What's Wright - Super Bowl REACTION: Seahawks DOMINATE Patriots, Darnold’s REDEMPTION, Maye OVERRATED? | Nick Wright NFL

Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Host: Nick Wright (feat. Damanze)
Date: February 11, 2026
Episode: 426

Episode Overview

This episode features Nick Wright and Damanze recapping Super Bowl 60, in which the Seattle Seahawks dominated the New England Patriots, focusing heavily on the Seahawks’ defensive clinic and Sam Darnold’s redemption story. The hosts also analyze the underwhelming performance of New England’s Drake Maye, lessons for the rest of the league, and discuss the MVP race. The conversation is passionate, analytical, and marked by Nick’s sharp, opinionated style.

Breakdown of Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Immediate Reactions to Super Bowl 60

• Game Enjoyment Discussion:
  • Damanze: Admits to finding the game "a little underwhelming" due to lackluster offense, but recognizes the defensive showcase (05:06).
  • Nick: Understands the sentiment—he can “appreciate a low scoring game,” but this one felt like it “wasn’t in the balance” and was simply "one team dominating the other” (06:26).
  • "This didn't quite feel like that. It felt like it was one team dominating the other and there wasn't a lot of intrigue in the outcome." – Nick (06:26)

2. Super Bowl MVP, Seahawks Defense, and Coaching Genius

• Defense vs. Offense MVP Debate:
  • Nick strongly argues the MVP should’ve gone collectively to the Seahawks defense instead of the usual offensive pick.
  • Praises defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald for repeatedly shutting down young quarterbacks: "Quarterbacks of any age, the first time they play a Mike McDonald defense, dating back to his time in Baltimore and Seattle are like 10 and 33, scoring less than 16 points a game. He crushes people." (12:18)
  • Highlights of Devin Witherspoon’s deployment (pass rush, sacks, big plays), importance of voting to reflect defense’s collective dominance (12:18–13:48).
  • “It was every guy on the Seahawks defense except for the guy who punched Stefan Diggs in the face and got away with it, probably deserved a share of that defensive MVP.” – Nick (13:55)
• Kenneth Walker's Performance:
  • Acknowledges Walker had the most rushing yards in a Super Bowl since Terrell Davis, but argues it doesn't reflect the defensive domination (13:16).
• Historical Context:
  • The Seahawks become the fifth team ever to finish #1 in both DVOA defense and overall DVOA; four of those five went on to win the Super Bowl (16:00).
• Validation & NFC Strength:
  • Asserts the NFC Championship (Seahawks vs. Rams) was the “real Super Bowl," claiming both were the best teams this season (17:08).

3. Front Office Mastery: John Schneider’s Risks and Rewards

• Praises for John Schneider:
  • Acknowledges risk in moving on from Pete Carroll, Geno Smith, and acquiring Sam Darnold.
  • Points to the fruits of the Russell Wilson trade and home run draft picks: “Gutsy moves, man… so many of the key guys from that Super Bowl were picks they got from Denver in the Russell Wilson trade.” (21:00)

4. Is This the Beginning of a Seahawks Dynasty?

• Future Outlook:
  • Damanze: “Are they favorites to repeat?”
  • Nick: “Yeah, but nobody’s like a big favorite… Very, very hard to repeat… We don’t have instances in the modern NFL of anyone repeating without a super-duper star quarterback” (21:43).
• Repeating Requires a QB Jump:
  • Walks through historical repeat champs; absence of all-time greats generally precludes back-to-back titles (22:00–22:50).

5. Lessons for the Rest of the NFL

• Find Mahomes or Build a Super Defense?
  • Nick raises the existential dilemma:
    • “What’s easier: finding the next Patrick Mahomes or building a super defense?” (23:25)
  • Advice: Don’t overpay a QB who isn’t elite just because you want him to be Mahomes—build out a great roster instead (24:02).
  • “Don’t hamstring yourself from being able to build out this great roster… by lying to yourself that your quarterback can be the next Mahomes.” – Nick (24:02)

6. Coaching Bias, Mike Macdonald’s Genius

• Media Attention and Regional Bias:
  • Some coaches (like Macdonald) don’t get enough credit due to “coastal bias” and subdued personalities versus someone like Dan Campbell or Vrabel (26:27–27:46).
  • “If Mike Macdonald was doing this with the Washington Commanders, he would have had better PR… But Macdonald was brilliant. He was brilliant.” – Nick (27:21)

7. The Sam Darnold Redemption Arc

• Darnold’s Career Trajectory:
  • From high-draft-pick “bust” to Super Bowl champion in a new system; comped to Jim Plunkett’s “wanderer-to-winner” story (34:36-35:00).
  • Revisits the infamous “seeing ghosts” soundbite, calling it “brutal… borderline unfair” (36:40–37:24).
  • Stresses Darnold’s resilience: avoiding disaster in the Super Bowl, making key escapes, and being NFC Championship Game MVP (40:25–41:28).
  • “He was a punchline. And so I do think the fact that… he was so good in the NFC Championship Game… he has taken Baker’s corner as the gold standard of the contemporary redemption story.” – Nick (41:28)
• Darnold’s Future in Seattle:
  • Nick expects a team-friendly extension, keeping Darnold in Seattle as a cost-controlled starter (41:34–43:12).

