The Seahawks showed their grit when they demolished the Patriots, 29-13, in the Super Bowl on Sunday at Levi Stadium. They scored on their first possession of the game with a field goal, and didn’t look back. Their win was as much a draw as Bad Bunny’s halftime show.
In the first quarter, the Seahawks received the football and did not waste time getting on the board. On second-and-ten from their own forty-four-yard line, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold found a streaking tight-end A.J. Barner on a slant route to his left for fifteen yards and a first down. As New England nickelback Marcus Jones attempted to cut the route and pick off the pass to no avail.
On first-and-ten from the Patriots forty-one yard-line, Darnold, with a fake reverse, threw off his back foot a perfect strike to Cuff downfield for another first down at the eighteen-yard line. Patriots nickelback Jones attempted to deflect the ball out of Cuff’s hands. Seattle was unable to get another first down, as they settled for a thirty-three-yard field goal attempt from Jason Myers, who hit it right down the middle for a 3-0 lead four minutes into the game.
In the second quarter, with Seattle leading 6-0 and less than three minutes to go, Darnold led another scoring drive. On second-and-nine from the Patriots forty-two yard-line, Darnold scanned the field for his receivers before dumping it off to running back George Holani for seven yards to make it third-and-two. Holani made a few juke moves on the New England defenders along the way as he gained an extra four yards after the catch. That led to another first down in the process.
The Patriots almost turned the momentum around when Darnold tried to force a pass to Jaxon Smith-Njiba for a touchdown. Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez had a hand on it, but could not corral the ball for an interception. The Seahawks settled for another field goal from Myers. This one from forty-one yards to make it 9-0 before halftime.
The Seahawks defense left the Patriots offense in a great field position during the last 15 seconds of the third quarter. New England had a third-and-five from their own 38-yard line. Their quarterback, Drake Maye, tried to step into the pocket to give himself a chance to complete the pass, felt the pressure coming from his right as Seahawks defensive tackle Derick Hall knocked the ball loose. In the first turnover of the game, Seahawks running back Byron Murphy II recovered the fumble at their 37-yard line.
In the next play, Darnold rolled to his right and found Barner, who ran a slant route leading him with a perfect throw in stride. Barner went down the right sideline before being pushed out of bounds by Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings at the 26-yard line for a first down.
The key play on the drive was on third-and-nine, when Darnold went with a three-step drop. Going to his left, Darnold zipped a pass to wide receiver Cooper Kuff, who ran an out-route for 10 yards to continue the drive.
The Seahawks ran a fake handoff to the right, as the Patriots brought a blitz. Darnold was able to pick up the blitz and find a wide-open Barner in the end zone for a touchdown, giving Seattle a 19-0 lead, with 13 minutes left in the game.
It took New England less than a minute to answer the Seahawks touchdown with one of their own. On second-and-four from their own 42-yard line, Maye found wide open, Mack Hollins, down the middle for a 23-yard reception at the Seahawks 35 yard line. Then Maye went with a two-step drop before finding Hollins on his left, who made an over-the-shoulder catch for a touchdown while being smothered by Seattle cornerback Riq Woolen, and leaving the score 19-7 Seahawks. The Patriots trailed 22-7 with 4:38 to go and went with a no-huddle offense.
On first-and-ten from the Seahawks forty-four yard line, Maye went back to pass. Seattle brought two defensive backs from the right side. As New England was unable to pick up the rush as Maye attempted to release the ball and complete a pass to his right, Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon hit Maye’s arm, causing him to fumble the football. Linebacker Unchenna Nwosu scooped up the fumble and returned it sixty-six yards for a touchdown to seal the deal.
New England never quit, as Maye drove the team down the field, throwing a five-yard touchdown pass to running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who made a shoe-top catch, for the final scoring margin of 29-13. The Seahawks celebrated their Super Bowl victory, dousing Head Coach Jim Harbaugh with a Gatorade bath and all the confetti coming down on the field.
The halftime show featured performances by Bad Bunny, who sang “Titi Me Preguntó” while coming out of the sugar cane field during his musical performance. The performance portrayed working-class people harvesting the sugar cane and running vendor carts for food, nails, drinks and coconuts, featuring actual vendors like Villa’s Tacos and boxers fighting on the field. In this, the Grammy winner represents the hustle, creativity and “machismo” that Latin Americans use to get by in their countries.
During the song, which is a conversation with him and his aunt about his love life and how the numerous relationships with women reflect a need for a deeper commitment, Bad Bunny is led to a jewelry stand, where the vendor gives him an engagement ring. He hands the ring to a California State University, Fullerton alumn Tommy Wolter, who then proposes to his girlfriend, Eleisa Aparcio, and later in the show, gets married in a real ceremony.
After the ceremony, Lady Gaga made a guest appearance, singing a salsa version of “Die with a Smile.” During her performance, there are depictions of how Latin American celebrations are known to run late into the night, with people dancing and a child sleeping on chairs, which is a common occurrence in Latino children.
Throughout his 14-minute performance, Bad Bunny performed songs like “Lo Que Paso en Hawaii,” a song about gentrification and how the culture gets watered down while others get to reap its benefits, and “El Apagon,” a song about cultural appropriation where he points out the hypocrisy of people wanting to be Latino without respecting the culture or people.
At the end of his performance saying “God bless America,” and proceeded to list all the countries in North and South America as people carrying a flag from each country ran across the field. A large screen in the stands read “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” which can be interpreted to present that while the Latino community faces poverty, violence, and racism, hope and love can get them somewhere positive.
