The Seattle Seahawks produced a devastating defensive display to beat the New England Patriots and claim their second Super Bowl victory.
Two of the NFL's strongest defenses battled it out in Sunday's showpiece and the Seahawks emphatically came out on top to win 29-13 at Levi's Stadium.
It was a defensive performance for the ages and Briton Aden Durde played a pivotal role, becoming the first overseas coach to win America's biggest game.
Seattle's 46-year-old defensive coordinator has helped create the most-feared defense in the NFL, known as 'the Dark Side'. They showed why on American football's biggest stage in Santa Clara, California.
New England's second-year quarterback, Drake Maye, narrowly missed out on this season's Most Valuable Player award but was stifled by the Seahawks, who claimed six sacks, forced three turnovers, and scored a defensive touchdown.
After Seattle led 9-0 at halftime, Maye's first turnover resulted in the game's opening touchdown for tight end AJ Barner early in the fourth quarter.
Linebacker Uchenna Nwosu then returned an interception for a 45-yard touchdown, while Jason Meyers kicked a record five field goals as Seattle denied the Patriots a record seventh Super Bowl win.
We were the better team, we're the best team. We loved each other, we believed in each other and now we're champions, said Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald. We went to the dark side tonight, we love our players, they made it happen. They made it come to life and we won the game.
Most of the 70,823 crowd seemed to favor Seattle, who came into the game as narrow favorites, and their win also means that quarterback Sam Darnold has completed his redemption story after being written off as a starting NFL quarterback.
The Seahawks are Darnold's fifth team in his eight-year career - and third in three years - but in his first year in Seattle the former third overall draft pick has won the game's biggest prize.
New England were playing in their first Super Bowl since 2019 and the departure of legendary quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick.
The duo led the Patriots to six Super Bowl wins, tying for the NFL record with the Pittsburgh Steelers, with Mike Vrabel playing in three of those wins. After two 4-13 seasons, the former linebacker returned to New England as head coach and has rebuilt the roster, leading the Patriots to a record-extending 12th Super Bowl appearance.
As well as having the league's best pass completion rate this season, Maye has impressed with his ability to scramble and escape the pressure, but there was no getting away from the Seahawks.