8. New England Patriots: Drake Maye’s Playoff Problems

• Maye’s Regular Season vs. Playoffs:
  • “Somewhere between pretty bad to downright awful” in all four playoff games; sacked 21 times (most ever in a playoff run); fumbled seven times (most ever) (43:33–45:00).
  • Despite his age, Nick is skeptical about automatic improvement: “I give him a big break for it being his second year. I don’t immediately say though, oh, and he’ll have a ton of chances to make up for this.” (46:25)
• Patriots’ Steep Road Ahead:
  • Toughest schedule in decades next season, and historical stats say losing teams rarely rebound to win Super Bowls or even return (48:00–51:59).
  • Historical facts on Super Bowl loser hangovers; offers examples of QBs who never returned (54:00–55:10).

9. MVP Race, Stafford’s Legacy, and Voter Quirks

• Stafford Edges Maye for MVP:
  • Following a tight race, Stafford wins after the Super Bowl exposes Maye’s playoff struggles (63:28–63:41).
  • “Matt Stafford deserved league MVP this year. He was the best player in the league this season. I don't think it is all that close.” – Nick (63:41)
• Voter Anomalies & Josh Allen Obsession:
  • Nick lambastes MVP voters for repeated first-place votes for Josh Allen, regardless of comparable statistics or team performance, calling out systemic media favoritism (66:26–70:42).
• Stafford’s Hall of Fame Case:
  • “Stafford deserved it. And it does cement Stafford as a Hall of Famer in my opinion.” (70:44)
  • Walkthrough of Nick’s all-time QB pyramid: Stafford is behind about 16 all-time greats, then can be debated within the next tier (73:47–75:14).
  • “But top 10 all time is just a bananas opinion. Bananas.” – Nick (75:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Defensive MVP Dilemma:
  • “I think the voters should have colluded... Do we think Seattle's defense is the MVP?” – Nick (12:28)
• On the Seahawks' Hangover Potential:
  • “We don’t have instances in the modern NFL of anyone repeating without a super-duper star quarterback.” – Nick (21:51)
• On Building a Roster:
  • “Don’t hamstring yourself...by lying to yourself that your quarterback can be the next Mahomes.” – Nick (24:02)
• On Darnold’s Transformation:
  • “He was a punchline...and now he’s Super Bowl champion.” – Nick (36:40–43:12)
• Addressing Voter Biases:
  • "There are a couple MVP voters that are just Josh Allen no matter what voters, and it's baffling to me." – Nick (70:42)
• Summing Up the Episode:
  • “Maybe audio only podcast on Thursday. Keep the questions coming because we will do a kind of a mailbag style pod next week.” – Nick (75:14)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Game Enjoyment and Defensive Dominance Discussion: 04:53–07:55
• Seahawks Defensive Brilliance & Defensive MVP Argument: 10:08–14:00
• Seahawks’ Historic Defense & NFC Strength: 16:00–18:55
• GM John Schneider’s Moves and Team Building: 20:51–21:37
• Potential Seahawks Dynasty? 21:37–23:21
• Building a Roster vs. Finding a QB: 24:02–25:17
• Coastal Media Bias & Coaching Recognition: 26:27–27:46
• Darnold’s Redemption & ‘Seeing Ghosts’ Backstory: 34:18–37:54
• Darnold’s Super Bowl and NFC Title Game MVP Case: 39:54–41:28
• Patriots' Drake Maye Playoff Woes: 43:19–46:21
• Historical Super Bowl Losers' Troubles Returning: 54:00–55:10
• Stafford Wins MVP & Voter Critique: 63:28–70:44
• All-Time QB Pyramid & Stafford’s Place: 73:37–75:14

Episode Summary & Takeaways

Nick Wright delivers a thorough, brash, and data-rich post-mortem on Super Bowl 60. The episode revolves around Seattle’s defensive masterclass, the redemption arc of Sam Darnold, and tough love for New England’s Drake Maye. Nick highlights critical front-office moves, the modern NFL’s structural realities, and the need for realism in quarterback evaluation. He is unrelenting in critiquing voter narratives (particularly about MVP selection) and is passionate in his defense of valuable team-building lessons.

For listeners seeking hard-hitting takes, NFL history context, and a bit of poking at media and voting quirks, this recap episode offers a comprehensive exploration of championship football and the NFL’s big-picture questions as another season closes.

For Mailbag Participation:
Nick invites all listeners to submit questions for the upcoming episode, which will feature a Bill Simmons-style mailbag format, open to all sports and life topics.