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TheSeahawks' "Dark Side" defensehad just turned the lights out on the Patriots ina 29-13 Super Bowl 60 victory.

"We struggled. Some plays we probably want back. We didn't play our best. We lost. Got to take it on the chin," Diggs said. "They played a better game. That was a good (expletive) team we played."

Super Bowl 60's final score wasn't even indicative of what transpired on the field. The Patriots were held scoreless through the first three quarters.New England's offense was neutralizeduntil it scored 13 points and gained 253 yards in what essentially was a futile fourth quarter with the game already decided. The Patriots offense never got within Seattle's 40-yard line prior to the final quarter.

"They have a hell of a defense. One of the top defenses in the league," Diggs said. "They are fast in the back end, they have fast backers and they got a good interior."

Check out the biggest defensive moments from Patriots vs. Seahawks

The irony of Seattle's Super Bowl 60 win is that Drake Maye was the one seeing ghosts.

Sam Darnold, notoriously known for his "seeing ghosts" comment, was the quarterback who managed the game, took what the defense gave him and avoided costly turnovers.

Maye was the quarterback that had multiple errant throws, an ill-advised interception toSeahawkssafety Julian Love and a pick-six to linebacker Uchenna Nwosu.

"I'd like to go back to the beginning and redo it," Maye said. "There are so many plays that can decide and change the game. I had an (interception) returned for a touchdown. There were plays in the first half where I feel like I could've made a better throw or make a better decision. It really just comes down to who makes the plays and who doesn't. They made plays tonight."

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Maye completed 27-of-43 passes for 295 yards (235 yards coming in the fourth quarter) to go with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Maye was sacked six times and fumbled once.According to Next Gen Stats, the Seahawks generated a 52.8% pressure rate, the highest in a Super Bowl since at least 2018.

"It definitely hurts," Maye said. "It's been a long ride. They played better than us (Sunday). They deserved to win that game."

The Seattle Seahawks celebrated its Super Bowl victory with confetti, Gatorade and the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots, 29-13, on Feb. 8, 2026.

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Seahawks celebrate Super Bowl victory. See the jubilation.

TheSeattle Seahawkscelebrated its Super Bowl victory with confetti, Gatorade and the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots, 29-13, on Feb. 8, 2026.

What might hurt New England even more is the fact its defense played well enough to win ... until things went off the rails in the fourth quarter.Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker IIIwas the sole provider of consistent offense and kicker Jason Myers' four field goals were the only points given up through three quarters. But when Darnold tossed a 16-yard touchdown to tight end AJ Barner to put the Patriots in a 19-0 hole, the deficit was insurmountable.

"It's tough," Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams told USA TODAY Sports. "We just didn't make enough plays to win the game. We didn't make enough plays when we needed to."

The Super Bowl loss won't quiet critics who were up in arms about the Patriots' strength of schedule this season. New England had the NFL's easiest schedule (in terms of opponent combined win percentage). Then the Pats defeated a Los Angeles Chargers team with a patchwork offensive line, a turnover-happy C.J. Stroud and theHouston Texanswithout Nico Collins, and a Bo Nix-lessDenver Broncosclub in a blizzard en route to Super Bowl 60.

There's no guarantee that they'll make it back to the NFL's ultimate game. The AFC figures to be better in 2026 and the conference's postseason featured no Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. But the Patriots spent over $200 million in guaranteed money on free agents in 2025. Most of their impact players will return next season and they have invaluable Super Bowl experience to go along with the agony of defeat.

"It's definitely gonna sting. It's gonna sting all the way up to the start of next year. But I'm proud of the guys. I'm proud of this team," Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez said. "All year nobody believed in us. … To make it to where we were, is a testament to our work. We came up short. Every year a team loses the Super Bowl."

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X@TheTylerDragon.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Patriots have no answers for Seahawks' Dark Side defense in Super Bowl

Those were the first words uttered bySam Darnold, who looked as if he'd barely broken a sweat, as he approached his postgame riser Sunday evening,the Seattle Seahawks quarterback a Super Bowl championfor the first time in his singular eight-year career afterhis team's 29-13 beatdownof theNew England Patriots.

Couldn't have been much fun for the New York Jets. Or Carolina Panthers. Or Minnesota Vikings. Those NFL franchises have all had Darnold on their roster at some point during his peripatetic career but don't now. Those clubs have also combined for zero Lombardi Trophies since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger … and will carry that collective doughnut for another year while Darnold, now a two-time Pro Bowler, is fitted for his first ring.

Sunday also couldn't have been all that much fun for Baker Mayfield. Or Josh Allen. Or Lamar Jackson. Like Darnold, they were all first-round drafts picks in 2018. Unlike Darnold, who was also a member of the San Francisco 49ers when they were NFC champions in 2023, that trio has combined to win three league MVP awards … while making zero Super Sunday appearances.

