Patriots QB Drake Maye was under duress throughout Super Bowl LX, as he tries to fend off Seattle's Byron Murphy II. (AP photo)

SAN FRANCISCO – The Seattle Seahawks, like the Philadelphia Eagles before them, left a blueprint for how to win a Super Bowl in the age of the dynamic quarterback-led offenses.

Deeeeeefense.Fierce, rough, fast, take-no-prisoners defense.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye had better stats in Super Bowl LX than Seattle’s Sam Darnold. In fact, Maye set a Super Bowl passing record for yards in the fourth quarter when the Seahawks.

But it meant nothing. The Seahawks beat the Patriots at their own game, demolishing protection to make a quarterback’s life miserable. That’s what the Patriots did to the Chargers and Texans, and for keys part of the game, the Broncos.

But it one game, all their flaws caught up with them. The Seahawks knew where to attack – yes, that means you, Will Campbell – and stunningly were able to run the ball against a defense that stopped the run consistently whenever Milton Williams and Robert Spillane were healthy, to the extent that a running back, Kenneth Walker III, was the game’s MVP. As Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said, “Defensively we have been really good against the run lately and we weren’t.”

Was any of this valuable for the future?

“It’s only valuable if we understand what it takes and what we are going to need to do to improve,” Vrabel said. “If we don’t do that, then it wouldn’t have been very valuable. We had a really, really good year and one that I am proud of, and this game is not a reflection of our year…

“We’ll have to be able to learn from this and understand from tis what we have to do to get back to this and how hard it is and how difficult every year is and that it starts over.”

Food for thought: No quarterback who has ever lost the Super Bowl in his second year has ever returned to the Super Bowl. Maye’s injured shoulder caught up to him, as did the team’s weak schedule, etc. Bottom line is he wasn’t prepared physically or mentally for what he saw on Sunday.

“You live, you learn, you try to learn when you win … You’ve got to play your best, make those plays. If you do, you win. If you don’t, you’re crying here at a podium,” Maye said.

Now what? The postseason gave the Patriots a glimpse of what they will be in for in the future against good teams. Maye has sacked a record 21 times in the postseason. The Patriots, with two rookie linemen on the left side of the line who may or may not be at those same left guard-left tackle positions next year, know they have to protect their franchise quarterback much better.

“I’m proud of everything they’ve done,” Vrabel said. “I am disappointed just like they are. I reminded them that we are 370 days into what hopefully is a long successful relationship and probram and that it is OK to be disappointed.”

Without pointing fingers which is a good quality this team has had all season long. But with just four losses in five-plus months, there weren’t many things to point fingers at.

“We have to be disappointed and upset together,” Vrabel said. “I tell them I am appreciative of them, thankful and grateful that I get to coach them. Part of our identity is not being a front runner.”

It’s also amazing how similar the two teams’ seasons were in terms of their vibe.

“There’s always some part of your team that you’re trying to attack and improve on,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “But if you stick to the process and the process is right, then the results will get to where you want.

“But I think what you saw (in the Super Bowl) is just the end point of a team that has been dedicated to becoming the team since we walked in the door in April. And it started with our offseason program. It started, then it went to training camp and how the handled the off season, and we just did it week by week.”

And now some team will be coming to OTAs in April,and be saying the same thing come next mid-February.

Will that team be the Patriots? Or the Seahawks again?

Check back on Valentine’s Day, 2027.