{"id":468165,"date":"2026-02-09T08:35:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T08:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/468165\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T08:35:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T08:35:10","slug":"the-brutal-truth-for-new-england-patriots-after-loss-to-seattle-seahawks-drake-maye-in-tears-kenneth-walker-free-agency-contract","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/468165\/","title":{"rendered":"The brutal truth for New England Patriots after loss to Seattle Seahawks, Drake Maye in tears, Kenneth Walker free agency contract"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl champions<\/a> while the New England Patriots have been left to pick up the pieces after a season that promised so much fell flat in the biggest game of the year. <\/p>\n

Here, foxsports.com.au looks at some of the biggest talking points to come from Monday\u2019s game, from what is next for the Patriots to the ultimate redemption story for Seattle.<\/p>\n

MORE: Aussie punter Michael Dickson pulled off the \u2018best Super Bowl by a punter ever\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2018GREATEST LIE\u2019 IN FOOTBALL THAT PATRIOTS CAN\u2019T TELL THEMSELVES<\/p>\n

When the Detroit Lions gave up a 17-point lead in the NFC title game to go down to the San Francisco 49ers two years ago, it was a crushing blow \u2014 but it wasn\u2019t the end.<\/p>\n

At least, that is what most people thought. That this Lions team, with one of the best offensive lines in football, a steady quarterback in Jared Goff and superstars on both sides of the ball in Aidan Hutchinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown, would be back. <\/p>\n

But Lions coach Dan Campbell wasn\u2019t so sure. <\/p>\n

In fact, he told his players after the game that \u201cthis may have been our only shot\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo I think that? No. Do I believe that? No,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, I know how hard it is to get here. I am well aware. It\u2019s gonna be twice as hard to get back to this point next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is a brutal lesson the New England Patriots may be about to learn, regardless of how good Drake Maye is or how quickly Mike Vrabel turned things around in his first year in charge.<\/p>\n

As The Guardian\u2019s Ollie Connolly noted on X, formerly known as Twitter, only four quarterbacks have come back to win a Super Bowl after losing in their first start with only one (Jalen Hurts) doing it in the modern era.<\/p>\n

For the Patriots, there is obviously a reason to be optimistic because even after his shaky Super Bowl debut, the general consensus on Maye is that he is a special talent who will only continue to get better with more experience. <\/p>\n

First-round pick Will Campbell will also be better for the run, although a conversation may need to be had as to whether he needs to move inside to guard after being exposed in the postseason.<\/p>\n

But whether it is the fact they had the easiest regular season schedule since the 1999 Rams or the reality that Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson will all be waiting for them again next season in the AFC, the Patriots can\u2019t move forward assuming they will be there again at SoFi Stadium next year.<\/p>\n

In fact, they only have to look at how things fell apart in Washington for Jayden Daniels and the Commanders after last season\u2019s post-season run as proof that fortunes change quickly in the NFL. <\/p>\n

HALF-TIME SHOW: The details you missed in \u2018incredible\u2019 celeb-filled halftime show <\/a><\/p>\n

Bad Bunny shines in FIERY Halftime show | 03:21<\/p>\n

In fact, former Super Bowl champion Ryan Clark had a cautionary tale for the Patriots from his time in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to remember they\u2019ve got dogs over there,\u201d Clark said on ESPN.<\/p>\n

Josh is still over there. Joe is still over there. Lamar is still over there. Pat is still over there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the conversation you have to have. I remember William Gay was a rookie who played a tonne for our defence in his first year and I remember him telling me, \u2018I felt like after we won that Super Bowl, we were going to get back every year\u2019. <\/p>\n

\u201cI remember when coach Tomlin walked off the field in 2011 with me, I thought we would be back again. I thought Aaron Rodgers would be back again. Never happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clark doesn\u2019t have to tell Maye that though. The Patriots quarterback told reporters post-game that he knows nothing is guaranteed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to have the experience and it\u2019s hard to get back here. It\u2019s not a given to get back here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019ve got to work to get back to having experiences like this and maybe flipping the script next time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clinical Seahawks win Super Bowl LX | 03:05<\/p>\n