Super Bowl 60: Check out best photos from Seahawks vs Patriots

"I didn't not believe that I would be (the first 2018 QB champion)," Darnold smiled. "It's special, man. And it's not about that – to me, it's never been about that. I'm just doing the best that I can. Because, every single day, I want to be the best quarterback for theSeattle Seahawks– that's really what it comes down to."

Mission basically accomplished.

Darnold didn't exactly deliver a signature performance Sunday, completing half of his 38 throws for 202 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown strike to tight end AJ Barner that broke the game open in the fourth quarter.

Yet Darnold also bucked his early career reputation for carelessness with the ball that carried over from his time at USC – instead protecting the pigskin, not committing a turnover (he didn't have one in the playoffs after leading the NFL with 20 in the regular season) and only taking one sack. Meanwhile, his New England counterpart, Drake Maye – an MVP finalist in 2025 – had three giveaways while getting bagged six times by Seattle's swarming defense, not that Maye could be blamed for the constant jailbreaks he faced.

"I didn't have my best stuff today, but the team had my back – our defense and special teams," said Darnold, whose unspectacular performance was perfectly sufficient for a Seattle juggernaut that didn't need anything more from him.

"We just played how we always play, we were resilient and we came out on top. So, it was pretty special."

Yet his success was also special for Seahawks players who have universally come to adore their quarterback even though he hasn't been on the roster for even 11 months.

"Unbelievable story. I don't think there's a quarterback in NFL history that's done what he's done – to go through the things that he's had to go through," saidwide receiver Cooper Kupp. "To believe in himself, to overcome everyone that told him that he wasn't that guy anymore, that he couldn't be a starter.

"I'm so thankful I got to know who Sam Darnold is as a person, because it explains everything that's happened in his career."

Added kicker Jason Myers, a teammate of Darnold during his rookie year with the Jets: "He's just one of the guys, he's just great in the locker room. I knew he'd fit in right away when we signed him here."

And with two years left on his contract and a loaded team at his back, perhaps this only the beginning of Darnold's dominant era.

"I don't think it's really hit me yet, to be honest with you," Darnold said of his career-defining moment to date.

"But it's special – this group is why it's special, the connection all of us have as players, the love that we have for each other."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Seahawks' Sam Darnold: From Jets castoff to Super Bowl 60 champion

The increase in marine Arctic traffic, which received increased attention as President Donald Trump pushed for the United States to take overGreenland, has come with a heavy environmental cost: black carbon, or soot, that spews from ships and makes the ice melt even faster. Several countries are making a case for ships in the Arctic to use cleaner fuels that cause less pollution in meetings this week with international shipping regulators.

Glaciers, snow and ice covered in the soot emitted by ships have less ability to reflect the sun. Instead, the sun's heat is absorbed, helping to make the Arctic the fastest warming place on Earth. In turn, melting Arctic sea ice can affectweather patternsaround the world.

"It ends up in a never-ending cycle of increased warming," said Sian Prior, lead adviser for the Clean Arctic Alliance, a coalition of nonprofits focused on the Arctic and shipping. "We need to regulate emissions and black carbon, in particular. Both are completely unregulated in the Arctic."

In December, France, Germany, the Solomon Islands and Denmark proposed that the International Maritime Organization require ships traveling in Arctic waters to use "polar fuels," which are lighter and emit less carbon pollution than the widely used maritime fuels known as residuals. The proposal includes steps that companies would take to comply and the geographic area it would apply to — all ships traveling north of the 60th parallel. The proposal was expected to be presented to the IMO's Pollution Prevention and Response Committee this week and possibly another committee in April.

A 2024 ban on using a type of residual known as heavy fuel oil in the Arctic has had only modest impacts so far, partly because of loopholes.

Concerns about shipping pollution are overshadowed by geopolitics

The push to reduce black carbon, which studies have shown has a warming impact 1,600 times that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year span, is happening at a time of conflicting interests, both internationally and among the countries that have coastlines in the Arctic.

In recent months, Trump's periodic comments about the need to "own" Greenland to bolster U.S. security have raised many issues, from Greenland's sovereignty to the future of the NATO alliance. Pollution and other environmental issues in the Arctic have taken a backseat.

Trump, who has calledclimate changea "con job," has also pushed back against global policies aimed at fighting it. Last year, the IMO was expected to adopt new regulations that would have imposed carbon fees on shipping, which supporters said would have pushed companies to use cleaner fuels and electrify fleets where possible. Then Trump intervened, lobbying hard for nations to vote no.The measure was postponed for a year, its prospects at best uncertain. Given that, it's hard to see the IMO making fast progress on the current proposal to limit black carbon in the Arctic.

Even inside Arctic nations, which are most impacted by black carbon and other shipping pollution, there are internal tensions around such regulations. Iceland is a good example. While the country is a world leader in green technologies such as carbon capture and the use of thermal energies for heating, conservationists say the country has made less progress on regulating pollution in its seas. That is because the fishing industry, one of the country's most important, holds huge sway.

"The industry is happy with profits, unhappy with the taxes and not engaged in issues like climate or biodiversity," said Arni Finnsson, board chair of the Iceland Nature Conservation Association.

