2025-2026 NFL Thread

[PhaelixWW]

Fireworks popping off in Seattle already.

[xskarma]

GG to the Seahawks, deserved champions.

Patriots needed more from their O-line all playoffs, and never got it. That's the story of the game. Seattle just constantly pressured, even with basic rushes. Not good enough.

All credit to Maye and the defense though, they balled out, and had to take ever more risks, which backfired at some point. But, you have to do something or Seattle would have just slowly but surely crushed them bit by bit. At least this way there was a chance for chaos and a spark.

Hope the Patriots can get to work in the offseason to get better at the skill positions and Oline. Then, maybe we have a chance to be back.

[Fencers]

It was an ugly game for the Patriots. I am not mad at Seattle though. They played tremendous most of the season and they were simply a better team.

I also think Darnold came up the right way and he deserved his time. Great work, Macdonald.

No complaints. The better team won.

[Kyanion]

GG to the Seahawks, deserved champions.

Patriots needed more from their O-line all playoffs, and never got it. That's the story of the game. Seattle just constantly pressured, even with basic rushes. Not good enough.

All credit to Maye and the defense though, they balled out, and had to take ever more risks, which backfired at some point. But, you have to do something or Seattle would have just slowly but surely crushed them bit by bit. At least this way there was a chance for chaos and a spark.

Hope the Patriots can get to work in the offseason to get better at the skill positions and Oline. Then, maybe we have a chance to be back.

Nothing personal, but I hope we don't see the Pats in the Super Bowl again for another 20+ years. They've had enough. They ran with that weak schedule and lucky breaks (literally in the case of Nix) and they got their chance but that was not a fun game to watch.

And umm Maye didn't "ball out", he was flat dreadful for a majority of the game and got little help from his OC in adjusting protections until WAY WAY too late. His stats got inflated by garbage time soft defense.

[Deus Mortis]

Wanted the pats to win, but Seahawks played an amazing game so hats off to them. Their d-line is just ridiculous.

[Gestopft]

As a Seahawks fan obviously PUMPED!

Tip of the hat to the Pats for making it of course; Vrabel/defense/Maye etc. really had a great season and a historic turnaround from the year before. This was really the most improbably Super Bowl we've seen based on pre-season odds. The Seahawks, it felt, really ran an absolute gauntlet to get here. I think getting through the Rams twice in the last several games and twice through 49ers- winning four high-stakes divisional games in a short period- really battle-hardened this team. After what they went through and what they had to prove to get here, the team that ran the gauntlet is the team that showed up today, and I can only wish I was back in Seattle tonight rather than most of the country away.

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Kenneth Walker well deserved MVP; his runs made the early scoring possible when points were at a premium. If the Pats won it would've been Christian Gonzales who had a hell of a game.

[draynay]

Watching Darnold evade pressure in this game its hard to believe he was the same guy who got sacked 9 times. Ghosts busted.

I wonder if any teams have beaten the top two MVP candidates back-to-back in the playoffs. Seahawks are poised to do that.

The Saints beat #4 and *cough* #1, when they faced Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, and Peyton Manning. Considering these two QBs practically tied for MVP I don't think any team can match that. I think the Buccaneers beat Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, and Mahomes.

[cordrann]

I generally have a favorable opinion of McDaniels, but that game was coaching malpractice. The Patriots should have been living in jumbo for the majority of that game. Instead, they were in 11 personnel for nearly 80% of their snaps. The ONE play they brought in a sixth offensive lineman, they complete a 21-yard pass, and then never do it again for the rest of the game. That game plan was just a colossal failure on McDaniels part.