FROM TRADED FIVE TIMES TO SUPER BOWL CHAMP <\/p>\n

What now? <\/p>\n

Sam Darnold\u2019s critics waited for the moment he would fall apart. Instead, he is now a Super Bowl champion.<\/p>\n

The Seattle Seahawks quarterback reflected on a \u201cspecial journey\u201d through adversity and setbacks as he celebrated Monday\u2019s 29-13 Super Bowl victory.<\/p>\n

Asked where he had found the belief to prosper on the NFL\u2019s biggest stage after being traded between five teams over eight years, Darnold responded: \u201cIt\u2019s easy. My teammates and my coaches.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThey believed in me ever since the beginning of training camp. That was our mindset every single day we came to work,\u201d said the 28-year-old, of his triumphant debut year in Seattle.<\/p>\n

As green confetti fell across the Levi\u2019s Stadium, in Darnold\u2019s home state of California, he grew reflective.<\/p>\n

Darnold is a Super Bowl champion. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did it. That was it. It has been such a special journey with these guys, so much hard work that has been poured into this. It was just job well done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Darnold was the third overall pick in a star-packed 2018 draft, chosen by the New York Jets ahead of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, and just behind Baker Mayfield.<\/p>\n

This season, he became the first of those household-name NFL quarterbacks to even reach a Super Bowl — and emerged comfortably victorious.<\/p>\n

The journey was far from smooth. After struggling for three seasons in the harsh New York media spotlight, Darnold was traded to the Carolina Panthers for two more lacklustre years.<\/p>\n

His rebirth began with a season in San Francisco as backup to Brock Purdy, and accelerated with a 14-win campaign for the Minnesota Vikings in which he threw a career-high 35 touchdowns.<\/p>\n

In a now-infamous decision, Minnesota decided to switch to their young quarterback prospect JJ McCarthy, and the Seattle Seahawks swooped in for Darnold last March.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things that we saw in Sam that we loved, and he\u2019s lived up to those things — and then some,\u201d Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald had told AFP, in the days before Super Bowl LX.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a resilient dude and a competitor. A winner.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Monday\u2019s NFL decider, Darnold threw for a touchdown and 202 yards, completing 19 of 38 attempts.<\/p>\n

The NFL has long been a brutal place for young quarterbacks, who can overnight go from the next big superstar to a busted flush.<\/p>\n

But resilience, ambition and self-awareness are traits that Darnold has long exhibited, according to his high school coach Jaime Ortiz, who remembers his former student as a wildly gifted but quietly driven kid.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable. Everything that has happened in my career, but to do it with this team, I wouldn\u2019t want it any other way,\u201d said Darnold.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cI\u2019m just so happy for the guys in the locker room and the coaches who put out so much effort the whole season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Darnold dot sets up 1st TD of Super Bowl | 00:31<\/p>\n

PATRIOTS QB FIGHTS BACK TEARS AFTER SUPER BOWL REALITY CHECK<\/p>\n

Patriots prodigy Drake Maye was left longing for a do-over after his first Super Bowl appearance ended in misery.<\/p>\n

The 23-year-old came into the NFL championship clash with a chance to become the youngest ever quarterback to win the NFL\u2019s top prize.<\/p>\n

But Maye was sacked six times and gave up two interceptions and a fumble before fighting back tears in his post-game press conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to have the game back and go back to the beginning and redo it,\u201d admitted Maye.<\/p>\n

Maye faltered badly at key moments. On a crucial play in the fourth quarter he was strip-sacked, allowing Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu to race into the end zone for a game-sealing touchdown.<\/p>\n

Maye failed to get the Patriots offence moving throughout, with New England forced to punt away eight of its first nine possessions.<\/p>\n

While Maye had a poor night, New England\u2019s woes on offence were not solely on the quarterback.<\/p>\n

