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Seahawks ride their 'Dark Side' defense to a Super Bowl title, pounding the Patriots 29-13

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By The Associated Press
− Seattle Seahawks defensive end Rylie
+ Fans
− Mills
+ in
− (98)
+ San
− celebrates
+ Juan,
− after
+ Puerto
− sacking
+ Rico,
− New
+ watch
− England
+ Bad
− Patriots
+ Bunny's
− quarterback
+ performance
− Drake
+ on
− Maye
+ television
during the
− first
+ halftime
− half
+ show
of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football
− game, on
− Sunday
+ game
− in
+ Sunday,
− Santa
+ Feb.
− Clara,
+ 8,
− Calif.
+ 2026.
− Sue
+ Alejandro
− Ogrocki/AP
+ Granadillo/AP
hide caption
− SANTA
+ SAN
− CLARA,
+ JUAN,
− Calif.
+ Puerto Rico
—
− Defense
+ The
− won
+ Super
− this
+ Bowl
− championship.
+ lasted all of 13 minutes for many Puerto Ricans in San Juan and beyond.
− Devon
+ 2026
− Witherspoon,
+ Super
− Derick
+ Bowl
− Hall,
+ No,
− Byron
+ that
− Murphy
+ wasn't Liam Conejo Ramos in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show People turned their backs to TV screens as food, music
and
+ chatter filled
the
− rest
+ first
− of
+ half
− Mike
+ of
− Macdonald's
+ the
− ferocious
+ game
− unit
+ until
− pummeled
+ a
− Drake
+ hush
− Maye,
+ fell
− and
+ across
the
− Seattle
+ island.
− Seahawks
+ The
− beat
+ halftime show was starting. This was Puerto Rico's moment, a spotlight on a collective son who quit bagging groceries a decade ago and became
the
− New
+ world's
− England
+ most
− Patriots
+ streamed
− 29-13
+ artist
on
− Sunday
+ Spotify last year. Since then, Bad Bunny has used his platform
to
− win
+ applaud immigrants, sing about Puerto Rico's identity and turmoil and denounce U.S. immigration policies. "He appeared at
the
− franchise's
+ right
− second
+ moment
− Super
+ in
− Bowl.
+ the history of Latin America," said Marielys Rojas, 39, who is originally from Venezuela but has lived the last 22 years in Puerto Rico.
− Sam
+ She
− Darnold
+ was
− threw
+ among the hundreds who gathered by
a
− touchdown
+ grassy
− pass
+ knoll near a beach in Puerto Rico's capital
to
− AJ
+ watch
− Barner,
+ the
− Kenneth
+ halftime
− Walker
+ show
− III
+ on
− ran
+ a
− for
+ huge
− 135
+ screen
− yards
+ as waves crashed behind them
and
− Jason
+ the
− Myers
+ sounds
− made
+ of
− all
+ coquís,
− five
+ an endemic frog, filled the salty air. Amarilys Reyes, 55, arrived at the seaside watch party with her 22-year-old daughter. She had never watched a Super Bowl and didn't know who was playing, but it didn't matter. Like many others, she was only there for Bad Bunny. "It's the biggest show
of his
− field-goal
+ life,"
− tries.
+ Reyes said.
− Television
+ Energy,
− From
+ nerves
− Jesus
+ and
− to
+ excitement
− Jurassic
+ had
− Park:
+ been
− This
+ building
− year's
+ across Puerto Rico ever since the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced that Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio would headline the
Super Bowl
− ads
+ XL
− are
+ Halftime
− playing
+ Show. Watch parties were quickly organized across the U.S. mainland and the island. Some dubbed
it
− safe
+ "Super
− Uchenna
+ Bori
− Nwosu
+ Sunday,"
− punctuated
+ a shortened nod to "Boricua," which refers to someone with Puerto Rican ancestry, while others referred to it "The Benito Bowl: Morcilla, Sancocho, Mofongo, Reggaetón and
a
− punishing
+ little
− defensive
+ bit
− performance
+ of
− by
+ Football." One
− snagging
+ woman
− Maye's
+ wrote
− pass
+ on
− in
+ social media that she would watch
the
− air
+ halftime
− after
+ show
− Witherspoon
+ with
− hit
+ her
− his
+ 87-year-old
− arm
+ mother
− and
+ in
− ran
+ Puerto
− it
+ Rico
− back
+ so
− 45
+ they
− yards
+ could
− for
+ dance together, while another person posted that they had prepared
a
− pick-6.
+ PowerPoint presentation for their American friends dubbed "Bad Bunny 101."
− Seattle's
+ Creativity
− "Dark
+ flowed
− Side"
+ as
− defense
+ Feb.
