The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks went head to head on Sunday, February 8, in the 2026 Super Bowl game. Fans of both teams, and other spectators had a lot to say about not only the game, but the events that happened during it.
National Football League (NFL) Hall of Fame players Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri and Roger Craig were announced before the game began. This is a tradition in NFL history where every year there are around 4 to 9 retired players that are selected and honored for the role that they played and their past accomplishments. The Super Bowl was an eventful evening, starting off strong with the opening punk rock band, Green Day, playing their song “Holiday.” They went on to play two more songs, including “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “American Idiot.” The Famers, who were announced earlier, joined Green Day on stage for the finale song.
Not only does the Super Bowl have a game to watch, but it has entertaining, family friendly commercials during the brief breaks in the game. Vincent Gutierrez, a freshman at Huntington Beach High School (HBHS), said, “Although I found the actual game to be a little boring, I did enjoy the commercials. My favorite was the Budweiser commercial that featured the Clydesdale horse and the bald eagle growing up together.” The Super Bowl commercials bring those who aren’t very interested in the game, something to talk about and enjoy.
The first half started off with the Seahawks receiving the kickoff. Both teams were playing very defensively, causing the game to have no touchdowns scored by half, but the Seahawks managed to score three field goals making the score 9-0 by the end of the half. There were only four first downs scored by the Patriots, and the Seahawks had 10 first downs, with running back Kenneth Walker earning most of the yards.
During the Super bowl halftime show, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, Bad Bunny, entered the field as the audience roared with excitement. He was surrounded by a maze of sugar cane, a nod to Puerto Rico’s agricultural past. He traveled through the maze while starting off his performance with “Tití Me Preguntó.” Bad Bunny has recently been getting a lot of hate for speaking up about the political state of the world. Him still showing up and performing made a big impact on the country. Lady Gaga came out and performed, “Die With a Smile,” with a unique latin twist. This hit song reached No. 1 on the “Billboard Hot 100” in the past and after this performance, it climbed back to the top 50 with the “Streaming Songs” tally. He ended his performance with “DtMF” (DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS), bringing out a colorful array of flags representing nations including North, Central and South America. Siena Cornelius, a freshman at (HBHS), said, “I really enjoyed the halftime show. The music, set and dancing all tied into each other well.”
After the halftime show, the game started right back up. Going into the second half, there still weren’t many offensive plays happening. The Patriots began making lots of mistakes, like missing simple passes and overall just had poor execution. At the end of the third quarter, Drake Maye fumbled, leading to the Seahawks recovery. In the first few minutes of the fourth quarter AJ Barner scored the first touchdown of the game for the Seahawks. Mack Hollins scored the first touchdown for the Patriots with twelve minutes left of the game. The Patriots were finally starting to find their rhythm, but quarterback Drake Mayes threw an interception to a Seahawks defender. The final score of the game ended at 29-13. There were many records set throughout this game, like the most field goals scored by one team and Drake Maye’s tied record for the most sacks in the post season.
Seahawks fan, Mark Ross, said, “Me personally, I am a Seahawks fan and I have been for several years, so I was overjoyed when they ended up winning the Super Bowl.”
There were many people with different opinions on the game. Some really enjoyed it, while others weren’t too impressed. Even though only fans of one team may be excited in the end, the entire experience of watching the event is what really counts. Regardless of whether people like football or not, the Super Bowl is a tradition each year, and brings people together, whether it’s to watch the actual game, laugh at the commercials or to socialize with friends and family.