The offensive line struggled, with rookie Will Campbell in particular having a tough outing after being attributed with 14 quarterback pressures from Next Gen Stats \u2014 the most allowed by any player in a game this season.<\/p>\n

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel\u2019s game management and play-calling was also questionable at times.<\/p>\n

Particularly puzzling was the decision not to feature Maye\u2019s legs as a bigger part of the game plan given the constant pressure he was under. While there may not have been much room for him to get chunk gains, his dual-threat ability was one of New England\u2019s few advantages in the match-up.<\/p>\n

There also weren\u2019t many creases to the New England offence to try ease the pressure on Maye, including putting both Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield or adding an extra offensive lineman to play in a heavier personnel and take shot plays.<\/p>\n

It was a bitter pill to swallow for Maye, who had spoken to AFP before the game about wanting to be an \u201call-time great\u201d and to emulate his illustrious Patriots predecessor Tom Brady.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were so many plays that could decide and change the game,\u201d Maye reflected after the stinging defeat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have the fumble and they returned it for a touchdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were so many times in the first half when I felt like I could have made a better throw or make a better decision and just… it comes down to who makes the better plays and who doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd they made the better plays tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. (AP Photo\/Mark J. Terrill)Source: AP<\/p>\n

North Carolina-born Maye was the third overall pick in the 2024 draft, quickly becoming the Patriots\u2019 starting quarterback.<\/p>\n

Despite its disappointing end, this season was undoubtedly Maye\u2019s breakout campaign.<\/p>\n

He threw for 31 touchdowns in the regular season, managing the league-best completion percentage (72 percent) and yards per pass attempt (8.9), and rushed for four more.<\/p>\n

Maye managed six more TDs in the playoffs, including three in a dominant win over the Houston Texans, and another two on Sunday.<\/p>\n

He was the second-youngest starting quarterback to reach a Super Bowl, after Dan Marino with the Miami Dolphins in 1985.<\/p>\n

But his sophomore season ultimately fell just short of being truly historic as a slow start doomed Maye\u2019s bid to lift the Lombardi Trophy.<\/p>\n

Monday\u2019s Super Bowl capped off a disappointing postseason for Maye, who finished with the worst total EPA of any quarterback who started at least three games since 2000.<\/p>\n

As for what Maye needs to be put in a better position to succeed, former NFL defensive tackle turned ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said the Patriots have a lot of questions to ponder over in the offseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe offensive line has got to get better. The left side of the offensive line in particular has got to be better (and) they need more weapons on the offensive side of the football,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDefensively they played good enough to win for a large part of that game but if you\u2019re Josh McDaniels and you\u2019ve got this young quarterback Drake Maye who could have won the MVP but was second, how do I get the quarterback better? <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got to get more explosive on the offensive side of the football, the line has to be better and Drake Maye has to take another step. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe watched him earlier in this game. Drake Maye was very tentative. He\u2019s an athletic quarterback. They have to use some of his athleticism. I thought he was throwing footballs all over the field. They were behind guys, they were low. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t seem like he ever settled down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dickson pins Pats with PERFECT punt | 00:26<\/p>\n

BRUTAL SLEDGE EXPOSES GULF BETWEEN SEAHAWKS AND PATRIOTS<\/p>\n

All we heard was that this was the unlikeliest Super Bowl in history between two teams that weren\u2019t supposed to be here, at least based on pre-season betting odds.<\/p>\n

But now that they were here, again it seemed like one team still wasn\u2019t supposed to be here.<\/p>\n

To their sceptics, the New England Patriots were the product of a soft schedule. They had played a gauntlet of top defences in the postseason to earn their spot in the Super Bowl, but all three of those teams had their deficiencies.<\/p>\n

The Chargers had one of the worst offensive lines in the league. The Texans were down their top receiver. The Broncos didn\u2019t have their starting quarterback. <\/p>\n

It was telling that before Monday\u2019s game, Drake Maye was on an island in Super Bowl MVP betting for New England with no other Patriots teammates close to him.<\/p>\n