− helped
+ 8
− Darnold
+ approached:
− become
+ One bar in Puerto Rico posted a promo featuring
the
− first
+ quarterbacks
− quarterback
+ from the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots sitting on the iconic white plastic lawn chairs that grace the cover of Bad Bunny's newest album. Even the Teletubbies got
in
+ on
the
− 2018
+ excitement,
− draft
+ shaking
− class
+ their colorful rumps
to
− win
+ Bad Bunny's "Baile Inolvidable"
a
− Super
+ day
− Bowl,
+ before
− ahead
+ the show. Wonder Woman also lent her support, with Lynda Carter noting on social media that she was a "huge fan"
of
− Josh
+ Bad
− Allen,
+ Bunny,
− Baker
+ whom
− Mayfield
+ she
− and
+ noted
− Lamar
+ was
− Jackson.
+ an American citizen: "Make no mistake."
− Labeled
+ But criticism of the first all-Spanish NFL halftime show spiked as the first half ended. Television From Jesus to Jurassic Park: This year's Super Bowl ads played it safe. Jake Paul,
a
− bust,
+ YouTuber-turned-boxer
− dumped
+ who
− by
+ has
− two
+ property
− teams
+ in Puerto Rico
and
− considered
+ has
− expendable
+ posted
− by
+ about
− two
+ life
− others,
+ on
− Darnold
+ the
− proved
+ island,
− his
+ wrote
− doubters
+ on
− wrong
+ X: "Turn off this halftime. A fake American citizen performing who publicly hates America. I cannot support that." Puerto Ricans quickly responded. "Don't you live where he's from?" wrote one person
while
− helping
+ many
− the
+ others
− Seahawks
+ noted
− go
+ that
− 17-3.
+ Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.
− After
+ Luke
− leading
+ Lavanway,
− the
+ a
− NFL
+ 35-year-old
− with
+ who
− 20
+ lives
− turnovers
+ in New York but was vacationing
in
+ Puerto Rico to escape
the
− regular
+ ongoing
− season,
+ cold
− Darnold
+ snap,
− didn't
+ said
− have
+ he
− any
+ had no problem with a halftime show
in
− three
+ Spanish. "That's
− playoff
+ part
− games.
+ of
− He
+ us,"
− wasn't
+ he
− particularly
+ said.
− sharp
+ "That's
− against
+ what
− a
+ makes
− solid
+ us
− Patriots
+ great,
− defense
+ and
− but
+ we
− protected
+ should just enjoy it." The crowd that had gathered for
the
− ball
+ halftime show began streaming out of the watch party as soon as the second half started, smiling as they reflected on what they had just witnessed. "I thought it was phenomenal that Bad Bunny brought all Latinos together in one place
and
− made
+ represented
− enough
+ them
− plays,
+ all
− finishing
+ equally,"
− 19
+ said Carlos Ayala, 36,
of
− 38
+ San Juan. "It's an important moment
for
− 202
+ Latino
− yards.
+ culture."
− The
+ He
− Seahawks
+ also
− sacked
+ thought
− Maye
+ it
− six
+ fantastic
− times,
+ that
− including
+ Ricky
− two
+ Martin
− apiece
+ sang
− by
+ Bad
− Hall
+ Bunny's,
− and
+ "Lo
− Murphy.
+ que
− Hall's
+ le
− strip-sack
+ pasó
− late
+ a Hawaii," which laments gentrification
in
− the
+ Puerto
− third
+ Rico,
− quarter
+ a
− set
+ worsening
− up
+ issue for many on an island with
a
− short
+ more
− field
+ than 40% poverty rate. "Transmitting that message is extremely important in these times," he said, adding that he also appreciated the light posts
and
− Darnold
+ exploding
− connected
+ transformers
− with
+ featured
− Barner
+ during
− on
+ the
− 16-yard
+ show,
− scoring
+ a
− toss
+ nod
to
− make
+ Puerto
− it
+ Rico's
− 19-0.
+ chronic outages "so the world can see what we live through."
− Julian
+ Among
− Love's
+ those
− interception
+ beaming
− set
+ after
− up
+ the
− another
+ show
− field
+ was
− goal
+ Juliana
− that
+ Santiago,
− made
+ 35,
− it
+ who
− 22-7
+ said her heart swelled
with
− 5:35
+ pride
− left.
+ on Sunday night.
− The
+ She
− Patriots
+ said
− (17-4)
+ Bad
− punted
+ Bunny
− on
+ proved
− the
+ that
− first
+ "you
− eight
+ can
− drives,
+ accomplish
− excluding
+ things,
− a
+ that
− kneel-down
+ the
− to
+ American
− end
+ dream
− the
+ truly
− first
+ is
− half.
+ real."
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