The National Football Association (NFL) 2025-26 season has come to a close with the Seattle Seahawks coming out victorious in their Superbowl matchup against the New England Patriots, Feb. 8 with a score of 29-13.
This victory is a second franchise win for the Seahawks and many talking points come out of the result. For example, Seahawks quarterback (QB) Sam Darnold becomes the first University of Southern California (USC) QB to win a superbowl. He also becomes the first quarterback to win the superbowl from the 2018 draft class ahead of stars like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. However Darnold was not the Superbowl Most Valuable Player (SBMVP). That title goes to runningback (RB) Kenneth Walker III. He tallied 161 total yards over the course of the game and made crucial big runs to set up the Seahawks to score their points.
The Patriots on the other hand struggled to get the offense going as they did not score until the fourth quarter by which point the game was out of reach. QB Drake Maye had a disappointing performance as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) candidate threw two interceptions and was inefficient throwing the ball. He also notably lost a fumble which was recovered by Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II. A major talking point from the game was the lack of pass protection Drake Maye received as he was sacked six times and hit 11 times. These numbers are eye opening for the Patriots as something to fix in the offseason
Besides the game itself, another important thing is the half time show. This year’s performance was done by Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny. This selection brought large controversy as many people were worried about the fact that his music is in Spanish.
There was so much controversy that a second half time show was organized by the conservative organization known as Turning Point USA starring Kid Rock and others. Even with this Bad Bunny’s halftime show broke the record for the most viewed halftime show in history, a record previously held by last year’s performer Kendrick Lamar.
The show also featured Stefani Germanotta or Lady Gaga and Enrique “Ricky” Martin. The show’s main message was “the only thing more powerful than hate is love.” which was on the jumbotron throughout the show.
The Superbowl has many talking points regarding football and nonfootball related subjects that are sure to be discussed heading into the offseason for many months to come.