and watch the film on it. Because you set a standard for yourselves, and you’re gonna hold each other to that standard. We were kinda mad we gave [the Patriots] two touchdowns at the end of the game. They went out and earned it, though. It’s alright, man, we played a hell of a game tonight.”
The Seattle Seahawks Rode a Dominant Defensive Performance to a Super Bowl Win
GettySANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 08: Devon Witherspoon #21 of the Seattle Seahawks forces a fumble against Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Seahawks were an elite unit all season long — arguably the best defense the NFL has seen in years. They stepped it up big time in the biggest game of the year, holding the Patriots scoreless through three quarters, forcing three turnovers, scoring a defensive touchdown, and sacking the MVP runner-up six times.
The Patriots’ offensive numbers are inflated by some garbage time production, but make no mistake: this Seahawks defense dominated the game and won Seattle the Super Bowl. If the Super Bowl MVP trophy could be given to an entire unit, this Seahawks defense would be holding it right now.
The Seattle Seahawks Return Almost All of Their Key Defensive Pieces Next Year
For the rest of the league, the scariest part of this Seahawks run is how sustainable it looks moving forward. It wasn’t the great offensive performance in the Super Bowl, and the Seahawks will want to address that going into next year, no doubt. But this defense is nasty and is built to run it back.
The only regular defensive rotation players set to be pending free agents for the Seahawks are CB Josh Jobe, CB Riq Woolen, S Coby Bryant, ED Boye Mafe, and LB Drake Thomas. Woolen’s time in Seattle is likely over, while Thomas could potentially be retained at a reasonable cost. Given the Seahawks’ depth on the edge and his lack of standout production, Mafe is another candidate to leave in free agency.
Of that group, Jobe and Bryant are likely the priorities for the Seahawks to bring back. Both will likely demand raises after starting on the best defense in the league, but the Seahawks have a ton of available cap space to prioritize extensions and bring back their key guys.
Seahawks Star Devon Witherspoon Reveals Why He Was Mad After Super Bowl Win