The expectation was that if New England somehow pulled it off, it would be on the back of the second-year quarterback. <\/p>\n

But even still, almost all experts seemed to be in agreement that this was Seattle\u2019s game to lose. The Seahawks had the better defence, the better offence and better special teams unit. <\/p>\n

The Patriots, meanwhile, seemingly needed a miracle. Everyone knew it \u2014 including the Seahawks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe plan was to get to Maye, disrupt him,\u201d Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew that he\u2019s their whole team. He\u2019s an MVP runner-up, could have been MVP. So, we know if we affected him, their whole game plan will be nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ernest Jones, who had 11 tackles in the win, had a similar message when speaking to ESPN post-game.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could tell all throughout the week, we\u2019d been asking ourselves what could they possibly do to beat us and today they didn\u2019t give us too much,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That has got to hurt to hear for the Patriots.<\/p>\n

Hunter Henry is tackled by Ernest Jones. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u2018CRAZY\u2019 SUPER BOWL MVP RISE LEAVES SEAHAWKS WITH $20M DILEMMA<\/p>\n

Kenneth Walker III capitalised on his timely stint as an unquestioned RB1.<\/p>\n

After his tandem backfield partner Zach Charbonnet suffered a season-ending torn ACL during the divisional round playoffs, Walker went on a dominating three-game stretch that ensured he will enter free agency with a higher price tag and a Super Bowl LX MVP trophy.<\/p>\n

What made Walker\u2019s 135 rushing yards and 26 receiving yards in the Seahawks\u2019 29-13 victory against the Patriots even more special? His father was at Levi\u2019s Stadium as one of 70,823 fans to see him play for the first time in his four-year NFL career.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad comes out to Seattle all the time to watch games, but he doesn\u2019t go to the game because he doesn\u2019t like crowds,\u201d Walker said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is his first NFL game and we won the Super Bowl, so it means a lot to me. I know he\u2019s proud of me for real.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walker\u2019s agent convinced his father to make the trip.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think he would come,\u201d Walker said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey ended up mic-ing him up and everything, so he got out of his comfort zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the regular season, Walker out-carried Charbonnet 221-184, but Charbonnet was the pay-dirt finisher (12 touchdowns), as all fantasy football managers know. <\/p>\n

Without Charbonnet, Walker rushed for 116 yards and three touchdowns against the 49ers, 62 yards and a touchdown against the Rams and stepped up as the primary weapon for an offense that played part of the Super Bowl without star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.<\/p>\n

Walker\u2019s three highest single-game touches totals were the final three games of the season, including 29 on Monday.<\/p>\n

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III. (Scott Strazzante\/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)Source: AP<\/p>\n

Now the Seahawks face a post-celebration decision: Pay Walker the increasing going rate for a free agent running back, franchise tag him for slightly north of $14 million ($A20m) in 2026 or let him walk and trust Charbonnet to recover well enough to be a lead back. They were second-round draft picks in back-to-back years.<\/p>\n

\u201cK-9 is special,\u201d safety Julian Love said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not a person in the building that doesn\u2019t believe we are a better team when he is going. To see him winning Super Bowl MVP is crazy. He\u2019s earned it. There\u2019s been so much doubt on his name. He\u2019s a menace with the ball in his hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walker became the eighth 100-yard rusher in a Super Bowl this century, joining a not fully esteemed list of Jamaal Lewis (Ravens), Michael Pittman (Buccaneers), Dominic Rhodes (Colts), Thomas Jones (Bears), Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks), Frank Gore (49ers) and Damien Williams (Chiefs). None of those running backs were Super Bowl MVPs \u2014 the award last going to a running back in 1999 (Terrell Davis).<\/p>\n

Walker\u2019s 100 yards from scrimmage in the first half were more than twice as many as anyone else on either team.<\/p>\n

\u2014 New York Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl champions while the New England Patriots have been left to pick up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":468166,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85],"class_list":["post-468165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}