Finnsson added that the costs of using cleaner fuels or electrifying fleets have also prompted resistance.

"I think the government is waking up, but they still have to wait for the (fishing) industry to say yes," he said.

The country has not taken a position on the pending polar fuels proposal. In a statement, Iceland's Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate said the proposal was "positive with regard to its purpose and basic content," but that further study was needed. The statement added that Iceland supports stronger measures to counter shipping emissions and reduce black carbon.

Arctic ship traffic and black carbon emissions both rise

Soot pollution has increased in the Arctic as cargo ships, fishing boats and even some cruise liners are traveling more in the waters that connect the northernmost parts of Iceland, Greenland, Canada, Russia, Norway, Finland, Sweden and the United States.

Between 2013 and 2023, the number of ships entering waters north of the 60th parallel increased by 37%, according to the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum made up of the eight countries with territory in the Arctic. In that same period, the total distance traversed by ships in the Arctic increased 111%.

Black carbon emissions have also increased. In 2019, 2,696 metric tons of black carbon was emitted from ships north of the 60th parallel compared with 3,310 metric tons in 2024, according to a study by Energy and Environmental Research Associates. The study found that fishing boats were the biggest source of black carbon.

It also found that the 2024 ban on heavy fuel oil would only result in a small reduction in black carbon. Waivers and exceptions allow some ships to continue using it until 2029.

Environmental groups and concerned countries see regulating ship fuel as the only way to realistically reduce black carbon. That is because getting nations to agree to limit traffic would likely be impossible. The lure of fishing, resource extraction and shorter shipping distances is too great. Ships can save days on some trips between Asia and Europe by sailing through the Arctic.

Still, the path known as the Northern Sea Route is only traversable a few months of the year, and even then ships must be accompanied by icebreakers. Those dangers, combined with Arctic pollution concerns, have driven some companies to pledge to stay away — at least for now.

"The debate around the Arctic is intensifying, and commercial shipping is part of that discussion," wrote Søren Toft, CEO of Mediterranean Shipping Company, the world's largest container shipping company, in a LinkedIn post last month. "Our position at MSC is clear. We do not and will not use the Northern Sea Route."

The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP'sstandardsfor working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas atAP.org.

SYDNEY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Thousands gathered across Australia on Monday to protest the arrival of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who is on a multi-city trip aimed at expressing solidarity with ​Australia's Jewish community following a deadly mass shooting last year.

Herzog is visiting Australia this week following an invitation ‌from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the aftermath of the December 14 shooting at a Hanukkah event at Sydney's Bondi Beach that killed 15.

The ‌visit has attracted the ire of some people in Australia, who accuse Herzog of being complicit in civilian deaths in Gaza. Pro-Palestine groups have organised protests in cities and towns across the country on Monday evening.

In Sydney, thousands gathered in a square in the city's central business district, listening to speeches and shouting pro-Palestine slogans.

"The Bondi massacre was terrible but from our Australian leadership there's been ⁠no acknowledgment of the Palestinian people and ‌the Gazans," said Jackson Elliott, a 30-year-old protestor from Sydney.

"Herzog has dodged all the questions about the occupation and says this visit is about Australia and Israeli relations but he is complicit."

There was ‍a heavy police presence with a helicopter circling overhead and officers patrolling on horseback.

About 3,000 police personnel will be deployed across Sydney during Herzog's visit to the city.

PRESIDENT COMMEMORATES LIVES LOST

Herzog began his visit at Bondi Beach, where he laid a wreath at a memorial for ​the victims of the attack. He also met survivors and the families of 15 people killed in the shooting.

"This was ‌also an attack on all Australians. They attacked the values that our democracies treasure, the sanctity of human life, the freedom of religion, tolerance, dignity and respect," Herzog said in remarks at the site.

In a statement, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry Co-Chief Executive Alex Ryvchin said Herzog's visit "will lift the spirits of a pained community."

Some Jews oppose the visit.

The Jewish Council of Australia, a vocal critic of the Israeli government, released an open letter on Monday signed by over 1,000 Jewish Australian ⁠academics and community leaders, urging Albanese to rescind Herzog's invitation.

POLICE DEPLOY SPECIAL ​POWERS

Authorities in Sydney have declared Herzog's visit a major event and have ​been authorised to use rarely invoked powers during the visit, including the ability to separate and move crowds, restrict their entry to certain areas, direct people to leave and search vehicles.

The Palestine Action Group ‍organising the protest failed in a ⁠legal challenge in a Sydney court on Monday against restrictions placed on the expected demonstration.

"We're hoping we won't have to use any powers, because we've been liaising very closely with the protest organisers," New South Wales Police ⁠Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna told Nine News on Monday.

"Overall, it is all of the community that we want to keep safe ... we'll be there in ‌significant numbers just to make sure that the community is safe."

(Reporting by Renju Jose, Alasdair Pal and Scott ‌Murdoch in Sydney; editing by Diane Craft and Michael Perry)